Whoops - armoured cable

[plugwash]

Thanks for the the info. What size sleeving unshrunk is needed to fit over a 16mm cable? 20mm ? or is the size it comes in the shrunk size?

you need to look carefully at the catalog of whereever you are buying the heatsrink from, IIRC it is usual for catalogs to give both the unshrunk size and the smallest shrunk size and they usually give the diameter not the cross sectional area.

Cables are generally measured by the cross sectional of the actual copper conductor so you need to do a bit of maths to convert this to diameter and then add a couple of millimeters for insulation.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It's not really necessary to use shrink-fit to oversleeve conductors - ordinary sleeving will be fine.

 

[Pensdown]

Whilst on the subject of sleaving, I noticed the two way lighting diagrams in the Wiki have brown sleave on the grey and black cores. As they are phase colours do they need sleaving?

 

[333rocky333]

Dunno if it's NICEIC or IET.

I read somewhere it was the people in charge of highway lighting had something to do with it,(whoever they are)

Because they use three core, they needed a decision on what way to install it
black for earth was the result.

 

[plugwash]

It's not really necessary to use shrink-fit to oversleeve conductors - ordinary sleeving will be fine.

Other than the earth sleeving used for T&E which is incrediablly common (but will be far too small for this) is "ordinary sleeving" in the appropriate colors any easier to find or cheaper than heatshrink.

also heatshrink is far neater imo, loose sleeving is a PITA even at normal T&E sizes.

 

[Spark123]

Whilst on the subject of sleaving, I noticed the two way lighting diagrams in the Wiki have brown sleave on the grey and black cores. As they are phase colours do they need sleaving?

Yeah, bs7671 Appx 7 part 4

 

[ban-all-sheds]

is "ordinary sleeving" in the appropriate colors any easier to find or cheaper than heatshrink.

Dunno what heatshrink by the reel costs, but TLC (not always the cheapest) charge 8.9p/m for ordinary. They don't do particularly large sizes though.

also heatshrink is far neater imo, loose sleeving is a PITA even at normal T&E sizes.

It means adding a hot-air gun to your toolkit...

 

[Pensdown]

Whilst on the subject of sleaving, I noticed the two way lighting diagrams in the Wiki have brown sleave on the grey and black cores. As they are phase colours do they need sleaving?

Yeah, bs7671 Appx 7 part 4

Cheers

 

[SeanT]

It means adding a clipper lighter to your toolkit...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

IF you think you can use a naked flame on or near your wiring without damaging it, and IF the manufacturer of the heatshrink specifies naked flames on or near his product as an approved method then fine.

But if either of those is not the case.....

 

[SeanT]

I do, but only very carefully on flex (eg. extending the lead on a lamp) or car wiring, have no need to use heatshrink on my mains wiring atm.

 

[plugwash]

at least for the smaller sizes a soldering iron works very well, never tried it on anything this big though.