Underground Cables

[Nellis]

Hiya!

I live in a flat and am thinking of getting VM. However, some neighbours in an adjacent block have had their cables broken (I think old NTL cables) when the contractor came to tend the gardens and were digging over a border before planting it up.

What depth do the cables get put underground? Are they put in something to stop a fork or spade going through them? That would sense to me.

Cheers!

[nodrogd]

Any existing cabling should be checked by VM before the install, and the cable re-pulled if required. If the job is done properly the cable will be put in a green plastic conduit and buried.

[kdouglas1987]

They cant be far under as i remember a few years back i was mowing my mothers front lawn and the blades becomming stuck in the uneven ground and found the blade had actually penetrated the outer flexible piping, i dare say if it had been a more powerful lawnmower it would have sliced through the whole thing

[MovedGoalPosts]

The cables should be buried below spade depth so as to be clear of risk of normal gardening activities. Unfortunately that is not always the case.

[Milambar]

I put a spade through mine, about 5 years back. Guy on phone told me I'd be charged for the repair, but when the techies got here, they said "I'll put on the record that you're not to be charged, the cable was less than 2 inches below the surface. It should be below spade depth."

I wasn't charged either, so I guess he did his job right

[pabscars]

Mine is about 3 inches below the surface, with no outer protection at all. So it depends on how good of an install team you get.

I was cutting the neighbours lawn a good few years back and got a black cable wrapped round the blades, at the time I didn't know what it was for, so just carried on regardless.

It was only years later when I had cable installed myself that the penny dropped .

[Digital Fanatic]

I've never heard of a customer getting charged for digging through a cable that wasn't burried properly and / or didn't have the protective green hosing... even then I still haven't heard of a charge being applied.

[calmpitbull]

I seen some drops buried (I use the term loosely) nanometers below the surface!!!

Out of sight, out of mind!!!