Install Sky Q while my house is being refurbished.

[Vicky7867]

Hi there,

I am part way through an extension and refurbishment project to my house and I will want Sky Q installing in my house. I would like for the cabling at least to be installed as part of my re-wiring work as I do not want cables clipping onto the outside of my brand new render once my house is finished. My electrician is keen to get it done with the re-wire first fix so that the cables internally can be chased into the walls before re-plastering. I did try calling Sky to request all of this, but didn't get very far. 

Can anyone tell me how to get this organised?

Thank you

Vicky

[fizzdisco]

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@Vicky7867 wrote:

Hi there,

I am part way through an extension and refurbishment project to my house and I will want Sky Q installing in my house. I would like for the cabling at least to be installed as part of my re-wiring work as I do not want cables clipping onto the outside of my brand new render once my house is finished. My electrician is keen to get it done with the re-wire first fix so that the cables internally can be chased into the walls before re-plastering. I did try calling Sky to request all of this, but didn't get very far. 

Can anyone tell me how to get this organised?

Thank you

Vicky

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I very much doubt you'll be able to get Sky to come and do what you want whilst your extension is still under construction. Sky installers are only trained and authorised to do a basic level of installation which involves drilling a hole in the external wall to feed cables through from the dish. 

You'll probably need to work with an independent satellite installation firm to get the best results, but this will obviously cost. 

[Vicky7867]

Hi, thanks for your response. So how do I go about that? The independent company comes and installs and then I phone up Sky and tell them I've had an independent company install and I just need the subscription?

[oldfella]

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@Vicky7867 wrote:

Hi there,

I am part way through an extension and refurbishment project to my house and I will want Sky Q installing in my house. I would like for the cabling at least to be installed as part of my re-wiring work as I do not want cables clipping onto the outside of my brand new render once my house is finished. My electrician is keen to get it done with the re-wire first fix so that the cables internally can be chased into the walls before re-plastering. I did try calling Sky to request all of this, but didn't get very far. 

Can anyone tell me how to get this organised?

Thank you

Vicky

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Hi @Vicky7867 

Probably better if you get some trunking chased into your walls so that dish cables can be pulled through 

[Vicky7867]

I could definitely do that, but I wouldn't know where to put the trunking to and from. I did try asking Sky that when I phoned, but got absolutely nowhere. I used to have Sky+ and I know where the satellite was vaguely, so would I just run the trunking from there to where I would like the main tv?! 

I have put a pitched roof extension on the back of my house so I wouldn't be able to be sure that the old satellite position would still get the same signal I suppose?!

[fizzdisco]

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@Vicky7867 wrote:

I could definitely do that, but I wouldn't know where to put the trunking to and from. I did try asking Sky that when I phoned, but got absolutely nowhere. I used to have Sky+ and I know where the satellite was vaguely, so would I just run the trunking from there to where I would like the main tv?! 

I have put a pitched roof extension on the back of my house so I wouldn't be able to be sure that the old satellite position would still get the same signal I suppose?!

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It's very difficult to say until your extension & building work is complete really. Do you still have scaffolding up? 

It might be worth getting an independent satellite installer to come and do a survey at the very least, just to find out where a dish could be positioned. Sky are a bit fussy about dish locations now and sometimes won't install them above a certain height if it's not easily accessible for maintenance purposes.  

[bob1234]

@Vicky7867A difficult one to answer, the logical answer is to pay an independent installer to install the dish and all the cabling you want making sure the installer provides a Q LNB and has the correct test meter to test Q, the +HD ones will not work. Then when Sky install Q all they have to do is connect the main box and test it. Remember that cables do not last for ever and do not plaster them in as plaster can eat cables and you may need to change them at some point, so use conduit or trunking, I would not tell Sky what you are having done. Lots of Sky installers will be happy to do such an easy install.

WARNING

All the above is fine IF Sky will install like that however some Sky installers will refuse to connect the box to anything that Sky has not installed due to access/maintenance problems HOWEVER if they can reach the dish, easy to reach and not on roof they should do it as they can check everything.

[TimmyBGood]

@Vicky7867 

As indicated above, Sky won't do a bespoke cabling installation: that's  not their market, and their people aren't given the time, materials and training to do so.  You'd want to comission an independent installer, make sure they understand you want a simple set-up for Sky Q (dish, Q-compatible LNB and twin cable to the main box location, not a distribution system or faceplates) and then order Q for the address from Sky, preferably without mentioning anything about 'custom' cabling (because that just scares them ; )

[TimmyBGood]

@Vicky7867 

Also it's important that the dish ends up in a location where Sky can reach it for potential future maintenance, so it needs to be accessible by ladder and not above a lower roof.  It's worth getting a Q LNB installed prior to Sky arriving otherwise they're going to insist on drilling that nice new render to place a ladder safety tether eyebolt.

[Vicky7867]

Hi there, 

Do you know what their rules are re satellite access? For example, I have a flat roof single storey side extension, would they be happy to go up a ladder to walk along the flat roof? Or does the dish have to be accessed while they are still standing on their own ladder?

[bob1234]

@Vicky7867Sky installers will not go on flat roofs. They would not go on my garage roof even though they could see the roof was sound by seeing the boards from underneath. It is part of way Sky interpret the H&S rules, it is not legislation that they often claim BUT they are entitled to make their own rules.

[oldfella]

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@Vicky7867 wrote:

Hi there, 

Do you know what their rules are re satellite access? For example, I have a flat roof single storey side extension, would they be happy to go up a ladder to walk along the flat roof? Or does the dish have to be accessed while they are still standing on their own ladder?

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Hi @Vicky7867 

They will not go onto roofs and normally will only work from a ground based ladder

[Jembr89]

My Sky dish was installed in August. The engineer went onto the flat roof of my single storey extension via a ladder. Most of the dishes in my street are the same. They certainly do go onto flat roofs if necessary and most importantly, safe to do so. 

[TimmyBGood]

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@Jembr89 wrote:

They certainly do go onto flat roofs if necessary and most importantly, safe to do so. 

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An individual installer breaking their own safe working procedures does not prove a point: the whole reason for such procedures is that it's not possible to sufficiently assess the hazards involved.

[Daveybhoy]

*conduit.