Twin & Earth....

[kevyn]

Hi all

Recently myself and my colleague have noticed there are two different types of PVC insulation on 6242Y cable.

We had two 100m drums of 1.5mm. One was a smaller compact drum, the other the flatter wider drum. The insulation on the smaller drum was more flexible and rubbery than the other which was harder.

Both drums came from prysmian. I am just wondering if anyone knows why they are different?

 

[Thefailsafe2012]

One roll was LSF?

 

[telectrix]

i've has some prysmian which was stiff as hell when cold.

 

[chopper76]

Twin & Earth....

Thought lsf was a different colour so it could be identified?

 

[Thefailsafe2012]

Yeah it's usually white isn't it? Didn't know if you could get it in grey though

 

[telectrix]

it's usually white.

 

[monkeyelectric]

I had a roll from the wholesalers on the last rewire i done and it was like trying to bend 25mm swa, horrible stuff!

 

[Andy78]

Maybe they changed their recipe and you got two batches ? I hope they did, prysmian is not a nice sheathing to work with.

Edit: sorry just realised you wrote insulation.

 

[chopper76]

Twin & Earth....

You prefer your ribbed I spect Andy?

 

[Andy78]

Ribbed and knobbly if possible.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

right then:
just to put things straight here about LSF...
on the old colours LSF was white....on the new colours LSF can be either white or grey....

 

[kevyn]

Twin & Earth....

I've had these two types for about 10 years so its not something new its just something I've thought about recently.

I did think it was maybe something to do with ambient temperature rating?

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Re: Twin & Earth....

I've had these two types for about 10 years so its not something new its just something I've thought about recently.

I did think it was maybe something to do with ambient temperature rating?

youv got to main grades of flat cable:
70* thermoplastic: this would be used generally in domestic rewires

90* thermosetting: this would be used for hallways & communal areas in flats etc

 

[Mr Mark Sparks]

Does lsf twin carry more than normal twin I'm sure it must but there isn't a seperate table is there..

 

[ipf]

Does lsf twin carry more than normal twin I'm sure it must but there isn't a seperate table is there..

Nah, it's almost exactly the same weight.....

 

[spark 68]

Does lsf twin carry more than normal twin I'm sure it must but there isn't a seperate table is there..

Even if it is rated to a higher temperature the accessories are only rated at 70* so the calcs stay the same.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

page 342 onwards (BGB) gives CCC for single and multicore cables at 90* thermosetting ....

 

[telectrix]

i don't think the CCCis any greater than normal T/E. LSF is just low smoke & fume, afaik

 

[GLENNSPARK]

but i know it was just in a white on the old colours...not the case now on harmonised....
it made identification easier

 

[Andy78]

LSF is marked with a B though isnt it ? Not a Y ? I might be wrong.

 

[cobrauk]

yes you are correct Andy78

 

[Adam W]

LSF is XPLPE isn't it? There's a separate table for that.

 

[Tuttle]

right then:
just to put things straight here about LSF...
on the old colours LSF was white....on the new colours LSF can be either white or grey....

I always thought it was the other way around, not because I know for sure but because the IET's electricians guide to the building regs says (page 48):

New harmonised cable colours: white sheathed is LSF, grey sheathed is PVC
Old cable colours: "may have white or grey sheaths, but they are always PVC"

In fact it seems to say T&E in old cable colours was always PVC

 

[shocking_eg]

i only use decent branded cable. doncastor cables are good, or prysmian is great.

cheap stuff is rubbish to work with

 

[MDJ]

Yeah it's usually white isn't it? Didn't know if you could get it in grey though

Never seen it in any colour other than white, I agree with you

 

[MDJ]

. doncastor cables are good,

It's ****e TBH, city's own make, I use 1000s of meters of the stuff yearly and hate it haha, but I get a good deal on it

 

[shocking_eg]

It's ****e TBH, city's own make, I use 1000s of meters of the stuff yearly and hate it haha, but I get a good deal on it

what do you hate about it ??

i cant fault it personally

 

[MDJ]

what do you hate about it ??

i cant fault it personally

I don't really hate it because if I did I wouldn't spend 20 grand a year on it, however it is pretty tough to strip compaired with some other makes and also I get several coils which are damaged actually every year, we get bad readings from the cables and find the cores are twisted and even shorted, it's rare to be fare but I have seen it several times M8

 

[Resu]

It's ****e TBH, city's own make, I use 1000s of meters of the stuff yearly and hate it haha, but I get a good deal on it

I didn't think City's sold Doncaster any more. I thought it went to Yesss after the big feud?

I'm a big fan of Prysmian too. Have also found it odd that 1.5 comes in 2 different shaped drums as described in the original post.

 

[Resu]

I don't really hate it because if I did I wouldn't spend 20 grand a year on it, however it is pretty tough to strip compaired with some other makes and also I get several coils which are damaged actually every year, we get bad readings from the cables and find the cores are twisted and even shorted, it's rare to be fare but I have seen it several times M8

Not to mention the last 20 metres are usually twisted to death!

 

[MDJ]

I didn't think City's sold Doncaster any more. I thought it went to Yesss after the big feud?

I'm a big fan of Prysmian too. Have also found it odd that 1.5 comes in 2 different shaped drums as described in the original post.

Had dinner last week with the branch manager actually and he said they can now shop around, that didn't mean he would stop using Doncaster just that he was now allowed to use other makes which he didn't previously so I get your point.

 

[Resu]

Had dinner last week with the branch manager actually and he said they can now shop around, that didn't mean he would stop using Doncaster just that he was now allowed to use other makes which he didn't previously so I get your point.

Strange. We haven't been able to get it at our branch for a few months now. Some of the alternatives they sent when we asked for Doncaster were horrendous to work with.

 

[MDJ]

Strange. We haven't been able to get it at our branch for a few months now. Some of the alternatives they sent when we asked for Doncaster were horrendous to work with.

well I suppose there is a chance we may get the same Crap here then, but as of now I still use Doncaster as it's a good deal although Crappy IMO