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[Question]
Cleat wiring in Electrical installation
Hi all! I need a bit of help. is the old wiring that is held by porcelain clips in the ceiling still allowed? Where GP or house wire is visible. Some houses the gp wires is insulated by normal PVC, some houses it's that insulation which is fabric (sorry don't know the name)?
The old wiring you refer to is VIR wiring ( vulcanised India Rubber ) and was used extensively on the cleat system.
When the wiring was manufactured it had a life span of 25 years - As far as I am aware they stopped manufacturing almost 40 years ago - If you looked through Fundamental requirements note 2 pg 62 in SANS 10142-1 "manufacturers instructions may contain more stringent requirements " - I would say the VIR wiring is not allowed and would not sign a COC
With regards to open wiring , there is a section in SANS 10142-1 ED2 - 6.4.5 pg 139 - that appears to allow it but not recommended - Have no idea why they still allow open wiring
Just be careful, from experience VIR / cotton wrapped wiring tends to be fine and test well until it's disturbed. Even gently tipping a socket or switch forward to visually inspect can result in the rubber insulation disintegrating.
I'm with GCE, anywhere I found VIR still in service I'd recommend replacement / rewiring as a matter of course and regardless of how it tested.
Should VIR wiring be accepted it must comply with the regulations as at the time of installation. The installation must be unchanged, no joints to extend/ add points. The wires must not be sagging(almost impossible by now), it must clear the roof by .75m(if I recall correctly) and wires are not allowed to touch each other. There must also be slack with a curve where it enters the droppers which must all be earthed. Insulation readings tend to be good with the exception of lighting circuits. As Andy said, best is to replace it. I have not accepted one in years.
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