Brass gland plate for SWA

[Lucien Nunes]

Has anyone used a brass gland plate to earth a line of SWA glands e.g. at a DB, and had anyone such as an NICEIC inspection flag it up as non-compliant?

I am proposing to screw a flat plate of brass onto the top of the DB and mount the glands through it with their usual locknuts, A brass bolt through the plate will take the lug of a cable running to the earth bar. I consider this to be a suitable way to earth the glands, but someone else is saying that they did something similar and their NIC man pulled him on it and demanded separate banjos or piranhas with individual flyleads.

Any thoughts?

 

[Darkwood]

Given the csa of the gland plate and as long as its thicker than tin foil and conductive you should be fine.. noted we use aluminium plates often when bringing in single core phases to stop circulating eddy currents so it's a well established practice.

 

[pc1966]

Right, good, logic prevails.
Now, supposing the plate were not brass but aluminium?

If brass glands you will have issues of galvanic corrosion in even the slightest of damp environments.

Unless you use jointing compound like Penetrox, etc, between them.

Electrically no issue if plate is of sane thickness so max current density around the earth connection is not any risk of failure!

 

[Lucien Nunes]

I would agree that brass is preferable to aluminium on account of the risk of corrosion and the tendency to make unpredictable contact due to oxide film formation. I raised the original question because the other chap had, like me, intended the plate to provide a neat, reliable connection for his glands, and was peeved to find an NIC inspector quibbling with it, especially in the absence of a clear-cut non-compliance.

Thanks to everyone who has replied.