Question Best route for cable runs in false wall?

lukeredpath

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I'm about to order the materials to construct my false chimney breast (build thread: Surface mount chimney breast build thread). I'm having a bit of a dilemma over the best route for cabling.

This is currently my best effort:
Screen_Shot_2015-03-27_at_14_34_34.png


Red = power from FCU on alcove wall to flex outlet.
Blue = HDMI (and potentially any other data cables I might run, CAT5/6, Kinect lead etc.)
Green = Speaker cable for centre and front right.

Power cable has been deliberately run to stay in safe zones. I'm not fussy about data cables - I know where they will be.

My main concern is being able to pull through new cable in the event of failure. This means using conduit, but I'm limited in terms of space. The gap at the front will be the depth of the stud - 63mm. The corner stud will give me approx. 25mm gap around the corner that cables can be pulled around.

This means I could probably fit 25mm flexible conduit but I've heard this can be a bit of a nightmare to fish through, especially HDMI cables. I'm wondering if it might be enough to run conduit from the exit in the false wall recess (I was going to use something like a network rack brush strip like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metal-Parts-Brush-Strip-Management/dp/B00EE2W3WS) down and towards the front left corner, then pull the cable from the conduit exit, round the corner and out the brush plate. My thinking is as long as I can get the cable through to the corner, I should be able to reach through the side (by removing the brush plate) and pull the cable through. I can also leave draw string to help with this.

I might even run a few lengths of separate conduit in case I need to run extra cables.

Does this seem like it would work? Any other ideas?
 
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How about running guttering?

I think they're 68mm in diameter, so should be plenty to run all cables and being able to run cables in the future.....
 
No room for 68mm guttering behind the wall; as I said there will only be 63mm gap at the front and 25mm behind the corner stud.
 
Doh!

Serves me right for not reading properly! :)
 
I'm putting a 250mm access panel in the side of my chimney breast. Maybe that would give you the option to reach right in to make changes?
access-panel-200mm-x-250mm-8-x-10-plastic.jpg
 
As you are building around the chimney breast anyway can you not break a corner bit off the existing to feed a larger conduit round if 25mm is possibly not big enough?

A 32mm would be big enough i would have thought and as it usually comes in 10m lengths there will probably be plenty for a second run if you want some spare capacity.

For ease of threading try not to make any bends to tight a radius and pull your draw string through before installing the flexible conduit.
 
No need to thread a draw string through before hand, a lump of cotton wool and string is easily sucked through with a vacuum.
 
As you are building around the chimney breast anyway can you not break a corner bit off the existing to feed a larger conduit round if 25mm is possibly not big enough?

A 32mm would be big enough i would have thought and as it usually comes in 10m lengths there will probably be plenty for a second run if you want some spare capacity.

For ease of threading try not to make any bends to tight a radius and pull your draw string through before installing the flexible conduit.

I'm considering it. Looks like the corner might come away when we remove the skirting board anyway!

I forgot to mention, the plan is to get some nice fitted alcove cabinets on each side with my equipment going in the one on the left. The inside will be cut away to get access to the exit points on the side of the chimney breast.

For this reason a full on access for might not work but I do think hacking away some of the wall to accommodate a 32mm conduit might be the right option.

I assume HDMI will go through 32mm flexible conduit without hassle if I avoid any sharp bends?
 
I've fitted an HDMI cable through a 25mm conduit before, so it should go through 32mm conduit. Just depends how much trouble the ridges give, I guess I will find out when I come to feed it through the 32mm flexible conduit I used!
 
I think a dry run might help. Only trouble is, the 32mm flexible stuff is expensive. Might see if I can use 32mm waste pipe.
 
Take the plaster off the wall and you'll more than likely find a lintel half way up the wall. Whack (literally) a hole in beneath this and you can run all the cables you want within the chimney breast. Far easier, quicker and cheaper than messing about with conduit.

You can also run the power cable more directly - the studs are 63mm and you only need to follow safe zones when they're 50mm below the surface,
 
We already have access inside the chimney, it's not been bricked up. The problem is running the cables through the side of the chimney breast. I don't have a drill bit capable of making a suitable hole. Plus I don't see how that solves the problem of pulling more cables.

Thanks for the tip on the wiring though. I'm going to run my plans past the electrician we have coming in next week.
 
It'll certainly be easier to pull cables through the waste pipe compared to flexible conduit.
 
We already have access inside the chimney, it's not been bricked up. The problem is running the cables through the side of the chimney breast. I don't have a drill bit capable of making a suitable hole. Plus I don't see how that solves the problem of pulling more cables.

Thanks for the tip on the wiring though. I'm going to run my plans past the electrician we have coming in next week.

Because if you take off the plaster you can then just remove a brick and run the cables on the inside.
 

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