External lights - concealing cables

Mark M · 19 Nov 2019 at 13:29

Id like to put 2 lights either side of my garage (the ones that shine up and down so need to be mounted in the middle of the wall) on the brick pillars but Id also like to conceal the cables and not use conduit. The pillars I assume are block inners with brick on the outside so I was wondering what the options are for the cables?

I'm not keen on drilling right the way through as it may affect the structure but could I remove the motar to run the cables and then re-motar afterwards? I notice you can buy ready-mix motar, will that be ok to use?

Not my house but its similar garage set up to the below

200sols · 19 Nov 2019 at 13:34

Just drill straight through, you need a tiny hole for the cable your garage isnt going to fall down. Removing mortar and running cables in the gaps is not the correct way to proceed.

Street · 19 Nov 2019 at 13:40

I was tasked with the same mission over the weekend and I concluded just to drill straight through. However the pain for me was going to be routing the new wire from inside the house.

Mark M · 19 Nov 2019 at 13:41

200sols said:
Just drill straight through, you need a tiny hole for the cable your garage isnt going to fall down. Removing mortar and running cables in the gaps is not the correct way to proceed.

Hmmm, not sure you could get a drill long enough to be honest but I'll check the depth and see what options there are. I have an SDS drill so may be able to pick up an extra long drill.

Street said:
I was tasked with the same mission over the weekend and I concluded just to drill straight through. However the pain for me was going to be routing the new wire from inside the house.

Good to know its possible thanks. Yeah I thought getting the cable through may be a problem but Ive got some cable rods that should go through hopefully.

Mark M · 19 Nov 2019 at 13:56

Just seen that you can get SDS drills up to 1500mm, although they jump up in price considerably once you get over 1000mm it seems, so should be fine. What diameter would I need? I havent looked at the cable yet but suspect it will be 1.5mm?

Semple · 19 Nov 2019 at 14:01

Mark M said:
Just seen that you can get SDS drills up to 1500mm, although they jump up in price considerably once you get over 1000mm it seems, so should be fine. What diameter would I need? I havent looked at the cable yet but suspect it will be 1.5mm?

Can you not make that judgement from looking at the wall of the garage when the door is open? Does the inside have breeze blocks, or just red brick?

From your picture they almost look like solid pillars rather than having anything behind them?

Also how are the existing lights connected? - could re-use the cabling, or even the hole from them.

Edit: Just re-read that you were asking for diameter rather than length

. You'll want just slightly bigger than the cable you're routing through, you don't want too much of a snug fit, but at the same time you don't want a massive hole to have to fill after the cable is in place.

Mark M · 19 Nov 2019 at 14:23

Semple said:
Can you not make that judgement from looking at the wall of the garage when the door is open? Does the inside have breeze blocks, or just red brick?

Edit: Just re-read that you were asking for diameter rather than length . You'll want just slightly bigger than the cable you're routing through, you don't want too much of a snug fit, but at the same time you don't want a massive hole to have to fill after the cable is in place.

Yeah just the diameter, I'll be able to measure the depth when I get in tonight. The smallest long SDS drill they do appears to be 10mm which will be on the large size but can put some silicone in I guess.

200sols · 19 Nov 2019 at 14:25

Mark M said:
Just seen that you can get SDS drills up to 1500mm, although they jump up in price considerably once you get over 1000mm it seems, so should be fine. What diameter would I need? I havent looked at the cable yet but suspect it will be 1.5mm?

Typically I drill a 10mm hole and 1.5mm cable is correct.

Abyss · 19 Nov 2019 at 15:19

As others have suggested the correct way is to drill straight through. It'll probably be 300-450mm deep at the most.

Given 1.5mm T&E cable is 8.2mm wide, you definitely don't want smaller than a 10mm bit. You also shouldn't need a rod, just straighten the cable and push it through.

My garage:

upload pictures online

Mark M · 19 Nov 2019 at 15:30

Great, thanks for the confirmation on drill bit size 200sols and Abyss however Im certain its more than 450mm as the garage door is set a lot further back than yours but will measure it tonight and get the correct length bit.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 19 Nov 2019 at 15:45

Would be unusual to be more than 450mm especially in a garage!

Remember its far easier to drill first with a smaller bit, then put the big gun into play once you have a nice starter hole. When I have drilled through with a long bit I tend to start with a normal length 8mm or so. Gets you a nice pilot that the long one will follow

Mark M · 19 Nov 2019 at 16:09

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
Would be unusual to be more than 450mm especially in a garage!

Remember its far easier to drill first with a smaller bit, then put the big gun into play once you have a nice starter hole. When I have drilled through with a long bit I tend to start with a normal length 8mm or so. Gets you a nice pilot that the long one will follow

I love a pilot hole to be fair! Everything gets one just to be on the safe side! Will also mark the depth on the drill bill so I dont blow the brick on the inside!

peige · 19 Nov 2019 at 16:20

Def mark the drill bit for depth, a cable tie on there tightly should be good enough as long as you watch you don't actually hit it.

I once drilled straight up through the ceiling in a corner bedroom and into the loft and through the roof

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 19 Nov 2019 at 16:28

I just use electrical tape personally. Wrap a small piece round and it sticks easily enough to remain in place.

james.miller · 19 Nov 2019 at 16:30

Remember to drill on a slight incline (if you're drilling from the outside) to minimise any chances of water running in.

psd99 · 19 Nov 2019 at 16:46

drilling through is the best bit

But perhaps drill from outside to inside, otherwise sometimes the brick chips off at the end where the drill bit goes through.
it will look unsightly from outside but inside it won't matter.

SimonR · 19 Nov 2019 at 22:41

I did mine with a 1000 x 10mm SDS Bit. Took longer to drill the holes for the raw plugs to mount it than the cable holes.

Mark M · 20 Nov 2019 at 09:45

I measured the depth and its 800mm so a 1000mm bit will be fine for the job. The issue Im facing now is that the garage wall is taking up about half of the back of the pillar and then the garage door frame is there too leaving about 100mm to drill into. Ive sketched up a quick plan in Paint below, hopefully it should be feasible to drill on a slight angle (marked in red) so that it misses the exterior wall and the garage door frame?

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 20 Nov 2019 at 10:39

is the pillar solid? Would be one hell of a thing. Could be its hollow.

Is there any access from above inside the garage?
I know it wont be much, but you may be able to have a feel around and understand the pillar itself.

If its not solid feeding the cable will be harder, but equally you have more opportunity to drill holes from both sides and spend time feeding the cable. You may need some rods to get there.

Equally if the pillars are not 100% solid you may be able to drop the cable down the front and have the rest of the wiring above the door

Mark M · 20 Nov 2019 at 11:10

Not sure if the pillar is solid, assumed it was block centre and brick outer, but would probably make it easier if it was hollow given the angle I need to drill at. I'll get the steps out tonight and see if I can see down it from inside the garage.