PVC twin & earth & water

[jedisparks]

Evenin all

Just a bit of an odd ball question here following a discussion i had today.

PVC twin & earth - If it is exposed to moisture or is laying in water over a long period of time, can this have a deteriorating effect on the cable sheath

Many thanks

 

[telectrix]

all depends what's in the water. acid attack or similar will cause deterioration. in pure water it will be a long timee before you notice anything.

 

[Des 56]

None at all in my opinion

Even the water industry use pvc for piping because of its unpenetrability,(that was a nicely made up word)

 

[Richard]

I read somewhere that cable is classed as submarine. Don't ask me where because I have no frigging idea!!

 

[nickblake]

None at all in my opinion

Even the water industry use pvc for piping because of its unpenetrability,(that was a nicely made up word)

like it just written that one down

 

[PC Electrics]

Unlike nylon and some other plastics PVC is almost totally unaffected by water. Indeed, one of the reasons why PVC is such an environmentally unfriendly material is the extremely long times it takes the material to break down ('000s of years). Automotive manufacturers have been undergoing PVC reduction programs over the last decade or so for this reason - it's why you've started to see the return of leather trimming.

 

[jedisparks]

Yeah thats what I thought. SWA has PVC sheath, although tougher than that of t & e generally and it lays in the ground where it is wet.

The guy who i was speaking to seemed to think that it will rot in water over a period of a few years.

I think he may have been a muppet.

 

[nickblake]

Yeah thats what I thought. SWA has PVC sheath, although tougher than that of t & e generally and it lays in the ground where it is wet.

The guy who i was speaking to seemed to think that it will rot in water over a period of a few years.

I think he may have been a muppet.

Fozzy Bear i think matter of years ask him the question how long has suppliers under ground cable been PVC its over 40 years now !!

 

[jedisparks]

Exactly. The whole point of using PVC is its properties of durability and as according to Des 56s' new word "Unpenetrability".

 

[Rappid]

I looked at a job last week, security light broken by kids football, they had run T&E for the light, part laying in the gutter and part clipped to the wall, outer sheath was cracking and brittle. Was gonna replace it with some Hi-tuff I had laying around or would it be cheaper to use a length of black 3-core flex?

 

[jedisparks]

Interesting. But could that have been down to exposure to sun rather than water?

 

[jaresquire]

Sun/paint/creosote and nearby glue sniffers more likely than water IMHO

 

[telectrix]

black flex will be fine.

 

[ian.settle1]

Yeah thats what I thought. SWA has PVC sheath, although tougher than that of t & e generally and it lays in the ground where it is wet.

The guy who i was speaking to seemed to think that it will rot in water over a period of a few years.

I think he may have been a muppet.

Which one?

 

[IQ Electrical]

I looked at a job last week, security light broken by kids football, they had run T&E for the light, part laying in the gutter and part clipped to the wall, outer sheath was cracking and brittle. Was gonna replace it with some Hi-tuff I had laying around or would it be cheaper to use a length of black 3-core flex?

That sounds like UV damage, the twin & earth sits there happily for years in the sun but come to change the floodlight and it falls apart.