Tough Meter Tails.

Perhaps we should have another go at switching to flexible insulated & sheathed singles (e.g. 6381Y) for meter tails etc. - any concerns when terminating into conventional screw tunnel terminals are surely solved with a simple ferrule and its advantages for installing in general and terminating into cage clamp terminals in particular seem significant. It's already manufactured (seemingly the telecoms industry already prefer it) and apparently complies with recognised standards. It's even available with a sheath colour matching the insulation colour - so can be identified without needing to apply ty-wrap L/L1/L2/L3/N labels.


  - Andy.

If the tails come in the bottom of the con unit and do a u bend into the main switch ,it's like terminating a walking stick. I have seen TRI-RATED tails used but apparently the DNO's don't like them being used

 i was using some LSF 2.5 T&E the other day and that's not that easy to work with. They used to make a stranded 2.5 T&E is it still made?

Has anyone asked any CU manufacturers whether 6381Y is OK? 

I can't see a problem with cage clamps but screws might sever the smaller wires making up the conductor.  That said I had a quick look online at Hager installation instructions.  These seems to limit outgoing cables to anything BASEC 1mm2 to 16mm2. Incoming cables states max 35mm2 and says to double back anything less than 1.5mm2 (which would seem to be a very low csa for an incomer and I suspect that this should refer to outgoing cables but the layout of the data sheet leaves this in doubt)  no reference to cable spec or minimum strand diameter.  If doubled back 1mm2 were acceptable this would imply that individual strands with a 1mm2 csa would be OK.  These would be circa 0.57mm diameter.  That said the Eland data sheet I have seen for 25mm2 and 16mm2 6381Y has 0.41mm diameter wires so difficult to make any firm deductions from all of this even if the 1.5 comment were to apply to incomers.  Any CU manufacturers who look at this forum might want to comment.

I see Doncaster Cables now make a 19 strand 25mm2 6181Y meter tail.  Should be quite a bit more flexible than the 7 strand version.  Bending radius is the same though which makes bottom entry into most (if not all) Consumer Units either very awkward or almost impossible.

The 19 strand has been available for a while now. Some meter operators don't like it though and will refuse to connect a meter if it has been used.

Nick

I wonder what the MO would say if there were 25mm2 ferrules on the ends?

Clive

From a conversation I had with one of them they didn't recognise 19 strand as being compliant because it wasn't in his guide book. 

It is much nicer to work with though and I feel makes a better connection.

Nick

I have never found 25mm tails particularly easy to work with , I try to keep the physical bending to a minimum when installing them.

I have come across older boards with 25mm all red and all black tails which do seem to be easier to manipulate.

Also most older fuse boards are feed via 16 or even 10mm tails in my area which is so much easier to bend