I assumed, possibly incorrectly, that I would be able to get 1mm T&E in black as opposed to white. Apparently this is not the case? Is this stuff any good?
Tony
Sorry, still asleep. Just noticed it is single core.
Anyone got any suggestions?
Tony
Well, guessing you're actually going to wire starfish style, or in groups rather than in series. That conduit cable would be up to the job power wise, but needs mechanical protection of some sort to pass muster. I can't imagine a cable where the sheath was the same colour as one of the conductors.
You should stick with standard conductor colours if possible, but a workable bodge would be black flex such as 3182Y (H05VVF2 is the euro code) - two core up to 2.5mm2 is widely available or the next step up - tougher cable such as the H07RNF often found on heavy tools.
Is cable rigidity also important to the installation? Will it be on show?
In article , Toby writes
The OP said mains voltage.
Some rigidity is important, the cable will be surface mouted underneath a wooden gallery with the spots shining across the walls and down to floor level. They will be wired in series, a big loop going round the underside of the gallery on all 4 sides of a hall. The idea being that the wiring will be "invisible" that far up (about 4 metres) if positioned properly, hence the need for a dark colour (you can see grey).
Tony
True he did.
12 x 240 volt lamps in series Mike? Might be a bit dim. And dark when one bulb goes. Anyway we all know what is intended here, just a problem with language.Had a quick look at a few cable manufacturers and it seems as Tony thought, that black sheathed T&E is not available. Maybe with the new conductor colours it could become a possibility.
If black is more important than shape, then something like Hituf, which is round would be the answer.
In article , TonyK writes
so why can't you paint it, I have had success using matt black spray paint on cable, before fixing. The cable becomes very inconspicuous.
It may be expensive, but you can get Hi-Tuf in black. I don't know if you can get 1mm. 1.5mm isn't a problem and is suitable for lighting circuits.
Try a black flex and keep it tight to the ceiling/wall using black cable clips. I still am not sure that you should be wiring in series though.
-- Adam
adamwadsworth@(REMOVETHIS)blueyonder.co.uk
Cheers Christian
Exactly what I'm after except the cost :-(
I need about 50 metres so I'll keep hunting for now, at least I know I can get something.
Tony
I don;t think I'd get away with painting it before hand as it needs to be pulled through various holes etc so paint would come off and painting after would mean masking it up first etc which 4m up a ladder wouldn't be easy on a 50m run. Plus it just adds another day, if not two, to the job and I just can;t face spending 2 days painting bits of wire! =:-(
Tony
What about bare MICC if you can get someware to fit the glands?
Ideal choice, but the OP was concerned about the cost of Hituf.
How about going to 12v lights instead, then choice of cable would be much easier.
Regards, NT
In what way? You'd be into thicker cable, for a start.
Black cable is easy to obtain and cheap, it is black mains cable thats the problem. The copper conductors would be thicker, but there would be no 2nd layer of insulation, as double insulation is irrelevant at low voltage.
The OP said 50m of cable were needed: if this is divided among the 12 lights, no worries, but if it were one single 50m run then LV could be problematic.
OP would need to use tables of Vdrop to pick the necessary wire size.
Regards, NT
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