What happens if you have external wall insulation and want to go on fibre....?

[Pete65]

My query is a long story but please bear with me as it has relevance to the title query.

I live in a bungalow that had external wall insulation fitted about 2 years ago.
The fitters went to great lengths to remind me that this insulation can't have anything pinned to it unless it has some support behind that is itself pinned to the brick wall, and you can't have wiring attached as the standard cable clips will just pull straight out.
Not a problem at the time and all is good as all wiring existed on brick and was covered or was re-routed to below the damp proof level which doesn't have the insulation.

Fast forward to last 2 months and BT raised an order (without letting me know I might add!)  for Digital Voice, which because we have full fibre in our street also means I would be upgraded to full fibre.
We are currently on FTTC Fibre 2 getting about 53Mbps and the upgrade would be to Fibre 150 at same cost.
As there's only me and my wfe, I really have no thirst or need for higher speeds but appreciate "Fibre is the future" so equally have no problem in principal with a free upgrade. 

I found out about the order as I was checking my account for options.
I also noticed that BT have messed up my renewal date. I won't go into it here as it involves a deal with BT made previously but I should be out of contract and BT have me in contract. 
 
Anyway the order had gotten to engineer visit planned stage and needed me to offer a date for engineer visit.
At this request I thought, hmm, can't have new fibre pinned to wall so how are BT going to bring in the Fibre. 
I contacted BT and it seems nobody knows.
So I requested that the order be cancelled until I can be sure how the "upgrade" will be attached to my property as I don't want the rather expensive external insulation integrity to be lost (unless BT would like to indefinitely pay my energy bills of course!) 

Now I don't think for one minute I'm the only person in the UK who has a BT line AND external insulation so can anyone tell me how an installation is done when a property has this type of external wall?
And if admin want to pick up about my contract date being messed up and why I had to find out about this DVorder by accident, please let me know. 
  

[36ULW]

That’s right, they can’t use ordinary cleats to pin a cable to External Wall Insulation.

Openreach use what kind of looks like a plastic bolt that goes into the insulation. They’ll put this evenly spaced apart and then the Fibre Cable is attached to them using Cable Ties.

I won’t lie, it’ll look like chit, no matter how neat they try to make it look.

Also they obviously need to get cable into the house, that means drilling through the Insulation.

[Pete65]

Hi 36ULW
Thanks for reply and good to know a solution exists.
Would you happen to know what these fixings are called as when I search plastic bolts for insulation I only get the ones used to attache the insulation to brick. 

[36ULW]

Plastic Bolts probably wasn’t the best description.

Can’t quite remember the exact Description Openreach gave them but this is them.

I only ever used them a couple of times. If I remember right we had to drill using wither a 6 or 8mm Masonry Drill Bit. Then these pushed in and a cable tie basically goes through the bit at the top and you fasten the cable using that.

I’m sure you can now see what I mean when I say it’ll look like chit no matter how neat the do it because you can line them up and space them as evenly as possible when the cable still kinks and won’t sit perfectly straight.

 

[Pete65]

Thanks for clarification.
Gone down a rabbit hole with these and it seems an alternate way is to use "Pin Plugs" as these allow for cable clips and look more like what you'd expect for an external cable run.
I imagine they might be more expensive as its a plug and clip, or take longer to use, so Openreach chose masonry mounts instead.
As you suggest, just thinking about how the cable attaches, it seems inevitable that it will look less tidy than cable clips with pin plugs.

I guess inevitably I won't have a choice, but for now, I think I'm going to stick where I am as I can't see my missus wanting the new walls layered with droopy cable.

[36ULW]

Pin Plugs. Got a bag full of them in my garage.

Great for when you need to cleat a cable onto the bricks or when the mortar is as hard as steel.

Absolutely useless on external wall insulation as they’ll pull straight out.

Trust me, we tried it a few times on homes with external wall insulation and it just wouldn’t work.

If cable tieing to a drainpipe not an option?

[Pete65]

Ahh hadn't thought of that.
Of course, now you say it, insulation won't have the pressure to hold a plug.
I guess cable tie mounts with the wings to stop pull out might be only option then as drainpipe isn't possible.

Can you additionally tell me if all the fibre cable used is black, or is white an option? 

[36ULW]

The new Inside Out Cable only comes in Black.

The original EZ Bend Cable we first used when it was all Blown Fibre Tubing came in Black, White and Brown.

I know they still have the White Available as they use it on MDU Builds, both New and Brown Field Sites.

[Kindsay]

We are in same position. Have cancelled installation date but will have to upgrade eventually.  Our insulation provider made it very clear that should the insulation be breached i.e. holes drlled through it, our guarantee could be invalidated.  I called BT but received no solution, just agreed to postpone installation date.  Seems like they don't know how to get round this or don't care.

[36ULW]

Why would the Company that installs the External Wall Insulation not plan ahead themselves?

Surely they must realise that other Utilities/Services like Gas, Water, Electric and Telecoms would need Upgrading/Maintenance in the future and that would require an access point of some kind.