Feeding cables in 20mm round conduit

[Andy Hide]

I am wiring a light up in the garage and adding a double socket and have decided to use 20mm round conduit to house the cabling.

Does anyone have any tips on feeding the cable through the conduit ? I am using inspection bends to make a couple of 90 degree turns and the cable is getting stuck on the corners. Even with access to the corners by removing the covers it still seems impossible to feed the cable.

I am using 2.5mm cable for the power socket. Can you use the cable without it's external white rubber sheath when it is inside plastic conduit ? This would obviously give a lot more room and make feeding a single wire at a time easier. The PVC conduit itself must surely be performing the same if not far better job than the white sheath.

Andy.

[usenet]

Yes, it is normal practice to use unsheathed cable inside conduits. There are special lubricants available to make it easier to feed cable through conduits (tallow comes to mind, is that right?).

[Tim Mitchell]

In article , Andy Hide writes

Yes, you should be using "singles" in conduit, not twin & earth, otherwise it's virtually impossible to feed. You can buy the individual red, black and green/yellow cables at electrical wholesalers (I'm not sure if the sheds sell that sort of thing). If you use your existing cable and strip the external sheath off, you will need to get some insulated earth conductor.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Some do, but IME a wholesaler will be cheaper.

Singles are stranded conductors which makes them easier to feed. T&E isn't (until larger sizes).

You can get draw wires (springy metal or plastic) which easily push through conduit and then pull the singles back.

[Tim Mitchell]

In article , Andrew Gabriel writes

Yes, that's true, it's still going to be awful to feed through even without the outer sheath. Not to mention having to strip it all. Better go out and get the real thing, it isn't expensive, though you might have to buy a 100m drum.

[Dave Plowman]

IIRC, single cable has rather thicker insulation than those used inside TW&E.

[PoP]

When I started work (30 years ago) we had to feed cable thru some plastic sheathing - we used talcum powder to ease the path, and it worked very well Just before pushing the cables in you dust a little talc into the opening. Could be a bit messy though.

Please don't take my word for it that talcum powder is okay for this use though, the regs will have changed more than a little in the time.

PoP

[Tim]

I needed a small piece of single just yesterday, so i stripped it out of a broken angle grinders lead, and the inside of that was covered in white powder?

regards tim

[Dave]

Down in Spain, all wiring is done this way (and terrifying it is too). You get a bit of plastic coated metal, a bit like a net curtain hanger, but 10 or 20 metres long, which goes straight through and round any corners. The you attach the flex to the other end, and just pull it through.

If you can't get these things in the UK, I suspect that a good length of net curtain hanger would do perfectly.

Timbo

[Tim..]

"Tim"

[Tim..]

Single is stranded and alot easier to feed, however your meant to use a fish wire- push that through first and it has a hooked end for gripping the cables which you then pull through. Dead easy.

Wholesaler will stock it- about a £fiver.

Tim..

Tim..

[David]

On a separate note, I am currently wiring up the power circuits to my garage/workshop. I was just intending to surface mount the cables using normal cable clips - is that OK? Or is it mandatory (or just advisable?) to use conduit? Even up in the rafters of the garage where most of the cables will run?

Thanks David

[usenet]

Surface clipped wiring is OK except where it might be susceptible to mechanical damage. In a garage/workshop wiring out of the normal working areas can be just clipped but I think it should be protected (mini trunking or whatever) when it runs close to benches etc.

[Rick Hughes]

Thick wall PVC conduit or trunking is a much better idea - gives a reasonable degree of mechanical protection.

[Rick Hughes]

I have a spray of silicon lubricant ... quick spray over cables and they slide in easy.

Rick