4mm or 6mm cable

[Sammw123]

Hi

I am having a job done on my wiring. I have had one electrician say that it is a 4mm cable that needs replacing to a 6mm cable and another electrician say it's a 6mm cable that doesnt need replacing can anyone help as I am now confused who to do the job ?

Thanks

 

[buzzlightyear]

What's with 4 or6 mm cable please elaborate.

 

[Sammw123]

What's with 4 or6 cable please elaborate.

I'm having my fuse board replaced I currently have a 8.5 kw shower that is connected to the pull cord with 6mm cable however the cable in question is the cable that goes from the pull cord back to the fuse box. The pull cord burnt out which has resulted in us having the electrics looked at which has thrown up this question

 

[Pete999]

What's with 4 or6 mm cable please elaborate.

Yes, What's it supplying? how long a run? etc

 

[westward10]

I assume this is a follow on from this thread.

Burnt out pull cord to electric shower

Usually the only genuine reason for replacing the CU (consumer unit = fusebox) when something is under rated is when it is so old you can't get compatible parts. 1587220932 Already mentioned is that a 8.5kW shower needs an minimum of 6mm cable (and even then not through a thermally insulated...

www.electriciansforums.net

 

[Sammw123]

What's with 4 or6 mm cable please elaborate.

I suppose my question is how can I tell the difference between 6mm wire and 4mm because looking at them there is a slight difference which one electrician said will be to do with age because one wire is brand new and the other has been in since the house was built
Source URL: 4mm or 6mm cable - https://www.electriciansforums.net/threads/4mm-or-6mm-cable.185445/#post-1622706

 

[buzzlightyear]

suppose my question is how can I tell the difference between 6mm wire and 4mm because looking at them there is a slight difference which one electrician said will be to do with age because one wire is brand new and the other has been in since the house was built

the diffrance is the stands on the tails.

 

[Midwest]

Think 6 & 4mm 6242y cables have the same many strands. Google dimensions of 6242y cable.

Edit; by the way, one of your electricians is not competent.

 

[westward10]

Your house was built in 1991 so both cables should be metric. 6.0 cable will have a 2.5 cpc while 4.0 will be 1.5, the 1.5 will be much more pliable than the 2.5.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I suggest you go to an Electrical wholesalers and get an offcut of 4mm and 6mm to compare to what you have, or ask the one that thinks it's already 6mm to show you some 4mm to compare.

 

[Sammw123]

I suggest you go to an Electrical wholesalers and get an offcut of 4mm and 6mm to compare to what you have, or ask the one that thinks it's already 6mm to show you some 4mm to compare.

I know it's hard to tell on a picture but to me there is a size difference but the electrician has made me think I'm being silly and overthinking it ??‍

 

[westward10]

Do the bare earths feels the same size by bending them. Is the earth in the blue and brown cable stranded or one solid core, hard to see.

 

[Midwest]

I suggest you go to an Electrical wholesalers and get an offcut of 4mm and 6mm to compare to what you have, or ask the one that thinks it's already 6mm to show you some 4mm to compare.

Doubt if any wholesaler is gonna ruin a new drum to do that. The electrician(s) could or should have the odd spare drum, to prove to the OP?

 

[diditrain]

Can you not see any size information, on the grey cable sheath?

 

[davesparks]

I though you said it was only the neutral which had burned in the other thread? The live and neutral are clearly crispy fried there.

It's probably 6mm, but nobody will be able to confirm without actually seeing it.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Can you post a picture of the Brown/Blue/Earth cable?

 

[westward10]

Could be a 6.0 and a 10.0 hard to see the cpc of the new cable.

 

[pc1966]

Is the new bit definately 6mm? If so you should be able to see a difference between the CPC (earth) wires more clearly than the strands if the old is 4mm.
[automerge]1587310745[/automerge]

Could be a 6.0 and a 10.0 hard to see the cpc of the new cable.

You might be right as it looks as if the new CPC is stranded

 

[Midwest]

Can you not see any size information, on the grey cable sheath?

The newer cable, blue & brown cores might have the size stamped in the grey cable sheath. Compare them.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Doubt if any wholesaler is gonna ruin a new drum to do that. The electrician(s) could or should have the odd spare drum, to prove to the OP?

I don't know who you use, but at TLC you can buy a meter of each, so they must have drums they have cut into.