Terminating an armoured cable

[Jupiter01]

I’ve got 5 outdoor recessed lights in a brick wall. Currently, I have a 1.5mm 3 core armoured cable daisy chaining from one light to another. The last light has one cable and the first light, closest to the house has all the spare roll of the cable.

Near that side of the house, I have a double socket on a Ring indoors. I am thinking of adding a FCU (6 amp fuse) and use this for switching these lights on and off.

The outside of the house is being rendered.

Q. Can I channel the armoured cable slightly up the exterior of the house (around 400mm) and then punch into the house where the FCU will go and then connect it there?
Alternatively, do I need to put a “box” outside (opposite side of FCU) and gland it there. With a T&E going from here to the FCU?

I thought the channeled option was neater but over to the experts.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Adam_151]

Either is fine, but the SWA must be glanded and the armouring earthed, so your first option might involve a bit of thinking about how to acheieve this because just drilled through into back of box with armour cut off is not acceptable. What you do depends on whether having cable and gland on show inside is acceptable, and/or what level of disturbance is tolerable

You might find a 20mm glav end box with the bedding of the cable taken through the wall along with an extra earth to go onto the box, avoids having joints in the box, still make sure you fit a gasket

 

[Taylortwocities]

You wont be able to get an acceptable bend radius on the SWA if it goes vertically up the wall and horizontally in to the wall.

Best method is to gland to a 20mm galvanised box with a spout, then join in the box or bring the inners into the house.

Somthing like this

 

[Taylortwocities]

I am thinking of adding a FCU (6 amp fuse)

Unusual size.....

 

[Jupiter01]

Either is fine, but the SWA must be glanded and the armouring earthed, so your first option might involve a bit of thinking about how to acheieve this because just drilled through into back of box with armour cut off is not acceptable. What you do depends on whether having cable and gland on show inside is acceptable, and/or what level of disturbance is tolerable

You might find a 20mm glav end box with the bedding of the cable taken through the wall along with an extra earth to go onto the box, avoids having joints in the box, still make sure you fit a gasket

Let’s get the ignorant questions out of the way first!
If I bring the armoured into the house by channeling it externally and mechanically fixing it, can’t I then unsheath the SWA and connect into the FCU terminals along with the earth?

If it must be glanded, I definitely don’t want that inside. I will need a box outside, SWA cleared and on show. Is that about right?

 

[Taylortwocities]

If it must be glanded

Yes, it must be. Both ends.
How did you plan to earth the armour otherwise?

I will need a box outside, SWA cleared and on show. Is that about right?

Yup

 

[Jupiter01]

Unusual size.....

3 amp should be fine. Was thinking of a typical lighting circuit…

 

[Jupiter01]

Yes, it must be. Both ends.

I can see how the end we are discussing will be glanded. Makes sense.

The other end goes from one pillar light to another. It’s been channeled into the boundary wall and currently popping out of the plastic back box for the light.

 

[Taylortwocities]

The other end goes from one pillar light to another. It’s been channeled into the boundary wall and currently popping out of the plastic back box for the light.

Yes, but the armour must be earthed at the start and the armour earth continued through your daisy chain of (I hope you have) boxes that serve each pillar light. ie two cables glanded at each box.

 

[ericmark]

A epoxy resin filled joint can have a tube to stop SWA compressing and a jubble clip or similar to grip the earth wire onto the SWA these bits are often in the cable joint kit.

The plastic box type are more bulky to the shrink sleeve type but the shrink sleeve type are harder to work with.

The kits have a spring thing instead of jubble clip, never really liked them, but as long as tested can't really see a problem.

Glands can be reused, but not possible to reuse most cable joints.

 

[Jupiter01]

Yes, but the armour must be earthed at the start and the armour earth continued through your daisy chain of (I hope you have) boxes that serve each pillar light. ie two cables glanded at each box.

Well…
The plastic boxes for each light have been cemented in. They currently have two ends of the SWA coming out of them. There’s plenty of length on them but I think I’ve now missed the step of glanding these to the back box. Whoops.

Can I improvise?

 

[Adam_151]

Probably, Have you got any photographs of what you are looking at?

 

[Jupiter01]

Probably, Have you got any photographs of what you are looking at?

Here is one of the pillars:


And close-up of the box:



The cable will enter the house from down here (current cable is for phone) and have a FCU inside.


Thanks for your support.

 

[mattylad]

If those back boxes are plastic (which is non conducting) then glanding them to it does nothing, you need to be ensuring that the earth is continuous through the entire circuit.

While I'm sure someone will tell you about a product to do it, you may now have to put each end into a brass gland and use banjo's and a length of earth wire to join them both together.

 

[SUNRAY]

While I'm sure someone will tell you about a product to do it, you may now have to put each end into a brass gland and use banjo's and a length of earth wire to join them both together.

So why don't you give the information about other methods?

Brass glands are not the only method, it is permissible to treat the steel wires like any other wires, twist a few into bunches, sleeve and terminate.
As an example:

Another purpose designed product for the job which will likely be easier within your restricted space: