View Full Version : [merged] Cable depth
How deep should my cable be buried, mine is 2 inches below the surface in my border and I want to dig the border out.
Cable should be buried to a depth of 10"in flowerbeds lawns etc, in some cases the crew are unable to acheive this due to tree roots , rubble. If this is the case this it should have been logged "shallow dig" and the customer informed.
Andy E
ntl pirate
ian@huth
25-02-2004, 10:16
Cable should be buried to a depth of 10"in flowerbeds lawns etc, in some cases the crew are unable to acheive this due to tree roots , rubble. If this is the case this it should have been logged "shallow dig" and the customer informed.
Andy E
ntl pirate
Common sense should dictate that the cable should be buried more than a spade depth below the surface but I have never seen a NTL installer do other than what was done at my house.
Dig a spade in to around half the spade depth and lever the spade back and forth until they have a slight groove in the lawn.
Thread the cable through green corrugated pipe and try to push into the groove.
Walk along the groove pressing the turf back down and making sure that any of the green pipe is covered.
Result is the cable is about as deep as if you laid it on the ground and then laid turf on top.
gary_580
25-02-2004, 10:35
Mine lays on the surface in one place and through the lawn its about and inch deep
SMHarman
25-02-2004, 11:27
Mine lays on the surface in one place and through the lawn its about and inch deep
There was a big bush in my garden when they installed that is now gone. That area the cable is above the surface in its green pipe.
Cable should be buried to a depth of 10"in flowerbeds lawns etc, in some cases the crew are unable to acheive this due to tree roots , rubble. If this is the case this it should have been logged "shallow dig" and the customer informed.
Well the re-bury today was 1/2 spade depth slap bang in the middle my flower bed which I want to plant up this spring. I asked the bloke how deep it should be he said 'as deep as I can get it'. I've dug a 3' deep hole in that border in the softest soil, no bother.
I should have done it myself! :mad:
mine was left on the surface for three mths.
After loads of phone calls I gave in and buried it myself ( next to the other two failed cable pulls)
paulyoung666
25-02-2004, 20:13
Common sense should dictate that the cable should be buried more than a spade depth below the surface but I have never seen a NTL installer do other than what was done at my house.
Dig a spade in to around half the spade depth and lever the spade back and forth until they have a slight groove in the lawn.
Thread the cable through green corrugated pipe and try to push into the groove.
Walk along the groove pressing the turf back down and making sure that any of the green pipe is covered.
Result is the cable is about as deep as if you laid it on the ground and then laid turf on top.
the father in laws was about 2" down as well , he managed to cut it in 2 with a spade , spliced it back together for him rather than spend £50 for ntl to sort the fault :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
does anyone know if they have to bury it deeper , or is it a case of it being low voltage so it dont matter :mad: :mad: :mad:
Stuartbe
25-02-2004, 20:16
the father in laws was about 2" down as well , he managed to cut it in 2 with a spade , spliced it back together for him rather than spend £50 for ntl to sort the fault :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
does anyone know if they have to bury it deeper , or is it a case of it being low voltage so it dont matter :mad: :mad: :mad:
I am looking into the regs now in the IEEE site and BSI..
Its not classed as low voltage - Low voltage is known as SELV..
Phone lines are TNV... They have similar regs to a mains cable...
wheeliebin
25-02-2004, 21:46
I am looking into the regs now in the IEEE site and BSI..
Its not classed as low voltage - Low voltage is known as SELV..
Phone lines are TNV... They have similar regs to a mains cable...
10 Inches is the required depth in soft dig.
As the lad above states if this isnt done for a valid reason the customer must be informed.
If you are trying to class a siamese cable in the same league as a 240V cable then surely it should have some form of mechanical protection (steel conduit or Steel wire armouring)
Stuartbe
25-02-2004, 21:52
10 Inches is the required depth in soft dig.
As the lad above states if this isnt done for a valid reason the customer must be informed.
If you are trying to class a siamese cable in the same league as a 240V cable then surely it should have some form of mechanical protection (steel conduit or Steel wire armouring)
No - I said similar not same..... The cable has to be protected in some way. What I was pointing out is that TNV can be hazerdous and has stricter regulations than SELV cable runs.
+ If its 10 inches then NTL are breaking the regs...
