Seeking 'snap-cover' electrical conduit.. SOLVED Thanks. J

[Benchwayze]

I am looking for some 'nail-on' flat plastic conduit, for domestic electrical cable.

The flat channel is first nailed into place and the wire is channelled along it. Then a long plastic strip is snapped into place on top to hide the cable.

I know this stuff exists, but I don't know what it is called in the trade. Google keeps showing me round section conduit or closed box-section plastic conduit. I prefer not to disconnect the cable, and feed it through a closed conduit. (Because I am not a sparky!) :mrgreen:

Does anyone know what I mean, and can you point me in the right ' URL' direction please?

Thanks in anticipation.

Regards
John

 

[motownmartin]

Hi John, I think you might be looking for trunking, try here http://www.qvsdirect.com/Mini-Trunking-c-554.html

Hope it helps

 

[Benchwayze]

Thank you Martin.

Problem solved... That's the stuff.
I am most obliged.

Regards
John

 

[chipofftheoldblock]

Thank you Martin.

Problem solved... That's the stuff.
I am most obliged.

Regards
John

It's called trunking .. I'd suggest that you do not nail it on .. there is often an adhesive strip on the back . Buy yours perhaps from an electrical wholesaler as the stuff they seel is usually quality stuff that is UV stabalized.
I spent years playing with it in the electrical/alarms & IT environment.. most of the nailed on stuff either shattered the plaster, looked like a surf beach or was cracked from miss hits on the masonry nails.
There is a special self hammer in Hilti tool for inserting the washered masonry fixing nails but I never found it good for anything except stopping my too box blowing away ( You also needed a small lump hammer to get a clean penetrating hit ) .

As a consequence I always predrilled a small hole from the inside side where there is usually a middle guide line , opened it up from the outside then drilled and plugged the wall with the trunking hanging from the top hole on its fixing screw... it alway laid correctly.

Some " clever " guys used to bung a 6.5 mm SDS masonry bit right through the plastic from the inside , slip in a red wall plug 7 then the screw but it always mushroomed at the back and did not lay well on the wall even if they used countersunk screws to try and squash out the mushroom.
If you have a multi piece run , stagger the capping of the trunking so the joint does not coincide with the joint in the actual channelled section .. this helps it to stay in place and not develop gaps.
If you have to turn a righ angle with it its best to do a butt joint ..( before you fix it cut unwanted bit away ) or buy special angles.

 

[Benchwayze]

Chip...

I am obliged for the warnings, and I will keep them in mind.
The trunking is to save me disconnecting a plug socket and using round conduit.

My workshop walls are clad with match-board, so the trunking will be fixed to timber. As for hammering, I have no need, as I have a pin-push that I use for fixing glazing beads, so there won't be any mishits with a hammer. :wink:

I shall stick the stuff to the wall if there is an adhesive on the back, but I will probably push in a few pins too!

Thanks again for the warnings. All info is good info, and it will be stored for future use. !

Cheers and thanks again.

John

 

[beech1948]

Benchwayze,
I have used a self made system similar to the trunking you mention. The base is 1/2 inch thick poplar 4 inches wide but could be any cheapish timber. The walls are similar and about 1.5 inches deep. Sides screwed from the rear of the base. The top is screwed on using some slot head brass screws because they were available and cheap. The top is built up in 3ft sections so that they can be removed in a modular manner. Sockets are metal and screwed to the tops.

The base and sides are screwed to the walls at 48 inch heights and run around the complete workshop except one wall has two lengths of trunking one above the other to separate out normal single phase and three phase.

Its possibly a bit less convenient than your plastic trunking. I am able with a very little effort to remove say 9ft of trunking, wire up a new socket or insert new cables and then simply replace the removed tops of trunking without disconnecting any of my sockets. Its also very robust and has not been cracked or damaged by any occasional contact with long lengths of wood.

Cheap to do to.

Lifes what you make it and so is trunking it seems.

hope this was interesting.
Alan

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Alan,

I did consider using some thin, flat lath, screwed to the timber wall, about 3/4" apart, sited where the cables have to go. Then just cut some 3mm MDF covers and screw them to the laths. That would work I suppose, but I went and ordered the plastic channel now... :roll:

:idea:
I could use the wooden sheathing idea above the timber rack though, to protect the cables for my porch light. Then I won't have to worry about bashing them when I put awkward lengths of heavy timber up on the rack! Thanks for reminding me!

Cheers.

John ...