Screw through electric cable under floorboards

antitrust

Have lurked here for ages, but need some help so here's my first post!

Whilst screwing down squeaky floorboards I hit a wire. A spark and a bang, and the fusebox tripped. Turned off the main switch in the fusebox and extracted the screw. Switched it all back on and everything works fine.

But....do I need a electrician to check it? Will my house burn down? :huh:

And yes, i know I was very very lucky that I didn't kill myself.

mikey72

yes, you need an electrician. You have probably gone through the ring main, either the insulation is damaged, or the wire is broken entirely, and only half the ring is supplying current.

ormus

you maybe lucky and just nicked the cable and shorted the wires.
all youve probably done is damage the insulation slightly. it could last for decades like that.
might be as well to get a sparky in to test the wires though.

totalsolutions

Cables are usually 2" or more below the board surface, you need to take a look and repair a cable too.

keystone

totalsolutions wrote: »

Cables are usually 2" or more below the board surface,

Optimist!

you need to take a look and repair a cable too.

Agree 100%

Cheers

zax47

Somebody (diy?) did a poor job running the cable there in the first place! You need a sparky to re-route it at the least. We work in safe zones and have strict rules about where (and how far down) we can run cables through joists. You shouldn't be able to screw through a cable doing what you were doing.

Can we have a picture?

olias

If you ask a sparky they will say that the whole run of cable needs replacing as they aren't legally allowed to joint a damaged cable with a junction box or similar unless it's accessable. This could be expensive and disruptiuve, having to pull up numerous boards and possibly chase out walls etc.

What I would do (and to be honest allways was done in the past, before all the regulations got stricter and stricter) is to lift the board, cut the wire and join the 2 ends with a junction box fitted to the joist about halfway between the floor surface and the ceiling below. While the board is up, check if the wire is directly under the board elsewhere and if so, drop it down to a safer level, or screw the protective metal plates you can get over it to prevent a similar accident happening again.

I know some posters (especially sparkys) will moan and knash their teeth that that would be illegal/dangerous/whatever, but personally I think it's perfectly safe and have done it several times before under similar circumstances and am still here to tell the tale and haven't had a house burn down yet.

Olias

diable

How old is the house as I suppose the cable is routed via a cut out in the joist. I think though as you where fixing squeaky boards then the house is older and doesn't have tongue and groove boards so you should be able to lift/cut a section of board out and get an electrician to cut the cable and get it jointed. I could also suggest other ways of doing this but I suppose I would get flamed for posting on here ;p

frank.hopper

If you ask a sparky they will say that the whole run of cable needs replacing as they aren't legally allowed to joint a damaged cable with a junction box or similar unless it's accessable. This could be expensive and disruptiuve, having to pull up numerous boards and possibly chase out walls etc.

The join can be crimped, within the regs and no requirement for access.

olias

Thanks, that's interesting. Is this well known? Only there have been similar threads on here and the sparkys have all said the entire run of wire needs replacing. Are they just after the extra work...?:D

Olias

zax47

Crimping is permissable, but it is better to replace the cable run. Same deal as repair or replace a tyre with a nail in. You can do both, one is better.

In this case I would replace as it appears to have been badly run anyway.