BTW - Where did you get 10" from.. The BSI or IEEE site has no details like this :confused:
10" comes from the ntl SOP manual (standard operating procedure)
Cable should be buried 10" in a soft dig ie flowerbeds etc, normally it is buried in green plastic ducting,although this is not always the case, Different franchises have different rules and regulations. I've worked in three Ntl franchises as an installer, Luton was the only one i didnt use green ducting in.
Andy E
ntl pirate
SMHarman
26-02-2004, 20:06
10" comes from the ntl SOP manual (standard operating procedure)
Cable should be buried 10" in a soft dig ie flowerbeds etc, normally it is buried in green plastic ducting,although this is not always the case, Different franchises have different rules and regulations. I've worked in three Ntl franchises as an installer, Luton was the only one i didnt use green ducting in.
Andy E
ntl pirate
I'm in Hertford - Luton franchise and my cable trails around the garden in a green duct.
Stuartbe
26-02-2004, 21:39
I'm in Hertford - Luton franchise and my cable trails around the garden in a green duct.
Perhaps they meant 10" above the ground ? :D
"I'm in Hertford - Luton franchise and my cable trails around the garden in a green duct."
Sorry mate but i can only go on personal experence, when i worked there approx 3 years ago green ducting wasnt used.
Andy E
ntl pirate
paulyoung666
26-02-2004, 22:27
"I'm in Hertford - Luton franchise and my cable trails around the garden in a green duct."
Sorry mate but i can only go on personal experence, when i worked there approx 3 years ago green ducting wasnt used.
Andy E
ntl pirate
so you just buried the cable on its own , typical ntl penny pinching :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
Mine`s not even burried, and i only have a gravel front garden.
Just had a new phone line in work yesterday its 5inc down :eek:
The in-house team in Norwich use the green ducting to go from the T to the property :) as it allways should - and it should allways be buried. There isn't really an excuse for leaving it on the surface..
The in-house team in Norwich use the green ducting to go from the T to the property :) as it allways should - and it should allways be buried. There isn't really an excuse for leaving it on the surface..I had my install in January last year. Unfortunately there was snow on the ground at the time, so the installers left the cable & green conduit on the surface, saying they would come back in a few weeks & finish it off. They never did. I wasn't too bothered about this, but the fact that they left the 2 cables from the triangular opening in the street exposed, as they looped over the concrete verge before entering my garden, was a bit worrying.
I realy will have to phone them one day & get it done properly. Better wait until summer, so there can be no more excuses. :)
I had my install in January last year. Unfortunately there was snow on the ground at the time, so the installers left the cable & green conduit on the surface, saying they would come back in a few weeks & finish it off. They never did. I wasn't too bothered about this, but the fact that they left the 2 cables from the triangular opening in the street exposed, as they looped over the concrete verge before entering my garden, was a bit worrying.
I realy will have to phone them one day & get it done properly. Better wait until summer, so there can be no more excuses. :)
nothing like a few kettles of boiling water to soften the ground ;)
nothing like a few kettles of boiling water to soften the ground ;)Think of the poor worms...ouch! :Yikes:
Greetings,
Nice day, did a spot of gardening, and hey-presto, I dug up a green snake - it was only 2" under the ground...
I seem to have injured it, coz its spinal cord seems to have snapped - coincidentally, the phone no longer works, although fortunately the telly and internet are ok (Phew!).
Being Easter Sunday, NTL are closed (I am a Buddhist, wot's that got to do with me?)
I would have thought, in my ignorance, that the snake (Species NTL-Cable) would normally dwell deeper in the ground than 2"... do you think its owners will want me to pay to make it well? :confused:
How deep should it be?
Cheers,
Tony
As I recall, my cable is only a couple of inches underground.
Graham F
11-04-2004, 15:46
it should be at least 6" deep AFAIK
:welcome: to the site Tony
paulyoung666
11-04-2004, 15:54
hi and :welcome: to the site TonyC , if ntl want to charge you it will be £50 , mind you , my father in law dug his up , i went round and spliced it for him in about 5 mins 6 months ago and it is still working ;)
Tech_Boy
11-04-2004, 16:28
Tony, Easter has nothing to do with it. Being sunday however, faults & customer services are closed. It happens every weekend, and the poor guys in Tech support get lots of customers shouting at us, when we are not in a position to help.As for the depth that a cable should be buried....... I have no Idea!
paulyoung666
11-04-2004, 16:38
Tony, Easter has nothing to do with it. Being sunday however, faults & customer services are closed. It happens every weekend, and the poor guys in Tech support get lots of customers shouting at us, when we are not in a position to help.As for the depth that a cable should be buried....... I have no Idea!
hang on , emergency telephone faults are open 24/7/365 arent they ;)
So I would get away with soldering it??? Only 2 wires, after all - I am a computer engunu... inginee... enjune.. injunheer... engineer, I know which end to hold a soldiering hiron... suppose it's worth a try, followed by loads of insulting tape... maybe I will get out the pick-axe and bury it a little deeper!
