Mains box to Consumer unit SWA or tails?

[Des 56]

Terminate the SWA into a metal flush box behind the CU

Yes,as I explained (and you later posted pictures of yours) that is exactly what I have done on many occasions

I never terminate swa without a shroud,having said that,we never used to fit any sort of shroud on Pildwa cable, so other than corrosion and maybe looking better,your later statement about not fitting shrouds had me scratching my head for a good reason to disagree

My last thought about not using a shroud is that Pyro always looks abysmal if it does not have one

 

[davesparks]

My last thought about not using a shroud is that Pyro always looks abysmal if it does not have one

Presumably you are talking about sheathed pyro?
That is where it started on that job, it was all bare pyro apart from the SWA submain, so to keep it consistent with the brass pyro glands and bare copper cable I didn't fit a shroud on the brass SWA gland.

 

[Dave OCD]

I assume you identified the neutral and earth with correct colour tape after the picture was taken Dave.

 

[Midwest]

That's why I never take photos of any of my work (not that any of it is worth photographing), certainly not post them here to get ripped to shreds. But it just goes to show that even ardent professionals can get things wrong. While we're on that subject, where's the core identification of the grey & black cables, and cable not terminated and those terminal screws aren't aligned.

Absolutely shocking . Now NO FFO

 

[davesparks]

I assume you identified the neutral and earth with correct colour tape after the picture was taken Dave.

I think I did, can't remember now though.
I've got a feeling I might have fitted a lug onto the earth and put a brass bolt through the banjo too.

 

[Midwest]

I think I did, can't remember now though.
I've got a feeling I might have fitted a lug onto the earth and put a brass bolt through the banjo too.

Arrrrhhoff, just covering your tracks now. Bet the next electrician along in twenty years time will be posting it on this forum, as 'look what I found today'.

 

[davesparks]

That's why I never take photos of any of my work (not that any of it is worth photographing), certainly not post them here to get ripped to shreds. But it just goes to show that even ardent professionals can get things wrong. While we're on that subject, where's the core identification of the grey & black cables, and cable not terminated and those terminal screws aren't aligned.

Absolutely shocking . Now NO FFO

I often take photos as a record of what I've done and as a reference for future jobs. I have no issue with my work being criticised here, I could learn something.

What you can't see so well is that there isn't even a service cable, cutout and meter in the box yet, it's just not good enough in my opinion.

 

[richy3333]

HI all,

usually take tails form a MEB box to consumer unit no matter what the length as long as i can get the 50mm depth, builder has told me he wants it in SWA, ive told him its pretty much impossible to terminate it right if i use SWA also i run up the cavity with the tails and there is no way i can get SWA up there so will have to run inside up the wall which i hate doing, what do you guys do if using SWA??

Cheers
Grand

Nonsense opening statement/comment and then 4 pages!

 

[Midwest]

I often take photos as a record of what I've done and as a reference for future jobs. I have no issue with my work being criticised here, I could learn something.

What you can't see so well is that there isn't even a service cable, cutout and meter in the box yet, it's just not good enough in my opinion.

I was joshing with you davesparks. I praise anyone posting pics of their work. I wouldn't.

 

[grandfortune]

Nonsense opening statement/comment and then 4 pages!

why nonsense opening statement?, im just asking for advice if im going to use SWA.

 

[davesparks]

I think you would have to install a switchfuse in the meter box regardless of the length, otherwise you'd be relying on the company fuse to provide the protection.

 

[grandfortune]

yes , i usually fit a KMF as i run the tails, new builder who seems to know more than most as usually you can tell them anything to make your life easy with the install, but he seems to know quite alot about the regs as we were going round the property. ill probably be able to do it in tails when i explained the ball ache of installing SWA.

Cheers
Grand

 

[Midwest]

yes , i usually fit a KMF as i run the tails, new builder who seems to know more than most as usually you can tell them anything to make your life easy with the install, but he seems to know quite alot about the regs as we were going round the property. ill probably be able to do it in tails when i explained the ball ache of installing SWA.

Cheers
Grand

You should be telling him, he's only qualified to lay bricks one on top of other

 

[davesparks]

yes , i usually fit a KMF as i run the tails, new builder who seems to know more than most as usually you can tell them anything to make your life easy with the install, but he seems to know quite alot about the regs as we were going round the property. ill probably be able to do it in tails when i explained the ball ache of installing SWA.

Cheers
Grand

What ball ache is there with installing SWA? I've never yet had any problem getting them through a house when a submain is required, it's not like it's ever anything particularly big.
I certainly wouldn't be using insulated and sheathed tails as a cable for a submain, that smells a lot like a lash up to me.

 

[Dave OCD]

The last SWA submain I installed in a house between a garage and an internal cupboard where the CU was sited was a real pain, used 25mm 3 core and it was like an iron bar and very inflexible, for some reason it's trickier at that size than it was years ago, unless I'm getting old and weak.

 

[davesparks]

The last SWA submain I installed in a house between a garage and an internal cupboard where the CU was sited was a real pain, used 25mm 3 core and it was like an iron bar and very inflexible, for some reason it's trickier at that size than it was years ago, unless I'm getting old and weak.

25mm seems quite large for a domestic supply, the last one I did was a 63A supply on 10mm for a three bed house.

 

[Dave OCD]

Yes I'm sure 16mm would have been fine Dave [12m run and also partly under an insulated floor] but it was an all electric property and I just happened to have enough 25mm left over from another job. So I made it hard work for myself really.

 

[davesparks]

Yes I'm sure 16mm would have been fine Dave [12m run and also partly under an insulated floor] but it was an all electric property and I just happened to have enough 25mm left over from another job. So I made it hard work for myself really.

That's makes sense, use up the offcuts, otherwise you end up like me with a shed full of offcuts which might come in handy one day but you never use.

 

[Ian1981]

The last SWA submain I installed in a house between a garage and an internal cupboard where the CU was sited was a real pain, used 25mm 3 core and it was like an iron bar and very inflexible, for some reason it's trickier at that size than it was years ago, unless I'm getting old and weak.

Might have been LS0H it's a biatch to strip

 

[Dave OCD]

That's makes sense, use up the offcuts, otherwise you end up like me with a shed full of offcuts which might come in handy one day but you never use.

Yep been there.

 

[Dave OCD]

Might have been LS0H it's a biatch to strip

It was XLPE rather than PVC Ian which is definitely tougher.

 

[davesparks]

Yep been there.

Where, my shed? It wasn't you who knicked the rubble sack full of stripped copper out of it a couple of years ago was it?

 

[Dave OCD]

Erm no comment. It would be a long journey for me Dave for the sake of one bag of copper. No I meant been there as in the same situation as you well know.

 

[Ian1981]

It was XLPE rather than PVC Ian which is definitely tougher.

Tho bs 6724 swa has xlpe insulation but LS0H bedding which is tougher than the average xlpe swa

 

[Dave OCD]

I think it probably was Ian, it certainly had me sweating.

 

[Ian1981]

I think it probably was Ian, it certainly had me sweating.

Haha it's terrible in the winter when it's gone harder with the cold

 

[Dave OCD]

Yes it was done in January.

 

[Dave OCD]

Haha it's terrible in the winter when it's gone harder with the cold

As the actress said to the Bishop.

 

[MrLights]

Why would you fit a shroud over brass locknuts?
What advantage does the shroud offer on a CW gland?
There was a discussion on another forum which concluded that the shroud was unnecessary so j didn't fit one.

Looks better with a shroud Dave.

 

[davesparks]

Looks better with a shroud Dave.

Not when sitting next to half a dozen mineral glands it doesn't