Drilled through a light cable in wall. Advice needed please

I was drilling a hole for my tv bracket yesterday and the lights went off. I knew straight away that I had hit a cable. Luckily no bang or sparks ect. It was the main cable for the all the lights in the house. I hacked away all the plaster around the cable and rejoined the cable via a junction box. I know that I can't replaster over it now due to law ect. But is there any other smaller junction box that I can fit so it can sit in a back box and I can then put a blanking plate over it?

Or any other way bar removing the entire cable.

Thanks

Edited January 20, 2013 by AUTOBOY58
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Presumably, the cable runs under the floorboards, up through some trunking in the wall and into the lighting ring in the ceiling. Can you not access the cable below the floorboards... cut the cable and attach a new length, pulling it through the trunking and rejoin back in the ceiling and below the floorboards so you can re-plaster the wall?

 

Or is that too much hassle?

 

Failing that.. put in a backbox with a blanking plate and just use sufficiently rated 'chocolate block' connectors in the backbox. It will be accessible and correctly rated so i cant see regulations being a problem.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Mr_Squirrel

It does run from the fuse board. Which is a bit too much for me to look at. And I'm broke at the moment due to let's say bad luck.

I will end up doing that at some point as its rented accommodation. But looking for a quick and cheap alternative which is also safe for a temporary fix.

Ok.

 

Then put in a backbox with a blanking plate and just use sufficiently rated 'chocolate block' connectors in the backbox. It will be accessible and correctly rated so i cant see regulations being a problem.

Really?

The plastic connector blocks are ok?

If that is correct that will be great for now.

 

Thanks so much for the advice was worried that it would not be an option.

:-)

Plastic connector blocks are fine as long as you use correctly rated ones (10 amp are best) and the connections remain accessible, IE: inside a backbox with blanking plate.

Remember to mark each cable up if your unsure so you connect them back correctly.

except it will be behind the television and not accesable as required - crimp the cable using the correct sized bullets and a ratchet crimp instead then you know it`s safe - crimper about £20.00 from toolstation

Plastic connector blocks are fine as long as you use correctly rated ones (10 amp are best) and the connections remain accessible, IE: inside a backbox with blanking plate.

Remember to mark each cable up if your unsure so you connect them back correctly.

To be pedantic, if he does replace the entire length of cable, which would be the best solution and quite possibly cheaper, it would need to be in the new colours should anyone be looking at the time. He will then need to fix a label to the distribution box stating that his home now contains mixed wiring, if there's not one there already. I assume that it's an old installation, because it ought otherwise to have had conduit protecting the cable, which should have prevented this!

To be pedantic, if he does replace the entire length of cable, which would be the best solution and quite possibly cheaper, it would need to be in the new colours should anyone be looking at the time. He will then need to fix a label to the distribution box stating that his home now contains mixed wiring, if there's not one there already. I assume that it's an old installation, because it ought otherwise to have had conduit protecting the cable, which should have prevented this!

 

To be even more pedantic, if the cable is in a safe zone then there is no requirement for mechanical protection....IET reg 522.6.101 (v).....

To be even more pedantic, if the cable is in a safe zone then there is no requirement for mechanical protection....IET reg 522.6.101 (v).....

 

 

To be even more pedantic just spit and rub, should do the trick