separate earth with swa

[4x4 mark]

hi all, I have been pulled on a job because an swa was installed with a separate earth and I terminated the earth to the banjo before going to the earth terminal of the DB that it was to feed. this is a distribution circuit fed from a section board 25mm swa with 16mm earth to a DB via a change over switch that does not have an earth terminal. Basically the earth runs with the swa has a crimp lug on the end which is bolted through the hole in the banjo then another 16mm earth on the inside connecting the incoming swa to the out going swa by the same method which runs from the change over switch to the DB and once again connected through the banjo then onto the earth terminal of the DB. I have been told that the earth should enter the DB through a stuffing gland terminate to the earth bar then a separate earth back to the banjo. If I am wrong can anybody point me to the reg number please. thanks in advance mark

 

[D Skelton]

Not the way I'd personally do it, but whoever has told you that your way is unacceptable is talking out of their rear end fella.

 

[LeeH]

It doesn't make sense creating another joint but 'unacceptable' is a little OTT.

 

[Richard Burns]

So you have jointed an earth cable with crimped lugs using a banjo and a bolt that is used for the SWA earthing.
So long as the continuity of the earth is not compromised then that is fine, it may be a little bit more difficult to do testing of the separate earthing methods, it may introduce another potential point of failure, but so can any joint.

 

[davesparks]

I see nothing wrong with it as you have done it.
Personally I wouldn't have included the link from the bolt to the earth terminal, just make sure it is bolted to clean metal.

 

[Engineer54]

Is the separate earth cable for main bonding purposes, it's the only reason i would run a separate earth cable,(apart from Zs concerns over long distance) as the steel armouring of the assumed to be 4 core SWA cable will be fully compliant as that cables CPC....

Contrary to others comments, i too prefer to see a separately run earth cable, to be taken through a stuffing gland to the DB's earth bar and treat the armouring as a separate entity. That's not to say it would make any significant difference electrically....

 

[Sintra]

I would also use a stuffing gland and take directly to the earthing terminal if using a separate cpc for whatever reason. Can't see it making a difference though with the method described in the op.

 

[maddog]

I would say that who ever told you that you should have used a stuffing gland, should have said that you COULD have used a stuffing gland. But it doesn't mean that you have to. It's just his opinion.
Both ways are acceptable.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

There's no Reg No for this yet.
They've only just allowed for the CPC to be run separately, give them a chance.

 

[Robotstar5]

Or it could have been done like one I saw a few years ago, the earth cable went through a roughly drilled hole next to the SWA gland and terminated onto the banjo bolt inside​ the enclosure!