2core swa rear entry

[KNIPEX]

Right then heres one mr plasterboard man has boarded and plastered a wall and positioned all circuit cables including SWA feed to a new gym so that they come into the consumer unit from the rear. Any ideas on earthing the steel safley or do I tell the customer the best option is for bottom or top entry and thats it. Or what if possible some kind of earth clamp around the steel or is that a no-no as the way i see it there is no way of securing the cable on rear entry.

 

[comms]

Whats the depth of the void in the stud wall & is cu metal clad or insulated?
If deep enough you might get away with removing cu off wall & glanding through the rear then refix cu to wall, not forgetting to fit a fly lead between the banjo and cu met.

Or

rear or side entry into metal adaptable box (if cu is insulated) fix box on wall next to cu carrying tails + earth flylead on through into cu. Use a black powder coated adaptable box looks nicer if visible.

Not advisable to use 951 clamps on armour could crush conductors if over tightened.

edited for poor spelling

 

[KNIPEX]

I know there is not alot of void behind to do it and it is tight up against an adjoining wall that doesnt help with the metal box with tails. The CU is metal clad and it just appears that it would be easier to use some form of clamp around the steel with a tail to the CU Im just concerned for saftey. I cant remember the mm of the cable but its been in for years its only 2 core red and black and its thick. like me!!

 

[securespark]

No, no!!

You cannot clamp the cable!!

 

[comms]

Bring the swa in from below use the appropriate gland & terminate properly.
Dont bodgit & scarper do it properly, theres always a way.

 

[Lectrician]

Either in from below, or mince the wall slightly behind the CU to allow cable to go up and over into the top of the CU.

Had this a short while ago in a commercial kitchen - 50mm 4c armour left comming out if ceiling, along with a load of T+E's, and few smaller armours. All ready for me to go in with my DB, gland armours etc into top of board.

**** builder thought it would be neater for the cables to come out the wall and therefore pushed them all agaist wall, and pulled them out of the new stud wall which was being put up to cover crappy cob wall.

PITA to sort out - had to hack ceiling and wall to get them back where they should be, and had to get them to fit a plate to ceiling to cover damage.

 

[KNIPEX]

Looks like i will have to hash the wall but as it has all been decorated and all the tradesmen have left Its gonna be a pain to put right.

You can only work with what you got I suppose.

 

[Lectrician]

What size cable are we talking?

Can't need that much mincing?

 

[bernardgreen]

Could you make a hollow plinth for the consumer unit and fit that to the wall over the place where the cables are coming out from the plaster. This would provide more depth behind the consumer unit to curve SWA into place.

 

[KNIPEX]

I cant remember the size but the plinth seems a good idea as it was a barn and they've had all this special insulation put in. looking in the back of my mind it seems to be a big ass cable for ther job.

 

[plugwash]

what about cutting a hole in the back of a DB (and edging it with grommet strip) then screwing an adaptable box with no lid to the back. The SWA can then terminate on the adaptable box with the individual cores (and the earth flylead) coming forward into the DB.

 

[KNIPEX]

Thanks for your tips guys. I can never understand why they dont do clamps for the steel that you can use in certain cases and have the fly off the clamp a bit like copper pipe clamps. Surely it would be just as safe if they did.


If life was easy it would be boring.

 

[ColJack]

push comes to shove....

1. just terminate a SWA gland onto the end, tighten the banjo on with the locknut and flylead it off the banjo..

2. find a bit of angle iron and screw it to the wall in the cavity behind the box and terminate the gland into that to secure it..

3. get a 3X3 adaptable box and repeat steps for 2....

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[Spark123]

I don't like the idea of hiding the SWA gland behind the CU as it isn't accessable for I&T.