Wiring an outdoor switch....basic question

[saveasteading]

9 hours ago, ProDave said:

a "fuse" that went when it got wet?  Or an RCD?

Apologies. Not the fuse or circuit breaker for the circuit in question , but the RCD serving half of the house.

 

I'm thinking  now I will put the swa in from one junction box to another. That will make connections easier and solid. From there I can put in a switch, or not, in cable that is easier to handle.

[saveasteading]

I have some salvaged steel ducting to encase the cable for a section above ground.

In hindsight i should have kept the cabling in it as a drawcord.

 

how do I get a flattish, stiff swa cable through?  I have electrician's rods. So I'm thinking pull cord through, then cable..... but how do I grasp the cable? 

I've seen some harness things but £20+ seems wrong so is maybe not the thing.

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

28 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

I have some salvaged steel ducting to encase the cable for a section above ground.

In hindsight i should have kept the cabling in it as a drawcord.

 

how do I get a flattish, stiff swa cable through?  I have electrician's rods. So I'm thinking pull cord through, then cable..... but how do I grasp the cable? 

I've seen some harness things but £20+ seems wrong so is maybe not the thing.

 

 

Usually you just use insulating tape and bind the two together, or the rods are threaded ends and you have a hoof or eyelet accessory that you use to fix the loose strands of cable to. 

 

Best to strip some of the sheath back so there isn't a nasty shoulder that meets each turn, vs having the strands (parted cores) and the rods first, then the sheath etc 300mm further downstream to make pulling it in easier.

[saveasteading]

29 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

strip some of the sheath back

Excellent. Hadn't thought of that. Maybe some armour removed too? 

I've just looked again and the ducting is plastic and quite flexible. I will be doing this in open air prior to positioning it, so no nasty bends to cause friction.

[Nickfromwales]

4 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

Excellent. Hadn't thought of that. Maybe some armour removed too? 

I've just looked again and the ducting is plastic and quite flexible. I will be doing this in open air prior to positioning it, so no nasty bends to cause friction.

Yup, just get the end as thin as possible, and use that as a ‘leader’. Otherwise you’ve the combined thickness of the whole cable dia, plus the thickness of the rod taped to its side.