# Octopus electrical



## cornishsparks (Oct 14, 2007)

Has any one ever come accross houses wired in the octopus octoflex system.
Recently carried out kitchen refurbishment in an ex local council house that had this system, the boxes seem to be fitted with metal bushes at cable entry points.
Is this a steel conduit or flexible conduit prrewired/preformed system,never seen it before house wired in early 1970s cant find any pics or reference to this system except the inspection label says the house is fitted with an octoflex system.


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## Trimix-leccy (Dec 4, 2007)

I *think *it was a pre-wired flexible system [like metaflex, if you remember it??] There was also another system where the 'conduit' was like a 3 compartment piece of 10mm t&e sort of type of thingy with the singles inside it.....but I could be wrong as I have been all week!!!!


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## cornishsparks (Oct 14, 2007)

yes the flat stuff was Aercon pre wired conduit you put in the screed absolutely imposible to rewire with two 90 degree bends.
The system i have i think is alu or steel not sure as its all hidden in walls.
Must have been a prefab estate as there are 200 houses here all the same.


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## Minky (Dec 30, 2007)

Cornish:-
I have seen a similar system,but the containment was a very tough early plastic conduit system,only used for lights,similar to a previous mention this was laid in situ then a concrete screed poured over the top.A pure bitch to rewire through as i have tried!!,this was part of a local authority rewire scheme in the late 1980 s.The initial wiring was installed in the late 1950s and was in good shape for its age.Basically the council wanted the lighting circuits to have cpcs installed.
Octoflex system seemed to be favoured in the prefabricated housing market,and as i recall it was a reliable installation,but again not designed with alteration/expansion in mind!!


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## frank (Feb 6, 2007)

I remember using the pre wired pvc flat conduit system in the 1980's. the stuff was manufactured by Volex. It was pretty good for screed floors etc. It just seemed to fade away at some point. As for 'OCTOPUS' This was an earlier idea. used in prefabricated houses. Everything was made up ready to a large junction box and mounted usually on a stair head or landing. The cables then fanning out around the house in radial form. Again - it too just faded away into that once great inventions 
receptacle in the sky


Frank


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## cornishsparks (Oct 14, 2007)

Yes you where right all the houses where prefabs made in a factory, showing their age now as they where sectional concrete constrution i guess all the chases in the external panels where made at the casting stage. Never seen this type of wiring before but have seen the black prewired that goes in the floor screed, unable to ever be rewired as the bends are too tight!


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## backtoback (Jan 2, 2009)

I have come across this stuff to in a load of council rewires we where surveying.One of the councils clerk of works said it was called micro bore.It was like a black oval conduit with three compartments,quite robust I wouldnt recommend trying to rewire it for two reasons one due to the time scale as you would have to rewire one cable at a time and also the second reason is the cable containment consistent through out its length.


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## Trimix-leccy (Dec 4, 2007)

A Council Clerk of Works at a height of anything less than 5'6" is known as a micro-bore:laughing:
Only other thing that I know of called micro bore is 8 and 10mm ch pipe. There again I am always wrong...see wife for details


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## backtoback (Jan 2, 2009)

A Council Clerk of Works at a height of anything less than 5'6" is known as a micro-bore:laughing:
LOL we normally call them thrush irratating cs :thumbup:


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