Bancroft Posted November 24 Share Posted November 24 We're planning on a concrete slab foundation under an ICF build and I'm presently thinking about conduits required to run through the slab. And the list seems to be growing daily! I've got the basics like sewage out, and mains water and electricity in, but it's all the other stuff: Into the house - ASHP, aircon (split system so essentially another ASHP just providing cool v hot), solar/battery, broadband/fibre. Back out - electric gate power (and ethernet for video camera/security), lighting to garage, lighting to garden, water supply to external taps, power out to car charger. And so the list goes on. (Let me know if anything crucial missed). What's the best way to organise these without causing interference between different supplies or ending up with multiple conduits under the slab? Clearly water and electric should be kept separate but can electricity, fibre and ethernet go through one conduit? Is that a good idea? Could all electrical supplies go through one conduit or should they be split up? Ditto ASHP and aircon plumbing. Is it worth considering just a single electrical supply out and then putting another meter box in the garage to split all the external requirements from there? How have others approached this issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell griffiths Posted November 24 Share Posted November 24 Power out for sewage treatment plant if you have one. don’t mix power and internet. don’t worry about multiple ducts, if you need them that’s it, you need them. all power in and power out can come up below the consumer unit, I have about 6 ducts there, then 3-4 more in the plant room for water in and ASHP in and out. you will need power out to the ASHP plus maybe cat 6 to control it. Do a sketch of the house and some lines on it of every device inside and out and how each device will get either power or water to it or from it or both. I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up with 20 odd penetrations in the slab, don’t worry just get them in, and run a spare just in case. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andehh Posted November 24 Share Posted November 24 Do not forget insulation size on the pipes!! We had a nightmare of a job pulling 4 x AC pipes through together with the insulation on. 110mm duct was stupidly ambitious, but narrowly managed to make it work. Also bends disproportionately add to the resistance pulling things through. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted November 24 Share Posted November 24 5 hours ago, Bancroft said: What's the best way to organise these without causing interference between different supplies or ending up with multiple conduits under the slab? Don't be shy, the last M&E spec I delivered had about 17 different ducts for everything. Makes life soooo much easier at 1st fix etc, and for any alterations you may want to make downstream. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bancroft Posted November 25 Author Share Posted November 25 20 hours ago, Russell griffiths said: Do a sketch of the house and some lines on it of every device inside and out and how each device will get either power or water to it or from it or both. I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up with 20 odd penetrations in the slab, don’t worry just get them in, and run a spare just in case. Yes, I'm expecting this as part of the architect's work but I just want to make sure I'm happy in my own mind before him and the builder start trying to bamboozle me! Good point ref power for the sewage - had missed that one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bancroft Posted November 25 Author Share Posted November 25 18 hours ago, Andehh said: Do not forget insulation size on the pipes!! Good point. I expect size of duct is a balance between being as small as possible to reduce space and any heat loss, but big enough to not make it impossible to thread stuff through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bancroft Posted November 25 Author Share Posted November 25 15 hours ago, Nickfromwales said: he last M&E spec I delivered had about 17 different ducts for everything Now got me thinking about what I might have missed! My list seems small in comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bancroft Posted November 25 Author Share Posted November 25 Some really helpful stuff here, gents, many thanks. Feel better equipped to hold my own with the professionals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell griffiths Posted November 25 Share Posted November 25 List from my memory power in power out to garage power out to sewage plant power in from solar power out to car charger telecoms in cat 6 out to electric gates power out to electric gates cat 6 out for cameras power out front garden lights power out back garden lights ASHP flow out ashp flow return, could both be in single insulated duct power to ASHP cat 6 to ASHP so 13-14 ish without thinking too hard. plus all your poo pipes. lots could change in your situation, sewage plant might be near the garage so could take power from there, the car charger could be on the side of the garage as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted November 25 Share Posted November 25 12 hours ago, Bancroft said: Yes, I'm expecting this as part of the architect's work but I just want to make sure I'm happy in my own mind before him and the builder start trying to bamboozle me! The only real issue with rising penetrations through a slab is if it’s a block and beam. In this situation you need to avoid a beam. Structural engineers will have some “say” if you have all ducts together and it requires steel reinforcements being re-jigged, but a little bit of pragmatic pre-planning and dialogue will resolve this in a day. Tell your builder that this will progress at your pace, and will arrive at the end result that you want, and he will have to slow down accordingly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialuser Posted November 26 Share Posted November 26 My advice is that you talk to your air con installer at an early stage. You will need to use an f-gas bod. There are restrictions on the max pipework length to each indoor unit. The insulated pipes (a pair to every indoor unit) are quite bulky, easily kinked, the insulation is easily torn (and then at risk of condensation forming) and should be a continuous length from external unit to the internal units. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bancroft Posted November 26 Author Share Posted November 26 11 hours ago, Nickfromwales said: The only real issue with rising penetrations through a slab is if it’s a block and beam. We're planning on full concrete slab at the moment so hopefully not an issue. Not sure trying to hold the builder back will work. I get the impression that once he gets going he's full speed ahead - which is another reason why I'm doing a bit of homework now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted November 26 Share Posted November 26 3 hours ago, Bancroft said: We're planning on full concrete slab at the moment so hopefully not an issue. Not sure trying to hold the builder back will work. I get the impression that once he gets going he's full speed ahead - which is another reason why I'm doing a bit of homework now. Less haste = more speed, and then no expensive fixes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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