Can I use flex instead of cable in my house wiring?

george - dicegeorge

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Mar 22, 2013, 8:37:45 PM3/22/13

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Can I use flex instead of cable in my house wiring?

I have lots of old lighting flex,
so instead of buying new grey cables
can I legally use the old flex to wire my house lights and rings?

(I have already notified Herefordshire Building Control
that I'm rewiring some circuits.)

[george]

John Rumm

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Mar 23, 2013, 2:08:49 AM3/23/13

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On 23/03/2013 00:37, george - dicegeorge wrote:
> Can I use flex instead of cable in my house wiring?
>
> I have lots of old lighting flex,
> so instead of buying new grey cables
> can I legally use the old flex to wire my house lights and rings?

In a word, no.

--
Cheers,

John.

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ARW

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Mar 23, 2013, 5:38:15 AM3/23/13

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John Rumm wrote:
> On 23/03/2013 00:37, george - dicegeorge wrote:
> > Can I use flex instead of cable in my house wiring?
> >
> > I have lots of old lighting flex,
> > so instead of buying new grey cables
> > can I legally use the old flex to wire my house lights and rings?
>
> In a word, no.

It's not a simple no. It a maybe....It's not something I have given much
thought as I would always wire up in "proper" cables.

Flex is a class 5 cable and has a higher resistance than the equivalent
class 1 (solid) and class 2 (stranded) BS 6004 cables.

--
Adam

David.WE.Roberts

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Mar 23, 2013, 5:51:32 AM3/23/13

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Hmmm...presumably that means that if you have a reel of 13 amp flex you
wouldn't use it for a ring main but you might be O.K. for a lighting
circuit.

Or perhaps even a spur (since apart from issues like burying it in a wall
it would be remarkably similar to an extension lead).

Not that I am proposing to do this although I do have (for some unknown
reason) two large drums of flex in the shed.

Cheers

Dave R

ARW

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Mar 23, 2013, 5:58:12 AM3/23/13

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Probably something like that. As I have never considered using buried flex
for other than supplying boilers, fans and outside lights ie all in
situataions where the CCC is well below the maximum allowed then I really
have not much info.

A spur from a socket would have to use a cable/flex rated at 20amps.

--
Adam

robgraham

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Mar 23, 2013, 6:08:02 AM3/23/13

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I don't like the "old" - I would be concerned about the state of the
insulation, and I suspect that if a fire started traceable to the
electrics the OP's insurance company might use that as an excuse to
remove cover.

Rob

Andrew Gabriel

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Mar 23, 2013, 9:10:07 AM3/23/13

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In article <kiju7s$t48$1...@dont-email.me>,
"ARW" <adamwa...@blueyonder.co.uk> writes:

> David.WE.Roberts wrote:
>> Hmmm...presumably that means that if you have a reel of 13 amp flex
>> you wouldn't use it for a ring main but you might be O.K. for a
>> lighting circuit.
>>
>> Or perhaps even a spur (since apart from issues like burying it in a
>> wall it would be remarkably similar to an extension lead).
>>
>> Not that I am proposing to do this although I do have (for some
>> unknown reason) two large drums of flex in the shed.
>
> Probably something like that. As I have never considered using buried flex
> for other than supplying boilers, fans and outside lights ie all in
> situataions where the CCC is well below the maximum allowed then I really
> have not much info.
>
> A spur from a socket would have to use a cable/flex rated at 20amps.

I have a reel of 2.5mm and a reel of 4mm 3-core flex, and they
aren't very easy to use - 2.5mm and 4mm T&E are much easier.

I did think of using 2.5mm flex to spur from a socket outlet
lost behind fitted furniture, to a new socket mounted on the
furniture, but never got around to it.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Andy Wade

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Mar 23, 2013, 7:45:43 PM3/23/13

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On 23/03/2013 06:08, John Rumm wrote:
>
> In a word, no.

I fully agree. Since it's been notified and is likely to be inspected
ISTM the height of folly not to use proper material. Why set yourself
up to fail?

BS 7540 has already been mentioned. This standard is a Guide to Use of
Cables [up to 450/750 V]. The clincher is clause 4.4.5 of BS
7540-1:2005 (General guidance):

"Flexible cables and cords should not be used as fixed wiring unless
contained in an enclosure affording mechanical protection, with the
following two exceptions:

a) final connection to fixed equipment where the cable type is ordinary
duty or higher [i.e. H05 or higher, not H03];

b) fixed installations in temporary buildings where the cable type is
heavy duty [H07]."

IOW any 'flex' used, other than for the stated exceptions, should be in
a conduit or trunking system.

--
Andy