V

VintageVoltage

I have a slightly odd requirement that means I am wanting to route a 3 core 4mm SWA cable (14mm outside diameter) from outside through a cavity wall into a garage to the isolator just inside. The cable is actually carrying DC feed from a small solar ground installation.

How should I shield the cable at the point it enters the wall so no water can get in?

I was thinking of a small IP55/65 junction box with a hole through the rear and a gland on the bottom but it means threading the box onto the cable before feeding into the wall which is a bit awkward. I know I could terminate it into the enclosure and then run dc cable through the wall but it is a seafront location and it seems far more sensible just to do the termination the other side of the wall straight into the isolator.

Are there any other options such as a large wall plate like I would use for coax?
 
To really seal it then an IP68 style gland on to a plate sealed against the wall.

But usually you just drill the hole through sloping slightly down towards the outside so any water will run out the way.

Also remember that the minimum bend radius of cables like SWA is usually about 8 times the diameter, so you are looking at 112mm radius or around 22cm diameter pipe as you guide for bending.

If that canot be met on your route then terminating in an IP68 box outside and running the cables in via some conduit or similar for physical protection is another option.
 
Thanks for the quick response.
I did at first think of a plate and gland but dismissed it as a bit DIY. I partly planned to use a box to preserve the bend radius within the box but there aren't many ideally shaped boxes it turns out. Luckily it is right under a soil pipe so any protrusion of the cable is negligible. I will definitely drill on a slope.
I don't want to use a metal plate due to location so guess it will have to be a bit of upvc unless you have any better suggestions? If it all looks awful I may revert to termination and conduit.
 
If you terminate the SWA to a box properly (i.e. metal SWA gland and attach earth wire to it via the "banjo" or Earthing Nut or similar) then you might be OK to take just the cores inside if they are physically protected by conduit, either earthed metal or PVC, all the way in to the isolator indoors. Then your bend radius per core is probably a couple of cm and easy to meet.

That way the outdoor box can be fairly small as it need not accommodate the SWA's bend radius.
 
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Title
Weatherproofing SWA armoured cable through wall
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Electrical Wiring, Theories and Regulations
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VintageVoltage,
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pc1966,
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