Week 36, Day 5:

• More electrical first-fix
  • Including some air-tight detailing around the front door
• More plastering

Week 36, Day 5

Today’s featured topic is the air-tight detailing around the front door, where several cables need to pass through to the outside. The build team have a standard approach to these:

• Using PRO CLIMA ORCON F air-tight adhesive to seal the cable inside the hole
  • This stays permanently flexible and hence remains air-tight for decades
  • The “hole” is actually a 20mm UPVC conduit, to stop the PVC cable insulation coming into contact with the EcoBead Platinum cavity wall insulation (which is made of expanded polystyrene)
  • The problem with PVC and polystyrene is that the polystyrene tends to leach the plasticizer out of the PVC, making it brittle
  • The coating on the EcoBead Platinum should help to prevent a reaction but the installation notes specifically state:

In cavities where electric cables can come into contact with expanded polystyrene, in accordance with good construction practice all PVC sheathed electric cables should be run through ducting.

• Using a PRO CLIMA KAFLEX air-tight cable grommet on top
  • The rubber grommet stays tight around the cable, as a further air seal

PRO CLIMA ORCON F air-tight adhesive used to seal cable penetrations through wall above front door, with KAFLEX air-tight cable grommets as back-up

Conduit sealed into wall ready to take control cables for front door lock