Running 'flex' in conduit to TV & lights - OK?

[Richard Harnwell]

I've got my new Panasonic Plasma TV mounted on my solid (plaster over breezeblock) wall. I plan to hide all the cabling in two lots of plastic conduit that I will recess then plaster over. On one side I will run all the signal stuff (TV & Sat aerials, HDMI, cat5, audio out), and on the other I will run power.

I'm keen to use a set of Ikea dioder LED light strips behind the TV, but I obviously want control of them. I already have a load of X10 kit, so I'm planning to use that.

As this is in a Bungalow, I have easy access to the loft directly over the wall. My plan is to add a new switched double power socket into a ring main in the loft and position it on a joist directly over the wall. I would then plug the LED lighting into one socket via an X10 appliance module, and the supplied TV power cable into the other. The cables would exit the conduit behind the TV via one of these:

http://www.letsautomate.com/12623.cfm

Can anyone reassure me (or not) that this is OK from an electrical safety and code point of view? My concerns are:

• Is there any problem running flex (rather than mains cable) through concealed conduit?
• Is it OK to have the appliance module plugged into a socket in the loft?
• I won't have easy access to cut the power to the TV (or lights) without going into the loft - is that a problem?

I was initially going to put a fused spur behind the TV, but this doesn't help me re. the run of the lighting flex.....

I'm confident & competent re. the adding a socket to the ring main.

If there are any issues with the above I'd be very grateful if anyone could suggest any alternatives.

[solidamber]

I control lights and equipment by remote control sockets in the loft, it works great.
simular to these

http://www.splendidproducts.co.uk/im..._3+1_small.jpg

[joshwa2k]

Originally Posted by Richard Harnwell

• Is there any problem running flex (rather than mains cable) through concealed conduit?
• Is it OK to have the appliance module plugged into a socket in the loft?
• I won't have easy access to cut the power to the TV (or lights) without going into the loft - is that a problem?

Hi Richard,

Im no electrician but I can't see any problems with what you are trying to do from an electrical safety point of view. I install AV and custom computing in Commercial buildings and we always get the onsite electrician to put a socket or spur near to our equipment then run our own 13amp flex to the kit, be it underground, up a wall, through joists, it's fine. The only thing I would say is make sure you have a way of isolating the power to your TV, even if its by pulling the IEC plug out of it. The last thing you want when your shooting off on holiday and you want to turn everything off is to have to get in that loft.

[SparksCW]

I am an electirician... personally I'd put a fused spur on the wall behind the TV with the IEC wired directly into the spur long enough to plug into the TV so you can turn the power off to TV locally and not via the loft. This also prevents having to run flex in conduit etc (not that theres anything wrong with it but flex should be under 3 metres)

As for the lights, if the X10 controller doesn't fit behind the TV (i.e on another spur or a socket) then I'd run the flex up a conduit into loft and plug it into a socket on the ring (so extend the ring to include a socket above ceiling and a spur on the wall)

I'm sure you can get flush mountable X10 fused spurs that would fit behind your TV and could then come off that ring main... ? That way everything can easily-ish be turned off from behind the TV..

it's a bit more work but IMO it's what I'd do...

[Richard Harnwell]

Thanks very much for the replies.

I can't find any obvious way of getting and X10 module and plug / transformer to all fit behind the TV, so I think I will need to have the lights plugged into a socket in the loft. I can see that a fused switched spur does sound like a better way of getting power to the TV though. I guess I'll need an additional run of conduit? It doesn't seem right to have cable to the spur down the same conduit as low voltage flex to some LED lights.....

[SparksCW]

You will need another conduit yes. Bit more work but a lot better IMO.

This is what I was thinking of which would fit behind your TV

Marmitek X10 Appliance MicroModule AW12

Wire that to a second fused spur, fused down.. should then allow you to remote turn on/off the LED's and also have local isolation to it via the second fused spur... this would also save you having to run another conduit and you could then also discount the double socket in the loft

You'd have 3 single boxes in the wall (or a dual single box and a single..) but you'd only need 1 conduit, no loft socket and both TV and LED's are locally isolated.

[Richard Harnwell]

Originally Posted by SparksCW

You will need another conduit yes. Bit more work but a lot better IMO.

This is what I was thinking of which would fit behind your TV

Marmitek X10 Appliance MicroModule AW12

Wire that to a second fused spur, fused down.. should then allow you to remote turn on/off the LED's and also have local isolation to it via the second fused spur... this would also save you having to run another conduit and you could then also discount the double socket in the loft

You'd have 3 single boxes in the wall (or a dual single box and a single..) but you'd only need 1 conduit, no loft socket and both TV and LED's are locally isolated.

Thanks again for that - I hadn't thought of using those.

Could I just confirm how those 3 boxes would work?

I assume one box would be a normal fused spur with flex outlet, going to the TV - something like this - that all seems simple enough.

Don't quite understand how you're suggesting to connect the switched spur & X10 for the lights in the double box. Do you mean use a twin back box with a switched spur on one side, with the output routed internally to the other side containing the X10 module with the flex to the LED lights exiting through a flex outlet?

Thanks again!

[SparksCW]

Originally Posted by Richard Harnwell

Don't quite understand how you're suggesting to connect the switched spur & X10 for the lights in the double box. Do you mean use a twin back box with a switched spur on one side, with the output routed internally to the other side containing the X10 module with the flex to the LED lights exiting through a flex outlet?

Thanks again!

Yep you got it This way you can fuse the output down going to the X10 module as well as easily isolate it.

By the way, I've never used X10 equipment so double check the info on that website as they do list a couple of different flush modules.. but I'm pretty sure that's the one you want.

[Richard Harnwell]

Yep, that certainly looks like the right X10 appliance to me.

Now ordered

[SparksCW]

Originally Posted by Richard Harnwell

Yep, that certainly looks like the right X10 appliance to me.

Now ordered

Nice one, let me know how you get on

[silver12]

Flex should not be used for fixed wiring (FP200 and the like obviously not included).
Local isolation is a must for any appliance which is deemed to be fixed.

[Richard Harnwell]

Originally Posted by silver12

Flex should not be used for fixed wiring (FP200 and the like obviously not included).
Local isolation is a must for any appliance which is deemed to be fixed.

Cheers. Sounds like my modified plan should be OK then.