Post Lights SWA

[telectrix]

got a bit of an awkward one here. house new build 2003, has 10 post lights ( 5 a side ) up the drive. they are fed from a PIR on a gate post from the electric gate circuit. 2 or 3 have been damaged, 1 is beyond hope. the problem is that they have been wired in SWA buried under drive and the armour is not continuous. the SWA is looped from light to light in the base of each light. the only way i can see of connecting the armour is by use of a bit of copper tube ( to prevent crushing ) and jubilee clips with a fly lead. if anyone else has a better way, be glad to hear it. NB. have not, as yet, gone into testing integrity of the earthing at the gate post. could be a right can of worms.

 

[malcolmsanford]

I would use a Banjo clips mate. Fit the banjos with the lock nuts and tighten then, Then join the banjo together with a brass 6mm nut and bolt with a star washer. Crimp an eye terminal onto conductor and then fit onto the bolt with a copule of brass flat washers and star. Should do you mate.

 

[telectrix]

sounds good, as usual from you, malc.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Can you terminate into an adaptable box, and then flex out to the fitting?

 

[JD6400]

I would use a Banjo clips mate. Fit the banjos with the lock nuts and tighten then, Then join the banjo together with a brass 6mm nut and bolt with a star washer. Crimp an eye terminal onto conductor and then fit onto the bolt with a couple of brass flat washers and star. Should do you mate.

Top job !

If you were to change your mind and go for your first idea with the copper tube , make sure the copper and swa don't react together .
Like aluminum and steel , I cant think of a situation were i have put copper and swa together to have check if this is the case so i may be talking rubbish.

 

[telectrix]

Can you terminate into an adaptable box, and then flex out to the fitting?

no, because the SWA pairs come out of the block paving close together and directly into the fitting which is plugged and screwed to the blocks.

on one side of the drive i could , and fit some wall mount lights, but the other side is next door's wall so can't fix to.

 

[telectrix]

Top job !

If you were to change your mind and go for your first idea with the copper tube , make sure the copper and swa don't react together .
Like aluminum and steel , I cant think of a situation were i have put copper and swa together to have check if this is the case so i may be talking rubbish.

was on a job last year where this had been done 20+ years ago and no problem with corrosion.

 

[JD6400]

Like i say , never done it my self so have not checked if it would just a thought .
Could you carefully chop a hole the size of the base into the block paving , free the swa and refill with concrete to give you a fixing again ?

 

[telectrix]

going to be either the j clips, or glands and banjos. can't see the client paying out for cutting out blocks on all 10 lights. was badly designed in the frist place. i would have had flush mounted lights with the facility to gland the SWA into the base of the fitting.

 

[johnboy6083]

try these mate. Earthing Nuts - Speed up metal cable gland installation and EMI / RFI screening ive used them on old jobs where armour isnt continuous, and it saves time, as you can put them over the locknut if the thread allows.

 

[nickblake]

how i do bollard lights is if the bollard diameter is large enough is to use a galve Y box terminate the SWA into there then flex out of the top with a stuffing gland and to the light fitting works a treat and looks proffessional too and all the SWA armour is then continuose then just slide the bollard over the top

 

[telectrix]

looks the best idea yet nick.will seeif there's enough room in the base, cheers.

 

[PC Electrics]

If the base of the lights has the space, could you use a core cutter of an appropriate size and core round the swa? Then chop out the core to give you more space to terminate whilst preserving the fixing positions and paving.

If you can get a normal indoor swa gland over the swa you could seal it up with glue lined heatshrink.
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[telectrix]

thanks for the input, lads. going to try the trouser boxes.

 

[Engineer54]

Trouser or Y conduit boxes has always been the chosen method for looping SWA cable sizes upto 6mm in lighting bollards, over that and there's not enough room to terminate the cores. I've seen lots of instances where M/Clad surface back boxes have been used, and believe me they don't last too long as far as corrosion is concerned....