What is it? (tails cable)

[brummydave]

Anyone know what kind of cable this is please? It looks a bit concentric but not like any i've seen.

It's running straight out of the house meter to DB1 in the house. It's not terminated very well at all and I have no idea what its capacity / type is as never come across it before! It has a single stranded centre line conductor, six small solid neutral conductors (maybe 1.5mm?) and four small cpc conductors (maybe 2.5mm?).

Inside DB1 they've joined each cpc conductor to a 6mm green/yellow.

My job is actually on DB2 that is neatly supplied from DB1 (via the SWA seen in the pics) but obviously I need to sort the main supply out too!

Any recomendations on how to terminate this tails cable neatly, or how to work out whether it needs replacing?

Thanks all

Dave.

PS sorry for being quiet during this crazy year.

 

[Sharpend]

That appears to be a non compliant cable. It needs replacing for correct tails IMO. 

 

[roys]

Isn’t that just split con cable with a very sloppy connection in a few ways.

 

[Evans Electric]

Its a split concentric  , sometimes used by DNO for street lights etc   .     As Sharpie says  its a non compliant   cable  within BS 7671   .    We are not supposed to use it as it has no earthed overall sheath  as in SWA  .  

Probably a foreigner  by a DNO  or the old MEB  guy .   

 

[NozSpark]

Its a split concentric  , sometimes used by DNO for street lights etc   .     As Sharpie says  its a non compliant   cable  within BS 7671   .    We are not supposed to use it as it has no earthed overall sheath  as in SWA  .  

Probably a foreigner  by a DNO  or the old MEB  guy .   

I thought that you could use it so long as you treated it like T&E

 

[Evans Electric]

I don't know Noz  .    I once suggested it for street lighting  on a university campus ....... slim decorative poles with a tiny slot for us to make off  SWA  & fit an isolator . 

We were told back then , not allowed to use it ,   and I don't think we could locate any anyway   .   

As you say , I suppose clipped surface  its no different to T&E  on domestic .       Interesting trying to order some though .  

 

[Andy™]

split con. treated the same as T&E as far as mechanical damage goes. its not an armoured type of cable

you can get proper boots that fit over the ends

 

[Tony S]

Split concentric is easy enough to get hold of from main dealers. As has been said it has to be treated as you would T+E. If you want the job to look good, proper break-out boots are needed.

I got hold of some DNO concentric, it’s as tough as old boots!

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

http://www.batt.co.uk/upload/files/splitconcentriccablebs7870_1355413546.pdf

The above link suggests it is more robust than T&E as far as mechanical protection is concerned..

i.e.

The cables are designed to be installed in air (indoors and/or outdoors), or may be buried directly in free draining soil or in ducts.

:C

 

[brummydave]

Thanks guys, that link to batt cables is illustrative and a bit helpful. Although they list sizes in cross section and diameter!

(I previously thought split concentric had the same number of neutral and cpc conductors so as to be a 3-core SWA equivalent).

My split concentric only has six neutral cores so I'm after a different manufacturers spec i guess, as I can't tell what the total cross section is and also whether the cpc comes up to 16mm (were there 4mm solid cores used?)

This cable doesn't have armouring but it's only going from an external meter box through the wall to the consumer unit, so no different to if pvc tails were used. I wouldn't choose to use it now, but it is already in place.

I know a 'simple' answer is to run new tails in but i don't want to do anything not necessary...

 

[Sidewinder]

It is more robust, but does not have the earthed outer as required by BS 7671 as part of the outer is the N, which is a live conductor.

 

[NozSpark]

I don't know Noz  .    I once suggested it for street lighting  on a university campus ....... slim decorative poles with a tiny slot for us to make off  SWA  & fit an isolator . 

We were told back then , not allowed to use it ,   and I don't think we could locate any anyway   .   

As you say , I suppose clipped surface  its no different to T&E  on domestic .       Interesting trying to order some though .  

I don't have a problem getting it TBH..... in fact I just got a price on some 16mm split con the other day....  £5.16/m +VAT ... I need 20m to replace/re-route a sub main to a garage conversion

 

[Evans Electric]

I don't have a problem getting it TBH..... in fact I just got a price on some 16mm split con the other day....  £5.16/m +VAT ... I need 20m to replace/re-route a sub main to a garage conversion

Interesting .......I'm still confused ,   nothing new ,    but definitely thought it was only used on the DNO side .    

The lampost job I mentioned ....it would have been ideal for that ,  we'd have been looking for 4mm  if it exists .   Our problem was glanding off    2 x  SWA  inside a very small lampost access cover . 

 

[NozSpark]

Interesting .......I'm still confused ,   nothing new ,    but definitely thought it was only used on the DNO side .    

The lampost job I mentioned ....it would have been ideal for that ,  we'd have been looking for 4mm  if it exists .   Our problem was glanding off    2 x  SWA  inside a very small lampost access cover . 

The only think with it is though is that you have to treat it like T&E.... I.e. it has no additional mechanical protection other than the PVC sheath..... I'm lucky with this job as its going to be run up inside trunking from the meter position and then through the ceiling/floor void to the rear of the property and then overhead (catinery supported)  to the garage conversion

 

[Evans Electric]

Sounds like a good choice then  .