Termination of SWA cable

[richy3333]

At a house today to do a job. Had to pull the fuse and found the attached in the meter cupboard. Customer tells me there is another unit in the garage, both serve a caravan (I didn't verify this as it had nothing to do with my work). Both units have had the SWA made-off with BS951 clamps. One of the units was installed yesterday by the 'local' unregistered electrician. Explained to the customer it was wrong, but she didn't care!

 

[PEG]

Old boy that showed me how to gland SWA called me "jack the ripper" for ages because i had used a stanley knife to remove outer sheath,"that cut line is where the corrosion will start ,yer donkey!" Used peripheral cutter for round sheath ever since,even on RNF flexible,it makes an A1 job.

 

[trev]

I wouldn't say that glanding an SWA is an art, it's just something that we have to do. Of course some will do it better than others but I guess I've been doing it so long now that I don't think about it.

 

[PEG]

Fair comment Trev,but you have probably been doing it correctly for years,the snag with some of the termination methods that you see are the fitters are quite happy to continue with poor techniques for years and still get a good nights sleep. If we start a whinge about pride in ones work,i'll get keyboarditess again...

 

[Robotstar5]

The place I'm at now seems to use SWA for everything even a couple of movable machines on castors!

 

[kingeri]

I remember vividly the -------ing I got off my mentor during my apprenticeship for not glanding off and terminating armoured properly. He went ape when he saw my first attempt (which I was very proud of). He made me redo it about twenty times. Grateful to him for taking the time though. Ahh the good old days.

As a footnote, the wife just asked me what glanding off is, she thought it sounded rather rude. I did point out to her that certain things can't humanly be redone twenty times at short notice.....

 

[whitestu]

I remember vividly the -------ing I got off my mentor during my apprenticeship for not glanding off and terminating armoured properly.

I nearly terminated the end of my left index finger with a stanley knife making off SWA glands when I was 16. I still have no feeling in it when the weather is cold!

 

[Robotstar5]

I nearly terminated the end of my left index finger with a stanley knife making off SWA glands when I was 16. I still have no feeling in it when the weather is cold!

My first attempt at SWA was at 16 too, managed to hacksaw my thumb, it did help me find my way round the factory though, I learnt where the surgery was!

 

[markc123]

When i started my apprentership, the very first job i was involved in was installing a small family run caravan park from scratch.

The early months of my apprentership were slightly bizarre because un-rolling t+e was a mission for me in the day release class - and none of the other lads could understand it nor the teacher for that matter, but when it came to making off a 10inch bit of SWA for a 3phase socket in a booth i was done in 10minutes.

I was more comfortable with SWA before literally anything else. Just the way it went at the time - so im with Trev on this one, i don't really see SWA as an art either. Even without the start to electrical life i had i still think that SWA is pretty straight forward if you're taught correctly.

 

[supersparky89]

Spent a lot of my apprenticeship terminating sea it is an art not so much as m.i but still an art I'm 23 and have the 42 year old evening schooled "spark" asking how to do it so neat.

 

[johnboy6083]

It's one of those things that is my bread and butter. Some glands require more effort than others, especially the big E1Ws, glanding onto a thread. Nothing is behind the realms of a little strength, staring at and ingenuity!

 

[KAS1]

I used to hate the people who couldn't fit a hawke SWA gland without cutting the rubber in half or even worse slinging it away, all because they had never been taught how to gland it the correct way....................

 

[Thefailsafe2012]

I think I've cocked up a few E1Ws before

 

[Engineer54]

I wonder how many here would think STA is an art to terminate?? Not that many of the younger sparks here, would have even heard of it, let alone seen it! The ''T'' stands for Tape, it's exactly the same make-up as SWA, except instead of galv' steel wires it has galv' steel tape that is wrapped (50% overlay) around the cable!! Come to that the how about the double wrapped tape (SDTA) cables!! lol!!

 

[johnboy6083]

Seen it Eng, but not used it.
im sure after I thought about it, I'd manage ok.

 

[rmc86uk]

Never seen or heard of it! Or maybe I have seen it but just thought it was SWA! Was this before SWA and has it now been phased out?