Swa Termination - The Correct Way

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Some bloke called "John Peckham" says...

The use of bonding clamps as an alternative to glands.BS951 bonding clamps are designed for clamping on to solid pipes. The force required to make a reliable tight joint on to a SWA cable would effectively deform the cable and may loosen over time due the continued deformation of the cable. The insertion of a piece of copper water pipe under the armour to prevent deformation is bad practice as the SWA armour is galvanised steel which may react with the dissimilar metal copper insert. The use of Jubilee clips to terminate the armour is an absolute bodge (see Regulation 134.1.1)

john..

 
SWA into a plastic plate... id rather have the nice brass plate. of course, the threaded bit on the tofco is screwed into a 20mm hole. if you wanted to, you could remove that leaving you with the brass plate and fit a SWA gland into it
It is brass!!!!!So you actually choose not to remove it and fit a gland?

Here you go mate.

http://youtu.be/-IVDIe_15j8

 
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It is brass!!!!!

So you actually choose not to remove it and fit a gland?

Andy,
why would i remove the gland that comes with it that works fine and has a proven track record of working and being reliable, just to fit another gland just to please you because you think every other method is wrong, even though you have offered no evidence to say it is, except scrounging about MI's of various glands and offering them as 'proof' that its wrong

 
Anyone who thinks the DNO have not [i did not say still do] used BS951 clamps on household supplies as a means of providing an earth terminal, has clearly not been in many houses in southwales that the DNO tinkered with in the 1980's..

john..
Have you seen the DNO instructions for PILC terminations?

The 80’s would be a lead wipe for the 7/036 copper to the MET? (That was questionable).

Some were afraid of a hot wipe on to a live cable and bought their own BS951 clamps. Some got caught out in the EMEB region.

 
why would i remove the gland that comes with it that works fine and has a proven track record of working and being reliable, just to fit another gland just to please you because you think every other method is wrong, even though you have offered no evidence to say it is, except scrounging about MI's of various glands and offering them as 'proof' that its wrong
Because you would be making the SWA off correctly. It is a bodge in my opinion because people cannot be arsed to remove the part that is obviously removable for a reason and do the gland. When people do not do a job properly just because doing it correctly takes longer that makes it a bodge. Now bodges don't necessarily mean it is dangerous but a bodge all the same.

 
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Hi Tony,

I can well believe that certain cable jointers used 951 clamps instead of sweating lugs onto live cables!! Not saying that i would do it, but ******** if i would fancy the sweating on bit!!!!!

john...

 
Because you would be making the SWA off correctly. It is a bodge in my opinion because people cannot be arsed to remove the part that is obviously removable for a reason and do the gland. When people do not do a job properly just because doing it correctly takes longer that makes it a bodge. Now bodges don't necessarily mean it is dangerous but a bodge all the same.
You would be changing the manufacturers specification and that results in………. non compliance.

There’s a reason for that type of gland that you or apprentice obviously can’t see.

 
Could you tell me the relevance of that video?
It's Australian and they do things upside down! :slap

back OT (probably)

I was told that the 951 clamp was designed for pipes and not for cable for the above reasons. I was told this by a college tutor who was an ex EDF engineer (the real meaning of the word) and a member of the IET.

will a mikalor clamp do? :D

 
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Hi Tony,

I can well believe that certain cable jointers used 951 clamps instead of sweating lugs onto live cables!! Not saying that i would do it, but ******** if i would fancy the sweating on bit!!!!!

john...
They were trained to do it and signed on the dotted line. Each type of joint or termination has a competency ticket.

By rights you shouldn’t be sent on a job without a ticket for that job.

A friend fell foul of that a couple of months back. WP duly showed up to do a through joint, PVC concentric to PILC. All was going well until the lead sheath came off and the first layer of paper removed, PILC concentric. God knows when it dated from.

They couldn’t continue as they had no ticket, pot ended the live cable and cleared off.

Wiping and Sweating are two different animals. Grade “D” plumbing metal stick wiped* for the first, tinmans solder poured for the second.

*There is an alternative to stick wiping, plastic wiping. You really have to trust your mate as he puts a soup spoon of molten metal on the mole skin in your open palm of your hand. (The H&S officer showed up while we were doing this, he tried to stop us about ½ way through doing the wipe. He was told to f off so he trots off to see our manager, 2nd time in a morning he was told to f off.)

 
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Well, Mr Peckham thinks jubilee clips are a bodge, so that is good enough for me!! If makers of certain kinds of stuff tell you to fit jubilee clips or supply them [and i know some do] then it is only because they could not be arsed to design and provide a better solution.. Not being funny, but an ordinary ford car type spring clip would be FAR better than a jubilee clip... [no sharp edges at the ends of the metal bit, and even pressure all round]

john..

 
I know John Peckham personally, I had dinner with him last Thursday evening.

I'll post a reference for John's "competencies" shortly.

I helped him recently prepare a "paper", for one of his customers to send to their customers.

However, John P is not referring to the sort of gland and termination we are discussing here.

Apprentice, could you let me know where you got that quote please?

Via PM if you wish.

I've found it, I have a copy of the original document, I suspect that you got the quote off gadsolutions.biz.

That is NOT John P's site.

 
I remember in the mid 70s fitting large switchgear (possibly MEM), 400mm cables etc so spreader boxes were always used. These were cast and the armouring was secured to the 'spout' with a jubilee clip.

I was also taught then (14th edition) 2 ways to terminate swa, firstly with a brass gland or a piece of galvo barrel (firm also had pipe fitters so this was always availible) under the armour with a jubilee clip over the top

 
Could you tell me the relevance of that video?
Just a little tounge in cheek wind up to Andy. Not to be taken seriously.

You would be changing the manufacturers specification and that results in………. non compliance.

There’s a reason for that type of gland that you or apprentice obviously can’t see.
Tony. The part in question is made to be inter-changeable so it can be changed to the part you need.

 
I know John Peckham personally, I had dinner with him last Thursday evening.

I'll post a reference for John's "competencies" shortly.

I helped him recently prepare a "paper", for one of his customers to send to their customers.

However, John P is not referring to the sort of gland and termination we are discussing here.

Apprentice, could you let me know where you got that quote please?

Via PM if you wish.I've found it, I have a copy of the original document, I suspect that you got the quote off gadsolutions.biz.

That is NOT John P's site.
Where abouts in the country did you have dinner with him?

 
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