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The point is that BS7671 does not encourage the use of SY cable for general low voltage wiring, even with the correct glands being used (as they should be).
 
I briefly read the document and noticed this:

"SY control cables are not suitable for fixed wiring applications requiring compliance with the regulations set out in BS7671"

I believe this is what @Wilko is hinting at??
 
Hi - yes Jamie, that's it. I was a bit surprised to read SY cable is not type approved to be used under BS7671 for fixed wiring, as stated by this manufacturer. @Risteard in post #12 reminded me (thanks buttton pressed).
 
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i really appreciate the feedback and please dont think im saying anyone is wrong as i have said i have just started a trainee maintenance role within a company that deals with food packaging in my local area (fmg factory) and most sockets etc in our place use sy cable , and swa! :) but weve had some sparkys in putting in a new 100amp dist board and it was a question i raised and this was the awnsers i receieved from them

1.) does the braid need to be earthed? = " people have diffrent opinion but it is not a regulation"

and so on that image i dont need to run a seperate earth from the fcu to the back of the spur faceplate ??
 
You don't HAVE to run a separate earth but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO, AS ITS GOOD PRACTICE AND TAKES A EXTRA FEW MINS AND A TINY BIT OF CABLE.

Again, I was taught to earth the Braid using the appropriate glands, but the braid CAN NOT be used as a protective conductor.

Terminate your SY like this:

Sy cable question {filename} | ElectriciansForums.net


This way you can sleeve the braid cream as its functional earthing and place it into the earth terminal. There's no harm in doing this and doesn't take much extra time either as you have to separate the strands anyway.

And in future run SWA not SY.
 
i agree mate and thats the way i have done previously i was only doing this from what another sparky advised me to do ...... hence me asking the questions because most of them are done like this around our place, This was something i found on the forum

" braid is designed for screening and not earthing. Unless required as a screen you won't find many electrical engineers earthing it but rather cutting it back and taping it before it goes through a plastic gland. As it is clear sheathed above and sheathed below, the chances of it becoming live following cable damage without the cpc getting hit also is pretty slim"

i just get different opinions i just wanted to know if it was a reg that the braiding has to be earthed/glanded or if it can be left like in the image i posted

also yes the spur is earthed from the main cpc side but i have been told it could still become live hence me raising the questions becuase the braid is not earthed

cheers
 
and sy can be used for fixed purposed i have seen it done in loads of place when i was an apprentice in another job, people have diffrent views yes swa is a lot tougher and people would say " better fit for purpose " but it can still be used all the wise every install i have seen must be crap and they cant all be wrong
 
The braid should be earthed as its intended use is primary a control cable and the braid is used as a shield for electromagnetic interference. VSDs can give off a lot of interference which interfere with metal detectors and other sensitive equipment. The braid can be earthed at one end or both for higher frequencies.
That said the cable is often used as a rough service cable and often used as you have. the problem is widespread (I have used it in the past)
The worst electric shock I have had was from this type of cable the braid was not earthed and used as a trailing cable on a farm. A dog yelped as it walked on a board off a pallet. So suspecting a nail in the wood I picked it up touching the damaged cable which was live. my feet and hands were wet and I felt it hard.
 
As @Wilko pointed out: SY control cables are not suitable for fixed wiring applications requiring compliance with the regulations set out in BS7671 So there wouldn't be a regulation to specify in the first place.
 
The braid should be earthed as its intended use is primary a control cable and the braid is used as a shield for electromagnetic interference. VSDs can give off a lot of interference which interfere with metal detectors and other sensitive equipment. The braid can be earthed at one end or both for higher frequencies.
That said the cable is often used as a rough service cable and often used as you have. the problem is widespread (I have used it in the past)
The worst electric shock I have had was from this type of cable the braid was not earthed and used as a trailing cable on a farm. A dog yelped as it walked on a board off a pallet. So suspecting a nail in the wood I picked it up touching the damaged cable which was live. my feet and hands were wet and I felt it hard.


but you can get away with it thats all im saying im not saying its the best way by any means haha
 
im just stating from what i have seen in the past i have seen it d
Just because you see other people do it, doesn't mean its the right thing to do :)

and it doesnt mean its the wrong thing to do ,as i have said i agree the way you showed is a better method but the way i have done it as regards of not earthing the braid is not breaking a reg that was my only point lol :p

and cheers for your help mate
 
and sy can be used for fixed purposed i have seen it done in loads of place when i was an apprentice in another job, people have diffrent views yes swa is a lot tougher and people would say " better fit for purpose " but it can still be used all the wise every install i have seen must be crap and they cant all be wrong
Hi - please don't think that I'm saying all SY installations must be bad, not at all. And people can and do use it. But seeing a manufacturer state their SY cable is not approved under BS7671 for fixed wiring gave me pause for thought. What would be the result of a future EICR ?
 
The problem here is the manufacturers some state control cable only some state its an armoured cable
see | RS Pro SY Control Cable, 6 Core, Polyvinyl Chloride PVC Sheath , 1.5 mm² CSA | - http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/sy-cable/0522597/
Type SY
The RS SY cable combines the characteristics of a flexible mains cable with that of a steel wire armoured type and is suitable for fixed installations or for flexible use in conditions of light mechanical stress.

then see | RS Pro SY Control Cable, 5 Core, Screened Polyvinyl Chloride PVC Sheath , 6 mm CSA | - http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/sy-cable/8274215/ SY control cables are not suitable for fixed wiring applications requiring compliance with the requirements set out in BS7671.

I think it was Westwood10 who said you would not get a definitive answer and I agree.

Common sense should prevail here fit the cable best suited for the conditions.
 
Oc not wilko i feel as if ive made a bit of a donkey of msyelf on here lol???

I completely agree with you im just saying it was a spur i took of the socket in that image whlst being assited by another spark at our place and when i raised the subject i was told you can use plastic glands and you can leave the braid as i have? im certainly not saying its the best way but it can be done like that
 
The braid if used on low voltage cabling must be earthed, consider a conductive object pierces the cable into the phase only, it would make the whole of the braiding live, where the regs state it should not be used as a power cable it refers to using it as tails but since the latest amendment it is no longer recognised to meet BS standards for general use, if anyone users this stuff and does not earth the braid and yet they class themselves as competent then they really want to question their knowledge.. its a braid or a screen and can be used for low voltage but you have to know when and why it can before you do, the numpties that tell you it's ok without earthing of the braid are questionable about their competence to be electricians considering it can kill if not earthed.
 
Im just saying ive seen intances where the braid has not been earthed at all in many places i have worked and been in. i dont disagree with you at all, i just see so many different views and im not one to argue with people who have done it i guess people have different prefrences.
 

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