SWA termination

[whazza2]

What is the best way to terminate SWA between two fixed points?

Never really used SWA cable

A step-by-step guide would be great with pictures better

Thanks

 

[matt.leung]

check it out on utube...

 

[Badger]

youll need some armoured glands

 

[bengie]

gland packs are the only way really unless your going to bodge it.

 

[whazza2]

I mean by ways of measuring to ensure the cable is not too short

 

[green-hornet]

Normally you would run the cable length to the point of connection, make the termination, and then fix the box or adaptable box in place. This makes the cable "fit" at the end of line.

My son in law has far more experience with swa than I do and can fix all boxes and then measure by eye terminate and gland about twice as fast as I can.

So I guess its all down to experience and repetition

 

[roys]

Gland up one end and fit.

Run cable, and clip so that it is secure and won't move up to just before (about 1 meter)your other termination point.

With your next gland, split it, screw the the 20mm (or 25 etc mm) side into the box or whatever it is terminating into. This should show you the point on the gland where the armour gets cut to.

Hold the SWA cable up to this point and mark SWA outer insulation (I use my thumb nail)

Do the 1/2 cut through and round your armouring with your hacksaw at the thumbnail mark. This is very much your datum mark for making the gland off.

You will probably find it easier to remove the part of the gland that you had just secrewed into the box now to make the gland off.

Not sure if I have explained it very well but I hope it helps, it is certainaly a fool proof way of doing it if you can understand what I am talking about.

Good luck Steve

 

[Andy™]

gland packs are the only way really unless your going to bodge it.

glands packs are not always needed. and the alternative is not a bodge either

 

[oldtimespark]

search this phrase techniques:swa gland

 

[bengie]

[quote name='Andy

 

[Andy™]

similar to normal gland, but rather than a brass nut holding armour in place, a jubilee clip is used. very common on street lighting cutouts

 

[Lee321]

only ever used glands myself, not seen anything different. what are the safe alternatives?

all comes with experience bengie :Salute

[quote name='Andy

 

[bengie]

a jubilee clip? doesn't sound very professional to me, but we learn something new everyday.

 

[Badger]

a jubilee clip? doesn't sound very professional to me, but we learn something new everyday.

:Applaud :Applaud:Salute:run

 

[PC Electrics]

I didn't think so either, until I came across the swa in the attached picture. By the time I'd cut back about an inch or so of rotten armour to get to some solid stuff there was no way of getting a gland onto it. I put a 10mm olive between the inner and armour with the ends of 3 1.5mm g/y fly leads attached and then jubilee clipped the armour to the olive. Then sealed up in heatshrink. Nowt else I could think of doing and replacing the cable was not on the agenda.

On another similarly rotten piece I only just got an indoor gland onto it and heatshrinked it to waterproof.

A jc would never be my first choice, but they can work.

(indeed jc's have fallen out of favour in the automotive world because they don't compress evenly all round and can crush the parent pipe - especially if it's a plastic one and even sometimes mazak ones like throttle bodies, which then stops the butterfly opening and closing freely.)

 

[M107]

Firstly I apologise for the photos, they are a mix and match but hopefully go someway to show how (I) to terminate swa.

As said after terminating one end & mounting enclosure, clip swa in position upto a short distance from the other termination point.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/2-1.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/4-1.jpg

Mount enclosure & fit

Put pvc gland cover on first (tip1: reverse it & push on to swa this gives a nice indication where to cut carrot so it isnt loose on swa, remove & refit correct way round)

Slide rest of gland onto swa.

Hold swa up to termination point & mark where you will be scoring the armour for connection to gland, ensuring the core tails are long enough to reach their termination point (tip2 for begginers: wrap one turn of insulating tape to lower side of score mark, use hack saw to continue scoring armour using tape as a guide...leave tape in place for now)

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/swa1-1.jpg

Remove excess outer sheath by using knife, hold blade at a 45degree across the swa slicing away from you, the remainder of sheath will pull off.

Now untwist armour & if you have gone deep enough with the hacksaw score, you'll be able to bend back and forth a few cores of armour at the same time untill they fall off. remove all armour cores this way.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/swa2.jpg

Now you should have the inner sheath on show, no armour & a wrap of insulating tape around the outer pvc sheath.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/swa3.jpg

Remove outer sheath to bare enough armour to gland.

(Tip3 for those that cant measure: using your knife score the outer pvc sheath around the lower edge of the insulating tape wrap, this will be just the right amount of armour to gland)

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/swa4.jpg

Hold the inner sheath rotate it to fan the armour.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/swa5.jpg

remove inner sheath, but leave enough so it just peeps over the to of gland when put into enclosure

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/16mmswasubmain.jpg

Offer swa up into enclosure run olive gland nut upto armour & tighten, run up & tighten cw nut cover with boot (picture just shows olive & bits no enclosure)

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j293/gazjothomas/swa6.jpg

Dont forget the banjo with earth lead + nut/bolt or use a Piranha

 

[Andy™]

M107 - maybe start a new thread with this?

 

[M107]

[quote name='Andy

 

[bengie]

i find mikalor clamps to be far superior to jubilee clips on cars, still not 100% convinced on the use of jubilee clips, not sure what else could be done though in some situations.

 

[Andy™]

some pics of jubilee clip holding SWA

this is just a 3x 2.5 what i had lying around, and just happened to be stripped enough for the pics. normally a larger cable would be used (often 2c 10/16mm)