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Joining wiring within trunking - crimp or solder?
- Thread starter TommyH
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Oh no - not another theatre sparky
No not another theatre spark, i just do some lighting and sound for shows at a local theatre. My day job is all domestic and commercial electrical work thankfully as i don't think i could handle working with the lovies 7 days a week!
Sounds like it's going to be a bit of a mission whatever you do. Take it there's no way at all of pulling the cables back to their desired positions? This would be the most ideal solution rather then crimping, T-ing and extending.
If they are singles in conduit they might pull back without much problem - make sure your leccy has the new cable firmly attached to the other end of the wire before pulling back!
I know exactly what you mean! I am similar in I do industrial stuff full time, I do lighting for the local theatre. Am currently trying to get the place rewired - never ending story!! They got a bit carried away running in VIR cables in them oldern days before they invented DMX
RFLighting also does theatre lighting (and installs it for a living too)
No not another theatre spark, i just do some lighting and sound for shows at a local theatre. My day job is all domestic and commercial electrical work thankfully as i don't think i could handle working with the lovies 7 days a week!
I know exactly what you mean! I am similar in I do industrial stuff full time, I do lighting for the local theatre. Am currently trying to get the place rewired - never ending story!! They got a bit carried away running in VIR cables in them oldern days before they invented DMX RFLighting also does theatre lighting (and installs it for a living too)
Hi 
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Ah the joys of DMX, couldn't imagine having an analogue set up in this day and age. We're currently renovating our theatre (nearly 9 years in now!) and are getting to the stage where we're getting alot of professional shows in. Really need to upgrade the lighting though when we can get some money in, still only running 24 channels with a few Parcans, some cheap stage floods and few fresnels. We only just got some profiles a couple of months ago so still looking a bit amateur in the tech department.
Our setup is mainly analogue betapacks, just have a showtec demux. I have a couple of betapack IIs which are DMX - have now got 46 channels of dimming - more channels than the fixtures which I can plug in
The stage is mainly lit using battens (take 100w BC lamps
) and fresnels - a little bit on the ancient side now. Have some better lamps FOH they look like the Strand Cantata. About the only modernish thing is my fat frog!
Hopefully we'll get something more modern shortly!
The stage is mainly lit using battens (take 100w BC lamps
) and fresnels - a little bit on the ancient side now. Have some better lamps FOH they look like the Strand Cantata. About the only modernish thing is my fat frog!Hopefully we'll get something more modern shortly!
Check out my wee beastie
We will give it a go, but some of the runs are up to 10m of conduit with a few corners in it, but maybe we will get lucky.
If it weren't to pull through, is there a safe option for splitting in the trunking? Assuming crimps are out the window, would soldering and heat shrink be a safe option?
I dont like the idea of any joints like that in the trunking.
What about pulling the wires back from the other end? Would that work?
Failing that, I'd install a steel adaptable box off the trunking with bushes and couplings, and put some DIN rail and klippon connectors to make through joints in there.
This will then give you enough slack to install the new sockets.
If this whole installation is singles in trunking / conduit and you cant see either end of the wires, how are you going to ensure you get the correct corresponding line, neutral and earth wire for each circuit?
What about pulling the wires back from the other end? Would that work?
Failing that, I'd install a steel adaptable box off the trunking with bushes and couplings, and put some DIN rail and klippon connectors to make through joints in there.
This will then give you enough slack to install the new sockets.
If this whole installation is singles in trunking / conduit and you cant see either end of the wires, how are you going to ensure you get the correct corresponding line, neutral and earth wire for each circuit?
We have traced them with an EMF line tester BT use, which gives strong results - also, we can trace the conduit back to the sockets as well so it's pretty obvious.
I don't think pulling them back from the source is possible, it is a long way off and a floor below as well.
I had thought about putting steel surface mount boxes with blank lids on the outside of the trunking, and splitting them in there - the only issue is that we still wouldn't have the slack to do it in-line, so we would need to install two, spaced along the trunking just to add the length to take it in and out again. Slack is mostly about two to three inches.
I don't think pulling them back from the source is possible, it is a long way off and a floor below as well.
I had thought about putting steel surface mount boxes with blank lids on the outside of the trunking, and splitting them in there - the only issue is that we still wouldn't have the slack to do it in-line, so we would need to install two, spaced along the trunking just to add the length to take it in and out again. Slack is mostly about two to three inches.
You would only need one.
The 'second' would be your socket, with a new peice of cable inbetween.
I still strongly advise you to employ an electrician who is familiar with this sort of work.
Terminal block would be a very amatureish, messy, domestic type way of doing things
DIN rail and klippons would be the ideal soloution if the cables can not be pulled back.
The 'second' would be your socket, with a new peice of cable inbetween.
I still strongly advise you to employ an electrician who is familiar with this sort of work.
Terminal block would be a very amatureish, messy, domestic type way of doing things
DIN rail and klippons would be the ideal soloution if the cables can not be pulled back.
Why not just cut the wires a distance away from the new socket, which would give you sufficient slack on one side to reach the new socket, and then extend the other wires (which are now too short to reach the new socket) with crimped or soldered, heat-shrink covered joints so that you can connect them into the new socket too?
Then you don't need a "Y" joint in the cables at all.
Then you don't need a "Y" joint in the cables at all.
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