Record for stuffing cables into a terminal box?

[Piratepete]

Recently came across a 6 terminal 20Amp junction box with 12 T&E cables coming out of it and an additional chocy block inside! Is that a record? It was being used as the only distribution box for the upstairs lighting of a 3 bed semi.

I wanted to fit a 13th but the earth terminal wasn't having it!:devilish:

Pete

 

[Andy78]

This post demands picture to flesh it out

 

[Piratepete]

This post demands picture to flesh it out

Sorry, didn't have my camera with me and have already split the circuits across 2 J boxes.

But there were 3 cables coming out of each aperture, no earth sleeving, but very neat!

 

[jon small]

that's how they used to wire lights years ago- 1 or 2 jb's per circuit / floor, 2 or more cables per room plus 3 core 2 way switching cables, feed in and out to next jb if needed and earth's unsleeved and usually just twisted together often over the jb lid so they had to be untwisted to open the jb.
a pain to work on but have seen so beautifully terminated one's with all the cables done all in saddle clips so neatly laid in - real craftsmanship almost seems a shame to rip out on a rewire.

 

[shanky887614]

that's how they used to wire lights years ago- 1 or 2 jb's per circuit / floor, 2 or more cables per room plus 3 core 2 way switching cables, feed in and out to next jb if needed and earth's unsleeved and usually just twisted together often over the jb lid so they had to be untwisted to open the jb.
a pain to work on but have seen so beautifully terminated one's with all the cables done all in saddle clips so neatly laid in - real craftsmanship almost seems a shame to rip out on a rewire.

Most I have seen they have the cpc's out the 4 fixing holes in the back then twisted together

 

[jon small]

"Most I have seen they have the cpc's out the 4 fixing holes in the back then twisted together"

i have seen some like that but in this part of the world mostly they are screwed to the joists or roof trusses with the cables clipped side by side right up to the jb

 

[7029 dave]

Yes it was called spidering, I used 6 term 20amp jb's, once filled up loop off to the next jb. lol

 

[Spearmint]

...and I struggle with five 1.5mm² T&E!

 

[R G]

I have found old lead sheathed cable done the same way in old metal J/Bs the same way , so its a method from long long ago ,,

 

[Lucien Nunes]

It was often called 'Octopus' wiring. Helsby (or was it Henley?) did a system with flexible braided cables that all terminated in large round junction boxes, they actually sold it as the Octopus wiring system. That was a development of an earlier arrangement with lead JB's sweated over half a dozen (or even eight) lead sheathed cables, which actually looked quite octopus-y.

 

[Stuuk1]

I wanted to fit a 13th but the earth terminal wasn't having it!:devilish:

Haha, love it.

 

[sparkdog]

Had one the other day with 7,which I thought was a lot.

 

[Knobhead]

It was often called 'Octopus' wiring. Helsby (or was it Henley?) did a system with flexible braided cables that all terminated in large round junction boxes, they actually sold it as the Octopus wiring system. That was a development of an earlier arrangement with lead JB's sweated over half a dozen (or even eight) lead sheathed cables, which actually looked quite octopus-y.

I've got a couple of photographs of an original octopus box kicking around on my PC somewhere. I'll try and find them.

 

[Engineer54]

Sorry, didn't have my camera with me and have already split the circuits across 2 J boxes.

But there were 3 cables coming out of each aperture, no earth sleeving, but very neat!

Quite a common practice on early domestic installations, before the introduction of green (+yellow) sleeving. They brought T&E CPC's out of those early round JB's and twisted them together underneath the JB. Must still be literally thousands of them like that, still in service around the country...

 

[tazz]

Sound like some of our so called fire alarm installers....