Terminating Armoured cable for future use

[Jupiter01]

I've got a armoured cable put in between the Consumer Unit and external garage. It travels under the kitchen floor and was put down at the time of the extension. This is for a future EV charging point but unlikely to be required for another 12 months. I have excess cable sitting near the consumer unit and similarly, in the garage.

Would it be sensible to put this in a metal adaptable box near the consumer unit, using the appropriate glands and it can be connected from here into the consumer unit using a small cable stub at some point in the future? I am reluctant to gland it in the consumer unit incase it accidentally energises.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ericmark]

Finger from a rubber glove either end will stop water ingress.

 

[JohnW2]

Would it be sensible to put this in a metal adaptable box near the consumer unit, using the appropriate glands and it can be connected from here into the consumer unit using a small cable stub at some point in the future? I am reluctant to gland it in the consumer unit incase it accidentally energises.

If the garage end of the cable were terminated (glanded) into an appropriate box, then it would not matter whether it was energised or not, and you could then gland the other end into the CU, and thereby eliminate an unnecessary joint in the cable.

Edit: even if you did gland it into the CU in that way, you would not necessarily have to connect its cores to anything within the CU for the time being. Subsequent making holes (even with knockouts) in a metal CU that is already installed would not be fun, so you probably would be advised to at least need to put the gland in at the start.

I have several cables in my installation which originate in CUs but which are not currently used, the downstream ends being terminated in some sort of enclosure.

Kind Regards, John

 

[bernardgreen]

Leave enough spare cable at each end and cap the ends with caps like these

ES-CAP-NO.2-B9-0-30MM-RS | TE Connectivity End Cap Black, Semi-Rigid Polyolefin Adhesive Lined, 7.44mm | RS

uk.rs-online.com

Look for the right size to suit the cable you have

 

[Sureitsoff?]

Finger from a rubber glove either end will stop water ingress.

Ooooh Matron..........!

 

[winston1]

I've got a armoured cable put in between the Consumer Unit and external garage. It travels under the kitchen floor and was put down at the time of the extension. This is for a future EV charging point but unlikely to be required for another 12 months. I have excess cable sitting near the consumer unit and similarly, in the garage.

Would it be sensible to put this in a metal adaptable box near the consumer unit, using the appropriate glands and it can be connected from here into the consumer unit using a small cable stub at some point in the future? I am reluctant to gland it in the consumer unit incase it accidentally energises.

Thanks in advance.

Lets hope whoever puts in the EV charging point is happy to use your cable.

 

[Jupiter01]

If the garage end of the cable were terminated (glanded) into an appropriate box, then it would not matter whether it was energised or not, and you could then gland the other end into the CU, and thereby eliminate an unnecessary joint in the cable.

Edit: even if you did gland it into the CU in that way, you would not necessarily have to connect its cores to anything within the CU for the time being. Subsequent making holes (even with knockouts) in a metal CU that is already installed would not be fun, so you probably would be advised to at least need to put the gland in at the start.

I have several cables in my installation which originate in CUs but which are not currently used, the downstream ends being terminated in some sort of enclosure.

Kind Regards, John

A few challenges John.
The garage end is undetermined in term of the charge point and it would also be driven by where the charge point is on a future vehicle. I would rather leave the full length of cable on that end for the time being.

On the consumer unit, I also have a lot of cable that is piled up on the floor. This definitely needs to be tidied up.
The consumer unit is currently in place and being used. Given your comment above, am I best placed to terminate it into an adaptable box for now?

Thanks for your advice.

 

[Jupiter01]

Leave enough spare cable at each end and cap the ends with caps like these

ES-CAP-NO.2-B9-0-30MM-RS | TE Connectivity End Cap Black, Semi-Rigid Polyolefin Adhesive Lined, 7.44mm | RS

uk.rs-online.com

Look for the right size to suit the cable you have

As I said in response to John, I really need to do something at the CU end as the cable on the floor is very untidy and inconvenient.

I’d appreciate any thoughts you have on this.

 

[JohnW2]

A few challenges John. ... The garage end is undetermined in term of the charge point and it would also be driven by where the charge point is on a future vehicle. I would rather leave the full length of cable on that end for the time being.

