Trench sharing: more for public areas than domestic application?

[ToughButterCup]

Plodding through our Mechanical Services architects notes, I read;

 

'...Generally, the contractor should use the same trenches for other services, where possible, provided they are installed to the correct depth and distances between services are achieved....'

 

And as luck would have it, I'd quite like it if our sparks and water shared the same trench - because that way we can keep them both at the very edge of our site, and protected from delivery wagons and errant Great Crested Newts

(Found a large one minding its own business inside our bedroom last night: rare they ain't. )

 

But thinking about it, if I am to achieve that desirable state of affairs, and since both sets of contractors are never going to be on site in the same week , I will need to maintain the trench, and drain it aren't I? Oh..... and catch bloody GCNs in it. 

 

I'm thinking it ain't worth trying? Right?

[PeterW]

11 minutes ago, recoveringacademic said:

But thinking about it, if I am to achieve that desirable state of affairs, and since both sets of contractors are never going to be on site in the same week , I will need to maintain the trench, and drain it aren't I? Oh..... and catch bloody GCNs in it. 

 

Ducting is your friend assuming you've got the usual electric, water and 'phone going in...

 

From the previous discussions, dig it 750mm deep  x 300mm wide  and lob the water duct in. Back fill to 450mm and chuck power on the left and telco on the right and back fill the trench.

 

Job done, and Robert's your granddads son...

[ToughButterCup]

what colour for the GCNs, Pete?

[ProDave]

Our water, electricity and telephone all had to come from the other side of the road. As luck would have it, Scottish water gave the cheapest price to make the road crossing, and I was only having (and paying for) the road up once.

 

Now that was handy, because water goes deepest, 900mm down up here.  So when the sub sub contractors (SW contracted it out and they subcontracted it to someone else) had the trench open for the water, while they were connecting it, I back filled the trench partially and laid in ducts for the telephone and mains cables.  In fact I had the phone cable so I pulled that one through the duct and just left a draw string in place for the electricity supply later.

 

The vertical separation from the water to the electricity was enough, and by putting telephone one side of the trench and mains supply the other, achieved enough separation between those.

 

All done in a couple of hours, trench closed and everyone happy.

 

 

I won't tell you how all 3 in my present house came to be in one 65mm duct under the road!!!
 

[PeterW]

4 hours ago, recoveringacademic said:

what colour for the GCNs, Pete?

 

Your newt super highway should be a nice shade of green with the odd red fleck ..... 

[Triassic]

I see that post Brexit the newts are going to get the chop!

 

https://www.ft.com/content/83cf8ff0-eef0-11e6-ba01-119a44939bb6

[ToughButterCup]

The rules have already been relaxed somewhat. I would have had to reapply for my license in May. Now that date  has been postponed to December.

Why? No logical or scientific justification given. Cynical? Me?

Yes.