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Building Regulations and Standards: Another pointless regulation?

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      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2017
     
    I've only just noticed Part R! Is it just me or is it completely pointless (for single dwellings anyway)?

    All it seems to require is a duct through a wall with a cover over each end. It doesn't require any cabling in the house, or any cabling or ductwork leading to the house, or any connection through the duct.

    Now my house has a duct that leads straight from an Openreach chamber alongside the road to my master terminal socket inside the house. It presently has one of their cables in it and they can pull fibre through it if we and they ever want to. And of course I have some network cables in the house. But it still wouldn't meet Part R!

    I can see the point of requiring blocks of flats to be cabled up but why require all new houses to have an extra thermal bridge that isn't necessary?

    Oh, and section 1.5 about application will likely cause grief somewhere along the line, since they've misquoted what the exemption classes mean. 'Small buildings' does not mean all garages and conservatories!

    I wonder who wrote this and who checked it? And which two pieces of legislation were repealed to allow it to be added?
    • CommentAuthorgoodevans
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2017
     
    Yes I can see your problem - your duct goes to an openreach chamber which may or many not be determined as an 'access point' (the guidance does not make it clear how near the access point must be to the house - or weather it must be available to all service providers).

    As far as I can see no size limits are specified for the access point - it can be the diameter of the duct. All in all it looks like the requirement is to put a pipe in a wall capable of taking a cable capable of carrying 30mb/s of comms (i.e any old telephone cable). In your present situation I think an access chamber on your land through which the duct passes would count as access point.
    • CommentAuthorgoodevans
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2017
     
    BTW thanks for pointing out the document - I had thought I had to provide a duct all the way down the drive.
    • CommentAuthorCWatters
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2017
     
    The Approved Documents represent just one way to meet the Building Regulations. The BCO is free to agree that any better method you propose is acceptable.
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      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2017 edited
     
    Posted By: goodevansI had thought I had to provide a duct all the way down the drive.

    Well, if you ever want a telephone, that's what you want to provide. Otherwise you'll have to dig up your drive later! When I asked about phone provision I had a very helpful chap from BT/Openreach (sorry, don't remember which) come to visit me and we agreed that a duct to their chamber was the most sensible. It's also possible to just run the cable directly in the ground. He provided me with both the duct and the cable to run inside it, free issue. So later on all they had to do was put a socket on my end, connect it to some wires in the chamber and then fiddle with the connections in their streetside cabinet.

    But as I understand it, if I was to build today I'd have to put a useless hole in my wall with a cap over it.
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      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2017
     
    As I understand it, my 'access point' is the part of my master socket where the Openreach cable is terminated. My 'network termination point' is the part of my master socket where the RJ11 socket is. I don't see the point of a regulation saying that I have to have a space on my wall to put a master socket.
    • CommentAuthorgoodevans
    • CommentTimeSep 16th 2017
     
    it looks like the regs define an access point as being available to Telecom companies - your master socket is inside your house and not available. But there does not seem to be a stipulation that the access point needs to be above ground so a small access chamber down to the buried duct should suffice.

    In short it looks like the reg asks for a duct from an accessible point outside the dwelling to somewhere inside the dwelling where comms equipment will be located. However it doesn't stipulate whether the comms line will be supplied via telegraph pole, underground duct, if in a duct who is responsible for maintenance etc etc.
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      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeSep 17th 2017
     
    Posted By: goodevansit looks like the regs define an access point as being available to Telecom companies - your master socket is inside your house and not available.

    Clearly, it is available since Openreach both installed it and connected to it!

    But there does not seem to be a stipulation that the access point needs to be above ground so a small access chamber down to the buried duct should suffice.

    Right and that was apparently illustrated in Diagram 1B that was removed from the official guidance precisely because it encourages rats and other vermin. Plus it means there's an extra connection in the cable that serves no purpose and just introduces another possible point of failure. So why require it?
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeSep 17th 2017
     
    Pointless
    • CommentAuthorgoodevans
    • CommentTimeSep 17th 2017
     
    yep - pointless
    • CommentAuthorcjard
    • CommentTimeSep 20th 2017
     
    I've got a magic device that can put access points anywhere I like, and I've got an SDS drill bit to go in it, that is anything but pointless..
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      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeSep 20th 2017
     
    Posted By: cjardI've got a magic device that can put access points anywhere I like, and I've got an SDS drill bit to go in it, that is anything but pointless..

    Exactly :bigsmile:, and so has every builder and cable installer in the country. So what's the point of requiring a hole to be put in before the occupier and the supplier decide the best place for it?

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