Any recommendations for workable pliable SWA

[M Lynch]

Any recommendations for workable pliable SWA that doesn't need butchering when trying bend and terminate.

 

[James]

Are you talking about steel wire armoured cable?
or pliable conduit?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Never had to butcher any SWA

Are you sure its SWA you are butchering ?

 

[telectrix]

bend in accordance with common sense. butchering is for sirloin steak

 

[DefyG]

Sounds like you are possibly exceeding the minimum recommended bending radius?

 

[telectrix]

Sounds like you are possibly exceeding the minimum recommended bending radius?

even a wet-pants can bend something correctly. (usually something that we have installed).

 

[nicebutdim]

Steel isn't generally considered to be pliable.

 

[philectrical]

Off the top of my head the closest thing i can think of is SY but doesn't offer the same mechanical protection as SWA.

 

[philectrical]

I just chanced upon this video this morning.

 

[pc1966]

Off the top of my head the closest thing i can think of is SY but doesn't offer the same mechanical protection as SWA.

SY (and CY) are not to any BSI standard, so strictly speaking a risk without assessing their suitability. Also they are not UV tolerant so can't be used outdoors, further limiting where they are suitable.

Using rubber cables like H07RN, or hard plastic like NYY-J, is fine for many situations, but as it lacks both the mechanical protection of the SWA and the earthed shield you may have to put in 30mA RCD protection and that might be a selectivity issue.

However, all cables have a bend radius limit of something like 5-10 times their diameter so if the problem is tight bends then the answer has to be thinner cables (possibly parallel sets), or the cores of SWA bending separately in a box at building entry, etc.

 

[DPG]

I just chanced upon this video this morning.

Interesting joint, but I don't like the ethernet cable laying right across the live terminal screws. I can definitely see why he put heatshrink over it.

 

[Dustydazzler]

I have often felt that we use SWA a bit too much here in the UK for domestic wiring, when a good rubber cable or even flex could be used in some flexi conduit.
We do seem a bit hung up on using SWA for everything ?

 

[philectrical]

The site i'm working on at the minute, they put SWA down some protective conduit, under the ground in conduit, up the garage wall in conduit and then through into the garage, a run of maybe 2 meters total, and it was just to feed one garage socket and one light on a fused spur.

SWA AND conduit seemed very unnecessary but they said that's the way they've been told to do it by the building control guy.

 

[DefyG]

Sounds a bit OTT but better to be over engineered than unsafely installed, although sounds like the swa would have been plenty adequate in this case!
Was the 'building control guy' the designer?

 

[philectrical]

Sounds a bit OTT but better to be over engineered than unsafely installed, although sounds like the swa would have been plenty adequate in this case!
Was the 'building control guy' the designer?

Probably not, it's all new builds so would have gone through various designers and planners.

For me, conduit serves no purpose there, the steel wires literally do its job already.

 

[nicebutdim]

Probably not, it's all new builds so would have gone through various designers and planners.

For me, conduit serves no purpose there, the steel wires literally do its job already.

No purpose on the wall, perhaps, but ducting serves both a protective and practical purpose on the underground section.

 

[telectrix]

personally , I think that everything should be buried in ducting. we'll start with builders and plumbers.

 

[philectrical]

No purpose on the wall, perhaps, but ducting serves both a protective and practical purpose on the underground section.

It wasn't in ducting it was conduit.

And i don't see what purpose it serves - wrapping steel wire in plastic to protect it?

 

[pc1966]

It wasn't in ducting it was conduit.

That is odd.

Duct allows for cable replacement if needed, also gives a little more protection against the odd stone, etc., if badly back-filled. Also not likely to rust!

 

[philectrical]

That is odd.

Duct allows for cable replacement if needed, also gives a little more protection against the odd stone, etc., if badly back-filled. Also not likely to rust!

Aye, i was puzzled to be honest. Just black placcy conduit. Ducting is essential imo but conduit is just odd. I thought it might have been a one off that someone had gotten wrong, but every one of the 80 houses on the estate is like it.

 

[James]

It can help prevent tearing the outer sheaf when rough --- bodgers pull it through the wall without a care in the world.

 

[123]

It can help prevent tearing the outer sheaf when rough --- bodgers pull it through the wall without a care in the world.

Or if pulling it through and it's tight, do more harm than good.

 

[loz2754]

Some people like to put small size SWA in conduit on walls to keep it straight, in other words for cosmetic appearance.

 

[philectrical]

Some people like to put small size SWA in conduit on walls to keep it straight, in other words for cosmetic appearance.

Not a bad shout that i didn't think about that.