Use/purpose of Gland when installing garage consumer unit

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hello,

I want to find out what exactly a gland is used for when installing a garage consumer unit.

I have 16mm Steel Wire Armour cable going into my garage.

I have chased the SWA up the wall to where I would like the unit to be.

This was done through use of trunking, drilled it securly into the wall and then clipped in the SWA.

Is the use of a gland to make the SWA more managable? By terminating in a seperate box placed next to the CU. Or does it serve a greater purpose?
 
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swa galnd is there for several reasons

stop the armour doing any damage
enable you to connect the earth to the armour
secures the cable
stops ingress of water (if fitted with boot)
allows you to use swa cable safely

sure i have missed something
 
Thanks for your reply breezer.

So it is not recomended to chase the SWA up and take it from the top directly into the CU?

The CU is going to be used in a small garage for a few sockets and a lighting loop.

The SWA is 3 core and has an earth. If this earth is connected to the box and the other end of the earth is connected to the earth at the CU in the house, is this enough to earth it safely?

Or does it has to be earthed locally as well and that why a gland is needed?
 
i would just cleat the cable to the surface, swa will bend but to put it into trunking is a waste of time / trunking.

the armour is the earth, but there is nothing to stop you using a core as the earth, so long as it is sleaved acordingly at both ends
 
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Yeh I did that. And wired it into the CU. But then i heard about glands so took it off again.

Not too sure what to do. If I earth it with the cored wire and the also earth the steel armour onto the box will this be safe enough.

Do I still need the gland? Or is it possible to simply bend the SWA, connect and earth correctly at both ends?

Does regulation say that a gland must be used in out buildings, or when connecting SWA's?
 
ok cheers.

Ive got an Bw 20s whic I believe is suitable for indoor use.

How is a correctly fitted gland supposed to look like?

Also the black platicy/rubber hat. Im assuming it goes over the nut after the SWA has been inserted. This is the protection from moisture etc am I right?

However the end is sealed. Am I supposed to snip it off to let the inner protection of the SWA through but not the rest? The steel armour is then earhted to round ring with a piece with a hole coming out?

Cheers
 
On the SWA end goes the "hat" cut for a snug fit (point first) then the nut,
then the olive then the body it screws into - the armour should be cut to be pinched by the olive as it does up - you will need a few 10s of ftlbs of torque, so have your stillsons ready. It is possible, but not approved to cut a few strands of the steel long, and pass them with the inner cable though the fitting body. I usually put the gland about a 6" to ' back from the tail end, and then trim and manipulate the tails of the inner cable afterwards.
I know what I meant -when others see what I forgot, perhaps they could make it clearer what I have missed off.
 
Twist 'n' Tape said:
benjiman said:
ok cheers.

Ive got an Bw 20s whic I believe is suitable for indoor use.

Think thats gonna be a bit tight on a 16mm :)
I wonder if we've got the old diameter / cross-section confusion again?

Cheers,

Howard
 
mapj1 said:
On the SWA end goes the "hat" cut for a snug fit (point first) then the nut,
then the olive then the body it screws into - the armour should be cut to be pinched by the olive as it does up - you will need a few 10s of ftlbs of torque, so have your stillsons ready. It is possible, but not approved to cut a few strands of the steel long, and pass them with the inner cable though the fitting body. I usually put the gland about a 6" to ' back from the tail end, and then trim and manipulate the tails of the inner cable afterwards.
I know what I meant -when others see what I forgot, perhaps they could make it clearer what I have missed off.

Hi m8,

thanks for your reply. I have tried what you said on a scrap piece of SWA. Heres the pictures, how far off am I? I havent tightned it up yet. Just a dry run.

gland2.jpg


gland1.jpg
[/img]
 
the steel wires should be cut fairly short (only a couple of centimeters not in the sheath. then clamped between the rough surface and the nut of the gland.
 

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