Wall charger with internally routed cable

[AnonymouseDriva]

Hi All
Well, the MG5 is on order so I've turned my mind to a charger.
Has anyone had a charger installed where the cable was routed internally through the house (i.e. up a wall and through the ceiling?). I assume this wouldn't need to be armoured cable for the going through the house part (same as the 32A cable going to the induction hob)

My CU is at the front of the house, and the charger will be round the side. I really don't want an armoured cable pinning all the way around the front of my house. I'd rather it went up the wall in the trunking with all the other cables, and along through the ceiling.

Pretty much every installation I have seen online just drills out from the CU and bangs the cable along the outside of the house (or over the roof in one case!)

Also - if anyone has, and can recommend a good spark in the West Lancashire area, that would also be much appreciated.
Thanks.
-a

 

[Jomarkh]

Hi, could you go out and down the wall and then have it in a channel in the ground next to the house?

 

[5teep]

If you know your house and you're able, drill holes where you want the cable to go and run a pull through for the underfloor section. If it's ready for the sparky they will be more likely to want to do it your way.

 

[AnonymouseDriva]

Hi, could you go out and down the wall and then have it in a channel in the ground next to the house?

Yeah, that’s possible. It’s just blue slate so that’ll scoop out of the way and go back down. Thought that might be a pricier option though.

 

[Jomarkh]

Sorry no idea on cost but should be the same armoured cable as a clipped job and possibly easy than through the house

 

[AnonymouseDriva]

If you know your house and you're able, drill holes where you want the cable to go and run a pull through for the underfloor section. If it's ready for the sparky they will be more likely to want to do it your way.

Yeah, that’s probably the best plan. Cuts on cost too as they won’t be having to lift carpet and floorboards themselves. Just surprised it doesn’t seem to be a normal thing. I didn’t even have to think about it when I got internal sockets and light switches done.

 

[AnonymouseDriva]

My Dad was a spark. (Not dead, just retired!). When I was a kid he used to take me on jobs in the school hols and send me under the floors to pull cables through!

 

[Lovemyev]

Has anyone had a charger installed where the cable was routed internally through the house (i.e. up a wall and through the ceiling?). I assume this wouldn't need to be armoured cable for the going through the house part

This maybe worth a quick view before you decide witch way you would like to proceed.

 

[Big Nige]

I had my charger installed in 2018. Luckily my CU was installed in a cupboard just below the kitchen ceiling in my bungalow & I wanted the charger installed at the opposite end of the building, about 12 metres away. When the engineer called he just ran the cable up into the roof void and across, dropping the cable down from the soffit- no problems.

 

[Lovemyev]

I had my charger installed in 2018. Luckily my CU was installed in a cupboard just below the kitchen ceiling in my bungalow & I wanted the charger installed at the opposite end of the building, about 12 metres away. When the engineer called he just ran the cable up into the roof void and across, dropping the cable down from the soffit- no problems.

View attachment 4402

Supply cable terminated into a "Wiska" box, then into the wall box - nice.
I guess this type of unit comes with a small "Pre-Wired" wiring loom, out from the bottom of the the rear cover of the case ?.
Otherwise the supply cable could have come down the wall, passed the unit and then the supply cable formed in a "Loop" to prevent water ingress, then a weather proof gland installed, then wired directly straight into the unit ?.

 

[Big Nige]

Supply cable terminated into a "Wiska" box, then into the wall box - nice.
I guess this type of unit comes with a small "Pre-Wired" wiring loom, out from the bottom of the the rear cover of the case ?.
Otherwise the supply cable could have come down the wall, passed the unit and then the supply cable formed in a "Loop" to prevent water ingress, then a weather proof gland installed, then wired directly straight into the unit ?.

Yes, the chargemaster box was a pre wired unit (i think they still are) with a short length of flexible trunking to connect to the junction box. Pretty neat and easy to swap out for a smart charger in the future.

 

[Alb]

There's no reason why the cable shouldn't be routed internally and unless it's at risk of mechanical damage, anything internal doesn't need to be uprated from standard flat PVC T+E.
Tell your electrical installer what you want and leave it to them to figure out how to implement your wishes safely.
I've had this conversation with my own chosen installer and he was happy to give me exactly what I wanted.

 

[ARealHuman]

Mine goes under my floor to the meter under the stairs. Cable is armoured throughout.

 

[Barney]

Just had a sparkie out this morning to work out how to route the cable from the external meter unit at the front of the house to the garage at the back. He'll go up the outside wall, through the roof void of a single storey annex and across the garage joists, then down and out to the charger. He said that only cable which is exposed or buried needs to be armoured.

 

[ARealHuman]

I think mine is all armoured as it was just easier to do it like that.

 

[AnonymouseDriva]

I think mine is all armoured as it was just easier to do it like that.

I read somewhere that if it’s not armoured in the wall then it needs to be behind a steel shield, but I assume that’s probably true for all internal wiring.

 

[Lovemyev]

then down and out to the charger.

I guess the cable will then be coming directly into the back of the wall box ?.
When it drops down from the garage ceiling, it could be fitted inside some black conduit to make it look neat ?.

 

[Alb]

I read somewhere that if it’s not armoured in the wall then it needs to be behind a steel shield, but I assume that’s probably true for all internal wiring.

That's something different.
Cable buried in a wall has to be at least 50mm below the surface but that can be relaxed if there is mechanical protection sufficient to prevent penetration by nails/screws etc.
It's pretty unlikely an EV charging cable would be buried in this way.

 

[Lovemyev]

Has anyone had a charger installed where the cable was routed internally through the house (i.e. up a wall and through the ceiling?). I assume this wouldn't need to be armoured cable for the going through the house part (same as the 32A cable going to the induction hob)

Here is another good example when an SWA cable is run inside a roof space, then straight into the wall box.