Armoured outside lights...

[cal_dood]

i did some outside lights not too long ago and the client who was also a sparky wanted me to gland the armoured into a conduit box, then take the inner sheath straight through and out the other side (through a compression gland) and into the light fitting. Is this a good practice or should i avoid doing this?? this obviously meant that the boxes weren't earthed apart from what earthing the armouring on the cable gave it.

 

[stumas]

no problems here for me its earthed through the armouring of the swa

 

[Notsosmart]

no problems here for me its earthed through the armouring of the swa

As long as the consumer unit was metal or you earthed via a banjo. ( I assume that the lights were double insulated or that 3 core armoured was used.)

 

[cal_dood]

yeh i used 3 core, made sure it was well earthed ect. thanks guys.

 

[sparks1234]

Yep, I would say thats a very good way of doing it

 

[peteludman]

even when using 3 core the armour still needs to be earthed right to the end

 

[NoSparks]

i did some outside lights not too long ago and the client who was also a sparky wanted me to gland the armoured into a conduit box, then take the inner sheath straight through and out the other side (through a compression gland) and into the light fitting. Is this a good practice or should i avoid doing this?? this obviously meant that the boxes weren't earthed apart from what earthing the armouring on the cable gave it.

I read this several times before I twigged to the fact that it was a conduit box with no provision for a banjo. Also that it was Lights ie plural. How did you get from light to light?

My take on armour is that it need only be earthed at one end (preferably the supply end), ie effectively as extranious metal work, unless the armour is also being used as the cpc. You do not say how the cable was terminated at the source end. If the cable was properly earthed at the source end, and the armour earth ing was continuious to each light then it seems OK electrically.

However, you do not say how the cable was protected beteen the conduit box and the light fitting, or did the light fitting totally cover the inner core of the SWA? Assuming it was a modern plastic light fitting with an entry KO, I would have thought it better to join the two wtih a short length of conduit rather than a compression gland. If it were a metal light then I would have taken the SWA right into the llight. BUT I'm making too many assumptions.