External lighting

[Paul Chick]

Hi guys,

Ive got a few outside lights to wire in next weekend and was wondering what sort of flex would be durable enough to go from the galv 'T' box upto the lights?
Im looping the lights round in armoured flex through 'T' boxes because i obviously cant make of those connections within the light fittings themselves due to space and looking crap.

Cheers,

Paul

 

[ackbarthestar]

Nothing wrong with Resin jointing, just a bit OTT for use in a domestic garden to feed garden lights and the like!! lol!!

No, I'd agree, not the average gardens, but when you are dealing with several acres at a time then you require something more permanent.
We use them all the time for repairing and extending sub-mains in SWA. Usually where somebody has dug one up with a digger and it needs a torpedo splice. I haven't had one fail as yet.

Certainly wouldn't use them for any form of flexible.

 

[Paul Chick]

Adaptable boxes look cheap and nasty. So where do Galv boxes stand on the numerous commercial buildings and industrial units our company has done to feed cables in galv conduit or SWA to outside lighting? Its crap, you're going to get condensation build up with what ever you install so it doesn't really matter. But i can safely say that if you make off all your glands correctly/tight and you a half decent gasket and lid you could return in 10 years time and there would be jack wrong inside that box. When do you ever see a Galv install with PVC/IP Rated boxes throughout it? Just want to clear this up aswell, you would have to be a helmet to sink galv boxes into the ground.

 

[ackbarthestar]

Adaptable boxes look cheap and nasty. So where do Galv boxes stand on the numerous commercial buildings and industrial units our company has done to feed cables in galv conduit or SWA to outside lighting? Its crap, you're going to get condensation build up with what ever you install so it doesn't really matter. But i can safely say that if you make off all your glands correctly/tight and you a half decent gasket and lid you could return in 10 years time and there would be jack wrong inside that box. When do you ever see a Galv install with PVC/IP Rated boxes throughout it? Just want to clear this up aswell, you would have to be a helmet to sink galv boxes into the ground.

Agreed, never sink a galv adaptable box into the ground and in most cases you are going to get less condensation using plastic than metal and certainly less chance of nuisance tripping due to water build up.

I'm not sure what IP adaptable boxes you are referring to when you say they look cheap and nasty. Maybe you will enlighten us to their make?

As far as galv. adaptable boxes go, they are perfectly serviceable as long as you make sure you allow drainage for condensation. This is standard practice for any external wall mounted industrial/commercial installations.


My personal preference is to keep all connections out of the ground, unless put into a pit, for several reasons.
1/ easy to get identify
2/ easier to maintain

 

[trev]

Not yet Trev but My boss does most of the work for this letting agents up there and most of the landlords in that area seem to use this agents......we get quite a bit of work out of it ...which is always good ....but the amount of these "tennants" that just dont give a FxxK.......the places are always filthy and the tennants often are as well.....a lot of evidence of power pinching n all at a lot of these places....we went in one place and i aint joking when i say there must have been about 30 odd dirty plates and loads of dirty cups n stuff.....the cooker would have set alight if you had turned it on...the amount of grease n fat on it....dog ends everywhare and piles and piles of filthy clothes all over....now i really resent having to wade through all this ---- when on a periodic and that cooker.....we were supposed to pull that thing out as there was a damaged ccu behind it.....well i wasn`t touching that thing....got the tennant to do it......makes me feel ikky sometimes after going in places like that....euggh......

When I was on the bash in Gateshead there were a few houses that we flat out refused to work in, they really were that minging. Tenant liaison had fun with those ones, how do you tell someone tactfully that they're dirty stinking grimy buggers