Ducting recommendations for SWA cable.

[HARRYSPADGE]

Hi,

I'm looking for some recommendations for ducting to use with SWA cable.
Ideally it would need to be a large enough diameter for a couple of cables.
Would be interested to know what you guys use, or have used and where it can be obtained from.
Thanks.

 

[Bobster]

What size of cable?

wheres the ducting going to be run?

whats the length required?

 

[HARRYSPADGE]

The cable will be 6mm, ducting to be buried in the ground at a depth as per the regs (450-500mm if I remember correctly ?) and the length will be approx. 15m.

 

[davesparks]

Flexible plastic duct, the thick stuff which is corrugated on the outside and smooth on the inside is good in favourable ground conditions (no heavy traffic passing above, no massive weight being put onto it)

For more arduous conditions then you'll want something stronger.

 

[HARRYSPADGE]

Thanks Dave, where can said conduit be obtained from ?
This was the kind of thing I was thinking of.

 

[HARRYSPADGE]

Was thinking I could use a conduit/ducting with a diameter of between 30-50mm so I could thread cables in at a later date.
Ducting is going to be buried in the ground then a pathway laid over the top.

 

[davesparks]

The ducting in thinking of was 2" minimum size if I remember correctly and comes with a string already in it so you can pull your rope in and then pull you cable in.

I believe it can be purchased from electrical wholesalers, builders merchants, eBay, the big orange shed, anywhere else that sells building materials or supplies to groundworkers.

Not to be confused with plastic land-drain which looks similar but has a million holes in it and a very rough internal surface.

 

[HARRYSPADGE]

Thanks Dave, sounds like the stuff I'm after.
Will take a look in Jewson's the next time I'm there.

 

[Octopus]

Why do you wasn't to put it in ducting. Is this a new circuit.

 

[ayjay]

its swa, steel wire armoured
why does it need ducting

 

[davesparks]

What is wrong with putting it in ducting?

I think armoured is a poor choice of words when describing this cable. It implies that it is an incredibly strong cable which us impervious to damage, when it clearly isn't!
It takes very little effort to put a hole in the outer sheath and unless it is seen and fixed before the trench is back-filled then you might as well write the armouring off, it will get wet and it will rot away.

A good smooth walled duct can be installed, the trench back filled, then a rag pulled through to clean if out, cables pulled in, a draw rope left for the future and the ends sealed.

 

[Engineer54]

The use of ducting is nearly always preferable to direct burial, but sometimes due to distances and/or routing problems, direct burial makes perfect sense!! I personally dislike any ducting that is called flexible, to me flexible means thin wall, and i don't do thin wall buried ducting...


As far as sheath damage on SWA cables, i Always conduct a sheath test to all buried cables be they direct buried or installed in ducts....

 

[DPG]

He wants to pull the cables in later, hence the ducting. Daz

 

[Knobhead]

DIY! take it away.

 

[R G]

The duct you want is directly available from your local builders merchants , comes in 50M rolls and is used for DNO supply cables , they also do the hockey sticks as well if you want them , oh and don't forget the marker tape to lay in the trench as well ...