Alternative to steel conduit

ChilliBob

Hey everyone, 

I'm trying to fox proof some outdoor lighting, since some was bitten through by a fox already. 

25mm flexible steel conduit would fit the bill, however, I need 40 meters of the sfuff. It looks like I'd not get much change from £200, perhaps £150 if I was lucky. 

Can anyone think of any fox proof alternatives that might work out cheaper?!

Cheers! 

Risteard

ChilliBob said:

Hey everyone, 

I'm trying to fox proof some outdoor lighting, since some was bitten through by a fox already. 

25mm flexible steel conduit would fit the bill, however, I need 40 meters of the sfuff. It looks like I'd not get much change from £200, perhaps £150 if I was lucky. 

Can anyone think of any fox proof alternatives that might work out cheaper?!

Cheers! 

Flexible conduit (kopex) is really only for final connections to vibrating machinery. Rigid conduit would otherwise be used, and is much cheaper. (Although the labour won't be cheap with it.)

What exactly is it you're trying to protect? Perhaps photos might be helpful.

ChilliBob

Thank you for the reply. So it's Phillips Hue outdoor lights (Lily). This consists of a transformer and lead (about 2). Then three lights off it, each have 5 meters between them. (With the possibility to add one more light and 5m to the run of three). I have this twice, and some other smaller run of an individual strip, which I need to repair!

The diameter of the cable (at the connections, pictured) is just under 20mm, so I'd need the 25mm conduit based on the 20mm being 17mm or so inside.

Eldi_Dos

There is a Polypropylene Flexible Conduit 25mm x 50m coil in Toolstation for £49.99 which might suit your needs.
If you can get a split version it would be easier to retro fit and just use small cable ties periodically along the run.

ChilliBob

Eldi_Dos said:

There is a Polypropylene Flexible Conduit 25mm x 50m coil in Toolstation for £49.99 which might suit your needs.
If you can get a split version it would be easier to retro fit and just use small cable ties periodically along the run.

Cheers, yeah I had seen that, however, it seems it'd not fox proof sadly   ours do seem to chew all sorts

grumpy_codger

However, why do you need 40m flexible? For straight parts you can use black solid UPVC pipes that cost less than £1/m

ChilliBob

The 40m is the combined distance of two lots of the lights and a standalone one, pretty much. 

Basically these go around plants and trees and stuff, so there's not much that would be straight really, the cables would need be curved around trees and plants etc, then out under some bark chippings.

Just found out the neighbors had a fox/foxes under their summerhouse a while back, and they chewed through the electric and water cables - so clearly a problem area we live in :0

Probably wouldn't have bothered with the lights if I knew this! 

moneysaver1978

Have you tried using chilli powder and see if that improves? A lot cheaper and less hassle than installing conduits!

ChilliBob

moneysaver1978 said:

Have you tried using chilli powder and see if that improves? A lot cheaper and less hassle than installing conduits!

No! Have not tried that - Lemon peel, urine (mine, adult male!), some high pitched sound thingy! The problem is we can't block access to our garden, as they often come over our summerhouse roof to get in! - They sort of do parquor from some storage in a garden behind, to our neighbors summerhouse roof, jump across to ours, then fence then down! I was actually hoping a motion sensor on these colored lights would help! 

moneysaver1978

ChilliBob said:

moneysaver1978 said:

Have you tried using chilli powder and see if that improves? A lot cheaper and less hassle than installing conduits!

No! Have not tried that - Lemon peel, urine (mine, adult male!), some high pitched sound thingy! The problem is we can't block access to our garden, as they often come over our summerhouse roof to get in! - They sort of do parquor from some storage in a garden behind, to our neighbors summerhouse roof, jump across to ours, then fence then down! I was actually hoping a motion sensor on these colored lights would help! 

We had the sound thing but the fox (and the cat!) got used to it in no time at all!

It was the chilli powder that seemed to have done the trick for us. We also had a water sprayer with motion sensor https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01DACLHT2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title which also worked well although you need to remember to turn it off in case you get trenched (unless you connect water tap and power with Alexa)!

The male urine worked too but apparently not potent enough and depends too much on diet - you need to add spices and leave it in a jar to ahem "ferment" for several days. I am not brave enough to do that and I am not sure OH would appreciate it!

ChilliBob

moneysaver1978 said:

ChilliBob said:

moneysaver1978 said:

Have you tried using chilli powder and see if that improves? A lot cheaper and less hassle than installing conduits!

No! Have not tried that - Lemon peel, urine (mine, adult male!), some high pitched sound thingy! The problem is we can't block access to our garden, as they often come over our summerhouse roof to get in! - They sort of do parquor from some storage in a garden behind, to our neighbors summerhouse roof, jump across to ours, then fence then down! I was actually hoping a motion sensor on these colored lights would help! 

We had the sound thing but the fox (and the cat!) got used to it in no time at all!

It was the chilli powder that seemed to have done the trick for us. We also had a water sprayer with motion sensor https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01DACLHT2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title which also worked well although you need to remember to turn it off in case you get trenched (unless you connect water tap and power with Alexa)!

The male urine worked too but apparently not potent enough and depends too much on diet - you need to add spices and leave it in a jar to ahem "ferment" for several days. I am not brave enough to do that and I am not sure OH would appreciate it!

Yeah, this morning we've had next doors cats in the garden all morning, and the fox just nonchalantly walking around and not even bothered when I chucked a welly boot info the garden!

We have hot chilli powder we don't use so I just liberally chucked it on their route in - didn't seem to do anything? Should I have mixed if with something?!

Water, I'll look into that - probably end up spraying me and the children lol.

Yeah, the wee didn't seem to do much - it was mid morning after quite a bit of water. Must nip out in my pyjamas at 6:30am lol.

Thanks for the thoughts!