Fair enough. Just leave it coiled up on the floor (or wherever) then, with something over the end (as already suggested, maybe the finger of a rubber glove or, more properly, a heat-shrink 'boot') to keep water/moisture out, and leave the cable un-energised,

On the consumer unit, I also have a lot of cable that is piled up on the floor. This definitely needs to be tidied up. The consumer unit is currently in place and being used. Given your comment above, am I best placed to terminate it into an adaptable box for now?

You could do that but, as I said, it means that, when the cable is put into service, it will have an 'unnecessary joint' in it. I've already mentioned one way of avoiding that, by glanding it into the CU now, but leaving (long) cores unconnected to anything within the CU, 'kept safe' in a connector block, Wagos or whatever.

Another possibility would to be to do as you propose, but to leave a generous loop/coil of cable neatly attached to the wall below the adaptable box, so it will be possible to run the cable to the CU (without any joins in it) when needed. ... OR, even, just clip the cable to the wall, with a generous loop in it, and, again, put something over the end.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Jupiter01]

You could do that but, as I said, it means that, when the cable is put into service, it will have an 'unnecessary joint' in it. I've already mentioned one way of avoiding that, by glanding it into the CU now, but leaving (long) cores unconnected to anything within the CU, 'kept safe' in a connector block, Wagos or whatever.

I inferred from your earlier response that connecting the SWA to an exiting consumer unit - and a busy one for that - will be difficult. If this is the case, am I better off using the adaptable box as the permanent termination point and the incurring the extra join in the future?

 

[Jupiter01]

Another thought: could I situate the adaptable box directly below the consumer unit.Terminate the SWA here and leave the wires long enough to go through the Adaptable Box and into the consumer unit?

 

[JohnW2]

I inferred from your earlier response that connecting the SWA to an exiting consumer unit - and a busy one for that - will be difficult. If this is the case, am I better off using the adaptable box as the permanent termination point and the incurring the extra join in the future?

What I was saying would not be all that easy would be to subsequently make a hole (for anything) in the bottom of an already in-service CU (particularly if metal) - but if it's an already in-service (and 'busy') CU, then you're stuck with that, no matter what you do (unless you've already made a hole).

However, sooner or later, there is going to have to be a hole, so you must as well make it now (unless you already have) - in which case you might just as well put an SWA gland in that hole as putting in something for a subsequent (non-SWA) final bit of the cable run to go through.

Another thought: could I situate the adaptable box directly below the consumer unit.Terminate the SWA here and leave the wires long enough to go through the Adaptable Box and into the consumer unit?

You could - but, as I said before (and imply above), you could gland the SWA into the CU now, and leave its cores long enough to go to whether they might have to go within the CU when they are connected - hence avoiding the need for the box.

I'm not sure why you are seemingly uneasy with these suggestions. Are you perhaps nervous about taking the SWA into the CU?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Jupiter01]

I'm not sure why you are seemingly uneasy with these suggestions. Are you perhaps nervous about taking the SWA into the CU?

I agree that taking it into the CU makes most sense. I misinterpreted your initial response and was hence, looking for alternatives to terminating the SWA in the consumer unit.

 

[JohnW2]

I agree that taking it into the CU makes most sense. I misinterpreted your initial response and was hence, looking for alternatives to terminating the SWA in the consumer unit.

I think we both misinterpreted/misunderstood. I didn't realise you were talking about an existing 'busy' CU - and was merely trying to say that it is much easier to make holes (for anything) before it is populated and wired.

Plastic CUs were/are sometimes rather flimsy (or otherwise not really suitable/ideal) for SWA glands, so it was not a bad idea to do much as you suggest, glanding the SWA into a small metal box which was right up against the CU, and taking the cores of the SWA (and it's 'inner sheathing') through into the CU - if he sees this bernard may well wheel out his standard photo of this!

You can still do the same with a metal CU, but it is then more possible that one could reasonably gland the SWA straight into the CU, hence not needing the box.

If, because the other end of the cable is not connected to anything (merely protected from water/moisture ingress), you don't want the cable energised at the moment, you don't have to connect the cores of the SWA to anything in the CU at this time - merely do something with them to 'make them safe'.

Kind Regards, John

 

[bernardgreen]

Steel armouring glanded to the bottom of the box, the cores and inner sheath taken into the CU.

In this case the SWA was the incoming sub main bringing the suppply to the CU

I should have fitted a grommet in the top hole to protect the inner sheath.