amored with no outer plastic.......

[spidersparks]

Hi guys, I'm starting a job next week on a school built in the mid to late 60's, all their sub mains are running underground in tunnels, what's confused me is that these sub mains are amoreds but for some reason they have no outer plastic sheathing.... Never seen this before and one of them is due to be extended and I'm not sure how to go about this any help greatly appreciated
David

 

[trev]

New un on me mate. someone will have an answer for you.
Extending them will surely be just a case of glanding them into a metal box to maintain armouring earth continuity.

 

[telectrix]

as trev said. never come across it myself, but understand it used to be used in the third world, south of birmingham.

 

[Guitarist]

If it's in Suffolk then it's understandable...

 

[spidersparks]

Ha ha cheers

 

[itselectric]

Is the armour as you would find in an swa. Or is it braided

 

[Guest55]

i've seen plenty lead paper cable that has a bare swa outer layer , often used for indoor only submains supplies , in large old buildings.

im sure tony will give us the lowdown if he turns up , but i reckon its pilc.

 

[Guest55]

as for jointing it.........
best leave it to an old hand.
;-)

 

[Darkwood]

Get a pic up if possible never miss an opportunity to share..... )

 

[Lucien Nunes]

plenty lead paper cable that has a bare swa outer layer , often used for indoor only submains supplies

My thoughts exactly. Spidersparks does it look like this? - paper insulated lead covered (PILC) - Resin joint needed.

never miss an opportunity to share

Naked PILCSWA feast for you...

 

[spidersparks]

Lucine Nunes that's exactly what it is thanks very much for the pictures I have one on my phone and on the forum app can't work out how to get it on here but your pictures are very similar

 

[jay sean]

Ive seen some swa cables but without the pvc outer sheath, I have seen it at some 1960s-1970s 400kv/275kv substations, used for submains supplies.

 

[Engineer54]

Yes these cables are PILC cables. As far as i know these old PILC cable were never produced with PVC over sheaths, it was always a impregnated cloth type material, damned if i can remember the correct term for it!! lol!!

A similar type cable is ''waveform'', an armoured cable, that the DNO's use or used for LV local distribution network cables...


OP be warned, these PILC cables are not going to be easy to extend, especially if you don't have a pretty good jointing experience in your background. These are the cables that used to have be, lead wiped at joints and terminations!!

Tony's your man there, for jointing experience!!

 

[snowhead]

HEAT SHRINK CABLE JOINTS, PILC SWA CABLE JOINTS, BS6480, PAPER LEAD SHEATHED CABLE JOINTS 3.3KV

 

[Engineer54]

HEAT SHRINK CABLE JOINTS, PILC SWA CABLE JOINTS, BS6480, PAPER LEAD SHEATHED CABLE JOINTS 3.3KV

All looks very easy doesn't it, now go off and try and make that joint off!! ...lol!! There are all sorts of jointing/termination kit's now for PILC cables, like resin fill, heat shrink, cold shrink and even still, lead wipe.

The first thing i'd like to see, is an inexperienced person splitting and removing the lead sheath to expose the conductors. Not as easy as it first looks, i can assure you!!

I was just looking through some of the components that make up these heat shrink joint kit's you linked too. I was expecting to see heat shrink tubing to cover the individual Paper Insulated cores, (...you don't want that oil impregnated paper drying out) but didn't see any core tubing!!!

 

[Knobhead]

I’ve never seen PILCSWA without an outer sheath.

Just watched the video clip of removing the lead sheath. No way would I do it like that, too much of a chance of damage to the cores. Done the correct way the lead comes off easily and quickly with no chance of damage.


E54, depending on the age of the cable, the early ones were covered with tarred jute. Later tarred hessian and now PVC. Even the new PVC sheathed will have a bedding layer of tarred hessian, lovely stuff to get off.

 

[Des 56]

I’ve never seen PILCSWA without an outer sheath.

Just watched the video clip of removing the lead sheath. No way would I do it like that, too much of a chance of damage to the cores. Done the correct way the lead comes off easily and quickly with no chance of damage.


E54, depending on the age of the cable, the early ones were covered with tarred jute. Later tarred hessian and now PVC. Even the new PVC sheathed will have a bedding layer of tarred hessian, lovely stuff to get off.

Cleaning the armourings with a parrifin soaked rag is a job seldom practiced now I suspect


I have memory of being apprentice in the pit and having to help lay/install one in the middle of winter
It took the whole of the electrical department to straighten the coiled cable.I believe they were double wired armourings

The frost had got to it,the coils would just be upright with half a dozen sparks hanging on to bend it back down,
I suppose they are much more prone to frost damage without a sheath,buy they certainly existed in the mines

 

[Engineer54]

I’ve never seen PILCSWA without an outer sheath.

Just watched the video clip of removing the lead sheath. No way would I do it like that, too much of a chance of damage to the cores. Done the correct way the lead comes off easily and quickly with no chance of damage.


E54, depending on the age of the cable, the early ones were covered with tarred jute. Later tarred hessian and now PVC. Even the new PVC sheathed will have a bedding layer of tarred hessian, lovely stuff to get off.

Only ever seen the older covered PILC/SWA cables then, i can't say i've ever seen them with a PVC outer sheath, only that impregnated/tarred hessian. lol!! I know removing the lead sheath can be a real hassle if you don't know what you're doing. Only ever help make off a couple of PILC/SWA joints and one or two terminations. They were all wiped joints and terminations, that i took no part in, so i'm no expert with PILC cables. In fact i've never used them since, removed plenty of them though!! lol!!

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Just watched the video clip of removing the lead sheath. No way would I do it like that

Other side of the pond though, it's all different over there. Might have wirenuts in that joint...

 

[davethsparky]

Doubt it, wire nuts are a merkin thing and I think that video is from New Zealand.

Out of interest what is the correct way to strip it?
I've watched the man from the dno do it a couple of times and he used an insulated tool with a tiny blade at the end which he jest tapped along the length to split it.