Thanks, folks.
Tony
paulyoung666
11-04-2004, 17:07
So I would get away with soldering it??? Only 2 wires, after all - I am a computer engunu... inginee... enjune.. injunheer... engineer, I know which end to hold a soldiering hiron... suppose it's worth a try, followed by loads of insulting tape... maybe I will get out the pick-axe and bury it a little deeper!
Thanks, folks.
Tony
yeah go for it , you got nowt to lose , mind you be careful with pickaxe :Yikes: , just make sure you join the right wires to the right wires or you may find yourself calling china by mistake :D :D :D :D :D
Tech_Boy
11-04-2004, 17:08
emergency faults maybe open, but regular faults & cmr service, have EVERY B*&^^Y SUNDAY OFF!:mad:
when tech support is open 8 am till midnight 7 days a week!
paulyoung666
11-04-2004, 17:10
emergency faults maybe open, but regular faults & cmr service, have EVERY B*&^^Y SUNDAY OFF!:mad:
when tech support is open 8 am till midnight 7 days a week!
your not bitter though are you ;) , doesnt every telco company have to supply emergency fault assistance for telephone faults by law ?????????
Greetings,
This afternoon I cut through my phone cable - luckily I missed the TV/Web cables.
Since they were only 2" below the surface, I don't see why NTL should charge me £50 to fix something which they screwed up in the first place (10" is the SOP according to postings above...)
I would solder it except for the fact that there is no slack to allow this.
Has anyone managed to get NTL to waive the charges?
Regards,
Tony
paulyoung666
11-04-2004, 18:50
Greetings,
This afternoon I cut through my phone cable - luckily I missed the TV/Web cables.
Since they were only 2" below the surface, I don't see why NTL should charge me £50 to fix something which they screwed up in the first place (10" is the SOP according to postings above...)
I would solder it except for the fact that there is no slack to allow this.
Has anyone managed to get NTL to waive the charges?
Regards,
Tony
you could always splice it with some bell wire :)
emergency faults maybe open, but regular faults & cmr service, have EVERY B*&^^Y SUNDAY OFF!:mad:
when tech support is open 8 am till midnight 7 days a week!
*tsk* slackers! ;) :Sprint: ;) :nworthy: :D
Merged with other thread on same topic. :)
wheeliebin
11-04-2004, 19:48
Greetings,
This afternoon I cut through my phone cable - luckily I missed the TV/Web cables.
Since they were only 2" below the surface, I don't see why NTL should charge me £50 to fix something which they screwed up in the first place (10" is the SOP according to postings above...)
I would solder it except for the fact that there is no slack to allow this.
Has anyone managed to get NTL to waive the charges?
Regards,
Tony
The cable should be 10" in soft dig and 6" in hard standing.
In some cases if this depth cannot be achieved they are supposed to show you and make you aware.
DO NOT allow them to charge you to repair it if it was only 2" deep.
If they try it on (which i doubt they will) then ask to speak to an Install manager straight away!
Interesting topic... it never occured to me that I could damage my cable by digging in the front garden... My next door neighbour was doing some work in his front garden last year - widening his drive and using one of those small JCB things to make it easier. Wondered what the green ducting he dug up was!
I want to get our drive widened and re-laid this year so checked around in our front garden. Whilst most of it is ok (under flowerbeds and lawn), found that part of the cable is layed through a path. Looks like they just used an existing crack in the concrete (why I want a new drive), probably chiselled it out a bit, ran the cable in and "smeared" cemment over the top. You can actually see the cable in places so it's less than a few mm.
I don't suppose they couldn't have done much different when they installed. After all the path is right next to the house where the brown external box thing is and the cable comes through the wall into the house. What's the situation going to be with getting work done? Do I (or the company I use) just have to work round the cable and be careful or am I within my rights to ask NTL to come and bury it deeper? What if there is no slack?
