Brick wall lights - SWA cable connections

[Neptune]

For various reasons out of my control, we have wound up in a situation where we have 1.5mm SWA cables buried in these pillars and exiting out of the plastic housing for the wall lights.

There are around 5 of these lights across the 5 pillars. Daisy chained with the 3 core SWA. As you can see, the wall ha snow bene plastered and finished. The house-end of this cable will be glanded into a Wiska box and punched into the house to connect to a Switched FCU.

The plastic housing set in the pillar is only deep enough to take the light!


The back of the plastic box has some screw holes for the light to fix to.

I am at a loss as to how I get these cables connected to the lights given the lack of space and hence, inability to gland these ends. If this were regular T&E it wouldn't have been an issue - from a space and connectivity point at least!

Can I please have some creative suggestions on how I get myself out of a hole. Thanks in advance.

 

[westward10]

Metal conduit “Y” box?

Two swa glands into one side… stuffing gland and flex into other…. Jointed in the box.

Lid on, drop into pillar…. Or is pillar not hollow?

I've a feeling @nicebutdim is chomping at the bit with his SDS to make the holes large enough

 

[oscar21]

The armour must be earthed.

There is no "must" about it, the regs are not a legal document, and what do you think will happen if it isn't earthed, the cable is buried in a brick wall, its not like it will get dug through with a spade like when its under a lawn. you could use flex in flexible conduit if you so wish which doesn't even have any armour yet if you use SWA which is essentialy just flex with steel armour round it then you have to earth the armour? It makes no sense.

Yes I know it probably says somewhere in the regs that whenever you use SWA it needs to be earthed, I'm not saying you are wrong but like I've said previously some people want to go to great lengths just to work religiously by the book and would even knock the wall down and start again just to accomplish this but there are others out there that work perfectly safely but a lot more practically.

 

[nicebutdim]

I've a feeling @nicebutdim is chomping at the bit with his SDS to make the holes large enough

I'm half thinking about booking flights, before this runs to a fifth page.

 

[DPG]

There is no "must" about it, the regs are not a legal document, and what do you think will happen if it isn't earthed, the cable is buried in a brick wall, its not like it will get dug through with a spade like when its under a lawn. you could use flex in flexible conduit if you so wish which doesn't even have any armour yet if you use SWA which is essentialy just flex with steel armour round it then you have to earth the armour? It makes no sense.

Yes I know it probably says somewhere in the regs that whenever you use SWA it needs to be earthed, I'm not saying you are wrong but like I've said previously some people want to go to great lengths just to work religiously by the book and would even knock the wall down and start again just to accomplish this but there are others out there that work perfectly safely but a lot more practically.

No decent electrician would leave the SWA armour unearthed. It's nothing to do with being a slave to the regs.

 

[littlespark]

Unearthed swa in the pillar will be fine, but what about between pillars?
In the ground…. Where someone could be forking around with, well, a fork…..
Or a spade.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I'm half thinking about booking flights, before this runs to a fifth page.

This topic has been running for a week elsewhere, they've been giving the OP the same answers for a while now. Terminating an armoured cable - https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/terminating-an-armoured-cable.612924/

Its another case of
to fail to plan means you plan to fail

 

[nicebutdim]

Unearthed swa in the pillar will be fine, but what about between pillars?
In the ground…. Where someone could be forking around with, well, a fork…..
Or a spade.

We read many posts about wiring regulations not being a statutory document, but perhaps we should view them as a convenient guide for the majority of us who can not possibly conceive of every eventuality.

 

[nicebutdim]

This topic has been running for a week elsewhere, they've been giving the OP the same answers for a while now. Terminating an armoured cable - https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/terminating-an-armoured-cable.612924/

Its another case of
to fail to plan means you plan to fail

Dear God.

It seems as though this is all to avoid digging the boxes back out which, given the 5mm of available space, is going to have to be done no matter what solution is decided on.

 

[loz2754]

SWA isn't just flex with steel armour and an outer sheath, as has been suggested. The stuff that covers the basic insulated cores is not to be considered a sheath, and in many cables it's just what is referred to as bedding. This bedding is often fragile and crumbles as you try to remove it. As such, it would not be ideal to try and use a stuffing gland around it to provide water ingress protection.
And the armour must be earthed, as already strenuously noted.

 

[Neptune]

Dear God.

It seems as though this is all to avoid digging the boxes back out which, given the 5mm of available space, is going to have to be done no matter what solution is decided on.

I am pivoting back to the idea of surface mounted lights and a Y-conduit with BC glands sitting in the current plastic housing. No digging or finishing required.

 

[Neptune]

What is on the other side of the wall.

The footpath and street

 

[westward10]

Doesn't matter what you do 12 months down the line half of them probably won't even be functional.

 

[Neptune]

Is there a reason why some space could't be made above or below the light? This question has been asked more than once, but I don't see any meaningful response.

10 min per light with an SDS and cables could be made off properly, then a bit of Tuff sheath or HO7 brought through the rear in a single stuffing gland.

It would be as easy to do this right as mess about with less than ideal 'solutions'.

I wanted to avoid having to make it good afterwards.

Also, the cable is buried in the construction of the wall. If we SDS’d above or below, it will need some digging before the cables can be released.

 

[Neptune]

Doesn't matter what you do 12 months down the line half of them probably won't even be functional.

How come?

 

[westward10]

How come?

Fact of life, put a light fitting into an external wall or floor and nature will see to it failing.