jpadie Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 Hello all I am bringing 16mm2 SWA into a wylex distribution board that was installed about 12 years ago. It's plastic and has no knockouts for glanded connections. What's best practice here please? Should I mount an enclosure that can take a gland and then continue the insulated conductors through some conduit? I can see in the past an electrician has terminated another SWA cable in a plastic enclosure and then carried on with normal flat t+e. thanks in advance Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenki Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 Holesaw the correct size for the gland straight into the consumer unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 Mount a steel adaptable box immediately under the CU. Gland the SWA into that, bring the inner cores into the CU along with the earth tail from the glanded SWA in the metal box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 7 minutes ago, ProDave said: Mount a steel adaptable box immediately under the CU. Gland the SWA into that, bring the inner cores into the CU along with the earth tail from the glanded SWA in the metal box. exactly how my electrician did it. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyT Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 That’s not an adaptable box! that’s a rough job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenki Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 2 hours ago, Thorfun said: exactly how my electrician did it. 🙂 Nearly.... That's a back box and not classed as acceptable 😔. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 38 minutes ago, TonyT said: That’s not an adaptable box! that’s a rough job 15 minutes ago, Jenki said: Nearly.... That's a back box and not classed as acceptable 😔. oh dear! I'll speak to the electrician boss then. that work was carried out by his underling. thanks for the pointer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenki Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 13 minutes ago, Thorfun said: oh dear! I'll speak to the electrician boss then. that work was carried out by his underling. thanks for the pointer. There's not a lot of difference in all honesty but an adaptable box will have a metal lid and is a bit sturdier, all you can fit to that is a blanking plate. With a metal consumer unit I'm not sure why you wouldn't go direct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpadie Posted March 8 Author Share Posted March 8 3 hours ago, ProDave said: Mount a steel adaptable box immediately under the CU. Gland the SWA into that, bring the inner cores into the CU along with the earth tail from the glanded SWA in the metal box. Thanks. I had a look but the plastic looks too weak to resist the tortional stress of 16mm^2 SWA. It's very easily bendable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 2 hours ago, Jenki said: There's not a lot of difference in all honesty but an adaptable box will have a metal lid and is a bit sturdier, all you can fit to that is a blanking plate. With a metal consumer unit I'm not sure why you wouldn't go direct. there was a reason that he told me but I can't remember what that was! 🤣 he told me to fit a blanking plate and I was fine with that. will check that the boss who's signing the work off is ok with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 6 hours ago, Thorfun said: exactly how my electrician did it. 🙂 I don't like the earth wire under a fixing screw, should have used the Banjo's and nut and bolted the earth through those. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpadie Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 On 08/03/2024 at 13:17, ProDave said: Mount a steel adaptable box immediately under the CU. Gland the SWA into that, bring the inner cores into the CU along with the earth tail from the glanded SWA in the metal box. Not enough space to be touching the consumer unit but I can mount a 150mm adaptable box a few inches above and will keep searching for a smaller version (like the one on the right). If there is a distance will a small length of flex conduit to carry the conductors be sufficient for the regs? Also does anyone know that this is? Seems to be on the main feed into the transmitter box, pre-meter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 Adaptable box will be fine above the CU. Link the two with a bit of rigid conduit. Second pic, red and black are the L and N feed to the old Radio Teleswitch. Are you still actually using the off peak any more? I don't think those Teleswitches will be working much longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpadie Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Thanks for the info We are still on economy 7 or the equivalent. No idea what the Teleswitch does any more if ever. I thought it was the equivalent of a linky in France. Can I remove it? What about the big black thing with the arrow pointing at it above? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattg4321 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 If you’re on economy 7 then that teleswitch is still in use. It’s what switches you from peak to off peak rate. As above though I believe the signal will be turned off soon and you’ll need to move over to a smart meter to use a dual or multi rate tariff. In any case you cannot remove it. It belongs to the energy provider. They would have to remove when replacing the meter. The black box your arrow points to is the incoming service fuse/cutout. If you pull the fuse, aside from being something you’re not allowed to do, and potentially dangerous, you’ll have now power!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpadie Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Thanks I've not come across fuses like that but I've only been back in the UK for a year. In France (as of the last 24 years anyway) there is no switch nor visible fuse before the meter. So two things to keep in mind 1. I need to contact the electricity board to have the meter swapped out and 2. I need to find out the dimensions of the new meter to ensure I leave enough space for it to be fitted (although assumedly the Teleswitch, existing meter and cut-out will go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 If you want your meter swapped, e.g. for a smart meter, you contact your energy supplier which is separate to the Distribution Network Operator. It is up the the supplier to ensure the meter fits or make alterations to make it fit. Only the DNO or the supplier can make alterations to that equipment. With a bit of tidying up a smart meter will fit where the old one is. But if you are thinking of getting that changed, terminate your SWA into the adaptable box first to "stake your claim" to that space above the CU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpadie Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 Good plan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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