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JOHN COOMBS: I BET THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU’VE SEEN THE SEALING CAP USED FOR AN OUTSIDE SOCKET? UNSURPRISINGLY, IT WAS CARRIED OUT BY A BODGING BUILDER…
Where cables are buried in the ground they have to be protected against mechanical damage with the best method of using a Steel Wire Armoured cable installed at an appropriate depth with a cable duct or some other means of protection, including a marker tile or tape, indicating the presence of a buried cable in line with Regulation 522.8.10.
In this case there does not seem to be any precautions for any of the above for this cable installation. A joint has been made for an ‘additional socket’ and the proprietary cable jointing kit has been used for a purpose that it was not intended for.
The additional socket has a cable connected via the compound filling hole which is not suitable for the termination of any cables. The cable type for the additional socket appears to be twin and earth covered in insulation tape to protect it from the external influences and fails to meet the requirements for buried cables with an earthed armour or metal sheath or both.
By using incorrect termination methods this joint could be liable to ingress of moisture and lead to the failure of a connection.
As the jointing kit has been used outside of the manufacturer’s requirements, including the product standards, the installation would have to be considered as a departure from BS 7671. This would not be accepted as this method of installation could not be considered no less safe than if it had complied with the requirements.
Therefore, the classification code would be a potentially dangerous C2 for incorrect termination, location of buried cables and cable type.
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