:shocked:
Chimaera
18-04-2004, 18:17
Crikey - my green ducting is just laying on top of the gravel on my (very small) front garden! Were they meant to bury it then? It was installed 14 months ago and no mention was made of where the cable was meant to go!! :Yikes:
There is no ducting on my cable and it is less than 2" below ground. I know this because I almost put a spade through it when I dug my border for the first time after moving in. I know to avoid it now, but when we move house it's one of the things I'm going to leave a note of for the new owners; it could get chopped in two very easily.
So far as I can see, there is no reason at all why the cable should not have been buried down to 10" - except perhaps that the soil is a bit clay and heavy, so the engineer possibly couldn't be fagged to dig down deep enough.
paulyoung666
18-04-2004, 18:33
There is no ducting on my cable and it is less than 2" below ground. I know this because I almost put a spade through it when I dug my border for the first time after moving in. I know to avoid it now, but when we move house it's one of the things I'm going to leave a note of for the new owners; it could get chopped in two very easily.
So far as I can see, there is no reason at all why the cable should not have been buried down to 10" - except perhaps that the soil is a bit clay and heavy, so the engineer possibly couldn't be fagged to dig down deep enough.
you nailed it there i reckon , bone idleness :mad: :mad: :mad:
Hi Folks, thanks for your supportive messages.
NTL came and splice the cable ok - left the green trunking on the surface, with a heap of insulting tape at the top where he spliced/soldered/tied wires together... told my son that I could bury it!!! That's what I call service (NOT...) but at least nothing was said about charges - I shall be checking the next bill more carefully than usual, though.
Interesting, isn't it, how many installations have failed to follow NTL's SOP... maybe their installers should RTFM? :pp
Cheers,
Tony
... with a heap of insulting ...
Another pile of poo instalation. :D
with a heap of insulting tape at the topI can imagine the call to CS now, "Excuse me but the tape your engineer wrapped round my cable keeps telling me to f*ck off".....
I'll get my coat :pp
Hi again, again...
The story so far: I dug up green snake, broke its back, nice NTL cable man came and put it back together, said we should bury it...:monkey:
New Chapter:
I buried the cable this weekend, and - guess what? - the B***** PHONE IS DEAD AGAIN...:mad:
Here we go again, I will get them to bury it themselves next time, and test it afterwards. We put a line of bricks over the conduit this time so we wouldn't hurt it again! I'm off for a little cry, now.:td:
Tony
paulyoung666
27-04-2004, 20:55
Hi again, again...
The story so far: I dug up green snake, broke its back, nice NTL cable man came and put it back together, said we should bury it...:monkey:
New Chapter:
I buried the cable this weekend, and - guess what? - the B***** PHONE IS DEAD AGAIN...:mad:
Here we go again, I will get them to bury it themselves next time, and test it afterwards. We put a line of bricks over the conduit this time so we wouldn't hurt it again! I'm off for a little cry, now.:td:
Tony
poor green snake :cry: :cry: :cry: :D :D :D , hope you get sorted soon :) :)
wheeliebin
27-04-2004, 21:11
There is no ducting on my cable and it is less than 2" below ground. I know this because I almost put a spade through it when I dug my border for the first time after moving in. I know to avoid it now, but when we move house it's one of the things I'm going to leave a note of for the new owners; it could get chopped in two very easily.
So far as I can see, there is no reason at all why the cable should not have been buried down to 10" - except perhaps that the soil is a bit clay and heavy, so the engineer possibly couldn't be fagged to dig down deep enough.
You hear of this quite a lot. When i did Installs (over 9 years ago) i always had a discussion with the customer at the end of the job to tell them what (any why) i have done in the garden. Ill bet not many of my customers cut through the cable by mistake. It is annoying
SMHarman
28-04-2004, 08:57
You hear of this quite a lot. When i did Installs (over 9 years ago) i always had a discussion with the customer at the end of the job to tell them what (any why) i have done in the garden. Ill bet not many of my customers cut through the cable by mistake. It is annoying
9 years later it must often be the case that a different owner is in the house these days and the previous owner did not bother to share this information when they moved out.
9 years later it must often be the case that a different owner is in the house these days and the previous owner did not bother to share this information when they moved out.
True, but as wheelie's installs were all done properly, this is less likely to be a problem than in my garden, where the engineer clearly had better things to do ... ;) :(
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