Structure Cabling, update & query

[David M]

Hi everyone

About a month ago, I got some really helpful replies to an extensive query about rewiring our house. Things have moved on and I have another query (or five), at the end of this post; but first a bit of update.

Certification....When I suggested I might want to go for NF C15-100 certification from the EDF, I got some advice from gurus on this board...not to try... visits from two local french electricians later, I have to tell you the poor guys almost had heart attacks at the very idea that we would try for certification...so it seems to be a universal dread...thanks for the heads-up.

Underfloor heating... We have bottomed the technology and supply of all this and are well on our way with the installation now... if anyone is interested, I'll glady post a brief with details of the floor, the materials, tools, technique and costs... This is easily a DIY project...just needs patience and time...

Encastrer....I had these grand ideas that we would use flexible gaine and bury all our cabling in the walls... ok so a bit naive ... I know that now... said electricians (whom are going to work with us, and whom are extremely helpful) demonstrated how our internal walls would collapse if we attempted to use a raineureuse to bury a gain of length of more than a metre or so...then after a careful inspection of our stone walls, just said something that sounded like  faire courir un grand danger à ... so I gathered they thought the idea of using a raineureuse on this stone a tad less than good for ones well being..

..anyway I thought "what do they know?"... and set about a little trial with a meulleuse (angle grinder) about 90 minutes later, I'd managed about 40cms of enough track for ONE 25mm gaine...and yes I was dressed up like a Xmas tree and yes I was sweating...ok... so they did know what they were saying... and yes it would take me until Xmas 2056 to get it all done..

poser un câble, vide and cloison were the other words I sussed, among lots of other stuff,  from which I gathered they were saying (a) there are areas where we can use gaine succesfully, and we are going to do that and (b) we should use existing voids wherever possible and create them with partitions, false walls, pannelling and the like when we can't find something already there...

...which people on this forum had already hingted at... thank you for letting me get there on my own...now you can stick in a few penneth because I'll understand better what you are saying...

Ok... then PLAN B... create a 150mm false wall in the kitchen (its under renovation anyway, no difficulty) use this to route all utilities.. in fact we if we route our electical circuits in here, we can use this as a way of routing to four other critial areas of the house... and all with easy maintenace access...great solution and underway...

The rest is still a bit of a problem though... in some parts of the house we have enough existing voids to route cable for all our services  (lights, power, specialised power etc)... but in others it will be less easy.. and here are my two, maybe two hundred and two, queries...

Les goulottes, les moulures et les plinthes....
I've managed to get my head around some of the regs concerning the deployment of this stuff.. but am still swiming in a fair amount of confusion, je pense aussi, que c'est vraiment vilain, talk about total lack of imagination by these manufacturers...what they see is what you get... anyway 'nother story...

question 1: If I use cable (rather than single conductors) are there any circumstances in which I may run the cable in gulottes, moulures or plinthes?

question 2: What constitues a vide?  For example if I bring a feed (by single conductors in gaine) to a junction box, behind a cloison, may I then switch to cable, cut a groove (route a channel) in the back of a skirting board (for example) and then up a door jamb to a surface mounted light switch?  How much flexbility is there for me to make cable (not single conductors) coverings in wood?

Queston 3:  Cable bundling... I'm going to have about 16 circuits (ie 2.5mm2 cables) running paralled through two rooms on their way to/from apparatus in other parts of the house, some of this will run behind a cloison, some behind pannelling.  If this is properly attached to the wall, with fittings that will not compress the cable, am I allowed to bundle it, or must it remain flat.

Question 4: Canals and floors.  Our ebeniste isn't too happy with the idea of panneling being used to hide cable... he things it's going to spoil the look of the pannelling (actualy he's right).  The alternative is to create a canal in the floor, and run the cabling along the canal... but I think I read that this was specifically prohibited in the NF... is that so?  Is there a way in which I can run cable in floor.... this will be concrete covered by tile.... I'm limited by space because of the minimum safe distance of any cable to the installed heating cable....finally I've looked at other routes (such as false beams) but these are not really feasable as the cabling is running contra to the actual 300/200mm poutre of the building...So How can I put cable into the floor?

Question 5: General....Theoretically changing from single conductor in gaine, to cable, is easy, I just do it at a junction box (boite de branchement) but in practice this isn't going to be so easy...especially since I want to abide by the rules ... any general thoughts...? cautions...? warnings....?

As usual all thoughts are welcome... I'm exploring everything...

David