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Running cables through boxes

My colleague asked me to ask this question as we almost came to blows over it... he was apparently taught you can't run a cable THROUGH a box it doesn't terminate in... (imagine a row of sockets on an RFC... his method would have you cutting the cables at each box and jointing them?)  I... failed to see the logic and said rude words about the person who taught him. Has anyone else ever heard of this?


The argument given was that you couldn't remove an intermediate box if there was a cable running through it, but how often does a circuit need modification, and even if it does, the person removing the box should be capable of jointing the cable, or, as there'd be remedial making good to be done, replace the severed length of cable? (we're talking buried in walls in tubing or capping, house badger style, not proper surface conduit work, where he agreed that no cutting would be necessary as you can unthread and rethread the cables)
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  • Thanks for the responses, it's likely that it's just how he was trained? With regard to the running through light fixtures... that came up on our 18th edition course,  the manufacturer's directions will state if it's acceptable to through wire, but I'm with zoomup, if there're holes both ends... it's obviously envisaged.


    Any wiring through a fixture though, imo, should be directly related to that particular row of fixtures, to avoid the issue of having to replace a middle of a run fixture. Although these days with wago's being so reliable and 'maintenance free'... It's not insurmountable.


    I admit I don't like running ANOTHER circuit through an accessory box, unless it's unavoidable, and labelled. ('can you add undercabinet lights', after the tiling's been done in a kitchen, is a prime example). The conduits we ran in for the ring final running to the FCU above the extractor hood are often the only place to run a 1.0mm for them! (in that case we usually spur them off the ring with a 3A in an FCU so they ARE technically on the same final circuit)
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  • Thanks for the responses, it's likely that it's just how he was trained? With regard to the running through light fixtures... that came up on our 18th edition course,  the manufacturer's directions will state if it's acceptable to through wire, but I'm with zoomup, if there're holes both ends... it's obviously envisaged.


    Any wiring through a fixture though, imo, should be directly related to that particular row of fixtures, to avoid the issue of having to replace a middle of a run fixture. Although these days with wago's being so reliable and 'maintenance free'... It's not insurmountable.


    I admit I don't like running ANOTHER circuit through an accessory box, unless it's unavoidable, and labelled. ('can you add undercabinet lights', after the tiling's been done in a kitchen, is a prime example). The conduits we ran in for the ring final running to the FCU above the extractor hood are often the only place to run a 1.0mm for them! (in that case we usually spur them off the ring with a 3A in an FCU so they ARE technically on the same final circuit)
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