Armoured Cable earth tag

[nmilner]

I am hoping someone can help me understand what to do with the earth tag that comes with the armoured cable gland pack. Basically I am fitting an outside plug on the outisde wall of my house. The outside plug will connect with 2.5mm2 cable to the inside of the house to an RCD fused 13A spur point which in turn connects to the ring mains. I want to take the power to a single socket in my shed via armoured cable. If I connect the armoured cable via a gland kit to my outside plug how do I connect the armoured cable sheath to earth as my outside plug is made of plastic? I assume that somehow the earth tag that comes with the armoured cable kit must connect to earth but I can't see how this is done as the earth tag seems to fit on the outside of the outdoor plug. How do I get earth onto this ring?

Thanks

Nick

 

[Steve]

The standard way to do it is to have the banjo ring on the outside of the enclosure, and drill a small hole for a nut, bolt and washer to go through the banjo. Then inside, use a crimp eye to attach an earth flylead to the bolt using another nut. This must be done on the bottom of the box, due to the hole that must be drilled.

Alternatively, have the banjo inside the box, bend the lug away from the box and have the whole nut/bolt ass'y inside the box. This is considered clumsy though!

Bear in mind it is aceptable to earth the armour at one end only provided there is an earth core inside the cable too, so if you have metal enclosures at the other end, maybe this is the way to go.

 

[nmilner]

Thanks for the reply and actually I can see what you mean now and it makes sense. I could use a metal box at the shed end. Are you saying it is OK to earth the armoured cable sheath at the shed end using the metal box?

Thanks again

Nick

 

[Steve]

Here's my shed supply:

This is a bit of a bodge - I used a long bolt and put a terminal block on it, as I didn't have any crimps or a crimper! The armour earth then goes to the shed CU. The armour isn't earthed at the house, through no fault of my own. Keep meaning to sort it.

 

[passerv]

Just an observation.

I see you have used Grey as CPC and black as neutral, although sleeved G/Y and blue, I always use Black as CPC and grey as neutral,sleeved of course. Black was to be Disassociated with neutral.

 

[Adam_151]

I always use Black as CPC and grey as neutral,sleeved of course. Black was to be Disassociated with neutral.

I favour the same, L3 (old colour blue) was always neutral, and L2 (old yellow) was always CPC, It seems sensible to stick with the same uses of L2 and L3 and this to me is a stronger reason to do it other than the disassociation of black, another reason is that the NICEIC have set out to establish this as a standard way of doing things, and standards are normally good things regardless of your normal opinion of the NICEIC

 

[passerv]

100% agree Adam

 

[Steve]

Just an observation.

I see you have used Grey as CPC and black as neutral, although sleeved G/Y and blue, I always use Black as CPC and grey as neutral,sleeved of course. Black was to be Disassociated with neutral.

Agreed. But it is marked at the terminations both ends.

The bits of blue you see are the earth flylead for the sheath, its an offcut from some 6mm² T+E and is sleeved along its entire length with green and yellow heatshrink.

 

[ColJack]

I am of the opinion that if doing new work to an existing install, then red cables get sleeved brown, and black cables sleeved blue..

this is why I always use black as neutral and grey as earth..

and will always continue to do so until every house has been re-wired with the new colours, irespective of what the NICEIC decide.. or until they set down a concrete set of rules in the new edition of the regs..

my thoughts are that they need to start making single phase armoured too.. with brown, blue and earth..

 

[RF Lighting]

my thoughts are that they need to start making single phase armoured too.. with brown, blue and earth..

It's called 2 core

 

[ColJack]

smartarse...

most people put in 3 core for things like this because it's easier, and safer IMHO..

if a stone or something penetrates the outer sheath while burying the cable, then the SWA will get wet and will eventually corode away..