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Thread: Garden lights

  1. #1
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    Garden lights

    Hello

    So I need to quote to fix up someone else garden lighting and I have a few questions if that's ok.

    So to start the previous oke ran Norsk cable to all the uplights in the garden but didn't bury them deep at all... Like most of it is sticking out...

    So my questions are:

    Do I quote to re do it all with Steel wire armoured cable and bury it as deep as I can and put them on Earth Leakage. (It's a rocky area so I can't bury too deep)

    Or

    Do I use 20mm PVC conduit over the Norsk and then bury where I can and then put them on earth leakage as well.

    As we know PVC gets broken after a few years though.

    I am Inclined to do the SWA but I would like some feedback please. To terminate and run that is a huge pain haha.

    My old boss made us use Norsk and call it a day but I want to do things better where I can.

    Norsk cable as far as I know is not mechanical protection but is it sheathed (I think so as it has that metallic layer)


    6.4.4 Buried cables
    6.4.4.1 Unarmoured cables may be buried if they are insulated and sheathed.
    6.4.4.2 If unarmoured insulated cables are buried at a depth of
    a) less than 0,5 m, they shall be enclosed in conduit or otherwise
    mechanically protected (for example, in the case of paving or concrete)
    (see also 6.5), or protected by an earth leakage protection device with a
    rated earth leakage tripping current (rated residual current) IΔn not
    exceeding 30 mA, or
    SA

    Sent from my CPH2197 using Tapatalk

  2. #2
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    I look at the application, if the route is in flower beds, then the deeper the better, if just across a grass patch, then at least 200 to 300 mm deep.

    We always use conduit, glue the couplings with Oatey pvc cement , then the off cuts of pipe (around 300long) are secured across the coupling.

    Depending on the budget, we will pour a 50-100 mm concrete mix over the conduit ( we dont waste time paying tape, nobody knows what the tape is for)

    Epoxy cable joints are used as required and all junction boxes are filled with


    A fast drying pvc weld, that works.

    https://www.oatey.com/products/oatey...nt--2080119577


    Quality re entry gel, we use this for big street light (council) projects where the joints are in boxes below floor level.

    https://za.rs-online.com/web/p/potti...pounds/9159722


    Sureseel clear putty for domestic projects.

    https://www.facebook.com/sureseel/

    If the budget allows, best to just use 3 core plain or 2 core ECC armoured cable, it has mechanical protection and easy to install, if you use the right equipment, like Pratley boxes and enviro glands.

    A tip: Dont bury the Pratley boxes, they corrode and disintegrate over time.

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