Surely this isn't right?

[CableMe]

A few weeks ago Virgin installed their XXL service to our property.

They turned up on time and all seemed to go reasonably well until I noticed the mess they'd made of the front lawn. I should have paid more attention to their laying of the cable. They laid is directly down the middle of the lawn - despite a full and unplanted border being within 10 feet of the line they took. In other words, they could have gone down the border and left no mess at all.

However - that isn't my biggest issue.

I have taken up turf from the surrounding area in order to build a new area for bedding plants in the garden. In doing so I was horrified to discover that the cable was laid no more than 3" below the surface.

Furthermore, it was completely unprotected. There is conduit evident at the point it exists the garden to connect to the house, but it looks to me as though they've almost deliberately placed just a small section of conduit on that section to make it 'appear' as if the rest of the cable underground would be protected too.

I've taken photographs - what do you think?

Don't be mislead into thinking that the spade trench you see in the picture of exposed soil/cable is the one they made. It isn't - that is a new and deeper trench below the existing one that I have made in order to try to get the cable down to below 'spade depth'.

My questions are:

1. Should the cable be conduit protected throughout?
2. Is 2-3" really adequate depth for the cable?
3. Is it reasonable to have expected them to have laid the cable down the border no more than 8-10ft from the lawn trench they dug?


Picture 1 - showing conduit into house, but it ceases just below ground level



Picture 2 - showing the nice mess they made down the lawn despite the border to the left of it



Picture 3 - the exposed cable, unprotected. Note the still turfed area and the depth of the cable. The trench below it is the new one I've dug to try to get it deeper.

[Dave9946]

You probably before doing anything and even now should call them and insist an inspectors comes out to look at the work right away as your concerned for the safety of the installation and use of the garden.

If not done correctly you could be at possable risk of an electric shock with a cable burried that shallow if not properly protected.

[BenMcr]

There isn't enough electricity going through the VM cable to shock anyone

---------- Post added at 13:28 ---------- Previous post was at 13:27 ----------

But I would certianly get VM back out. The whole cable should be a lot deeper and all of it in the green ducting

[CableMe]

The potential for electric shock wasn't a concern to be fair, but the potential for very easy damage was. Nonethless, it just strikes me as being very shoddy and trying to mask the lack of cable protection by putting the conduit on the end only - or perhaps that's my cynical side thinking that was their motive.

It should be a spade's depth and it should be in a protective sheath/duct. I wouldn't have expected them to go for the border though. If you think about it, it is probably less likely to get dug up in the middle of the lawn, i.e. safer. It is also the direct and cost effective route.

Nevertheless on the basis that they most definitely did not bury the cable properly, call them back out to make it good.

[jungleguy]

Has anyone on here ever tried digging a trench during a drought?

[CableMe]

A drought? My spade went straight down to the base of the handle depth, no problem at all. There's no drought where I am, thought the prospect of no rain is quite an appealing one.

[Dave9946]

Reminds me of an install VM done for the gf's sister once. Messed about the entire time and never cleaned up the drill dust and never protected the cable on the outside of the house properly and never fully connected and cleaned in the grid a couple of houses down where they connected to the house where the inspector said they have not sealed the connection.

He got on the phone to his manager told them to tell the installers it they do an install like that again they are fired. I think VM do have a strict policy to installs being done properly. And complaining will sure get them a telling off they probably deserve in this case when an inspector comes out to see the poor install.