Help On Using Earth As live?

[6ft2]

Hi Im currently working for a company wiring heating systems up I have had a Job Pulled up By a QS for the company we contract for
Saying it Failed due to Earth conductor being used as a live and seriously dangerous. Ill explain , I had to run a cable in for The Heating time clock and it was a fair run , I needed Live, Neutral, and 3 switch lives ,making 5. I used 1x 5 core flex as I thought that as the timer control was double insulated then I could Sleeve the earth with Brown sleeving and use it as one of the Switch lives. Am I wrong to do this?

 

[londonlec]

Yes you are wrong.

 

[Jimmyb]

Yes the regs state that you never over sleeve a earth wire.

 

[pushrod]

. Am I wrong to do this?

Yes, the cable should have an earth even if the time clock didn't need one .
edit plus as above about resleeving earth

 

[PC Electrics]

Wrong wrong wrong

Period

Reg against using cpc as live.

should've used a 7 core or 2x 4 cores

sorry

 

[electromonkey]

Yes you are I'm afraid. I can't remember what reg it is under but earth cables can only be used for earthing, nothing else no matter if it is sleeved or not.

 

[malcolmsanford]

Go back to the QS and tell him that he is wrong and to have a look at Regs 514 and 514.3.2, but I wonder if perhaps he was more concerned that by using the Y/G sleeved LINE, the cable would have not had a earth conductor in it in case the cable ever got damaged.

 

[malcolmsanford]

Yes you are I'm afraid. I can't remember what reg it is under but earth cables can only be used for earthing, nothing else no matter if it is sleeved or not.

It's the colour G/Y that can not be used for anything other than identification of a CPC Reg 514.4.2

 

[PC Electrics]

There's also a reg that a cpc should be taken to all accessory positions, irrespective of whether that accessory is class II or I.

 

[malcolmsanford]

There's also a reg that a cpc should be taken to all accessory positions, irrespective of whether that accessory is class II or I.

There may be a CPC from another cable at the position.

 

[Marvo]

5 core flex isn't a good installation cable. Flex is designed to be used in short lengths as a trailing cable to an appliance.

 

[malcolmsanford]

5 core flex isn't a good installation cable. Flex is designed to be used in short lengths as a trailing cable to an appliance.

Not in the BS 7671-2008 Marvo we can use flex as an instalation cable 521.9.3

 

[Marvo]

Thanks Malcolmsanford, that's illegal practice under our local regs, I wasn't sure about the UK.

 

[baldsparkies]

I have seen it done on more than one occasion, regs aside. Its bad practice, you have been pulled up over it, see it as a lesson learnt.
As far as dangerous is concerned, thats relative, and depends on the who's what's why's and where's, both now and in the future. It has the potential to become dangerous and I think thats more to the point.
Try to be honest with yourself about it, don't try to make excuses for it, cus you will be going down the wrong road.

 

[Ponty Massive]

It's the colour G/Y that can not be used for anything other than identification of a CPC Reg 514.4.2

Not sure about this one, or you could effectively use the cpc from a T+E as a live (providing the boxes are earthed)