Burying Wire to Throttle

ALWAYS!
1. Go up a size on your conduit / trunking... - The cabling requirements will grow to fill it!
2. Use a draw-wire, which you replace, to use next time. - There will be a next time! (see above)
3. Sweeping curves are better than elbows! - Try pushing cable round a couple of elbows!
4. Fit the 'extra' bits you are short of. BEFORE connecting-up. - Even for an initial test, else it will never happen.
5. Document what you have done. - TWICE!! A hard-copy (you can scribble changes on this) and an electronic copy.
 
FurkaSOCal said:
I am planning on adding an additional speed control onto my analog layout on the far side of the yard. I was planning on using those black and white cables that lgb sells for the connection and burying it just under the ballast for the run from the transformer indoors out to the speed control. I was a bit concerned though that rodents and such may eventually decide to chew through them. How do all of you deal with this type of situation for accessories and such?​
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At the time when I ran my wiring I ran 18 gauge brown speaker wire from radio shack and it lasted from 1980 till 2004 when the hurricane's took it out
 
I don't think you can buy anything but THHN. Years ago you could get TW, soft rubber like insulation, THHN was reserved for Florence lights and high heat such as recessed floods and when you wanted to exceed the allowable wires in a conduit. If you can wire everything with stranded do it. A real B*%$h to push but carries current better. Better to fish tape it and pull. Electricity travels around the surface of a wire. The gauge is there to control heat and reduce resistance. Hence heat. A journeymen trade question.
As an example just look into your toaster when burning your toast.
The low voltage garden wire that is black and two stranded is made with an additive to discourage those pesky diggers from biting into the wire. Learned that from Toro lighting years ago.
tgood
 
tgood said:
Never had a problem with corrugated ENT maybe that's because I always push a "fish tape" thru first and pull the wire back. Many times I leave a wire in the conduit to use as a pulling wire for future wires. Old electricians trick.
tgood
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From my early network days, I was taught to always leave a pull line in conduit, we used "jet line":

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OK you Brits. In the good ole USA we have three wire. Black is hot + White is neutral - and green is ground also -.
SOOOOOO what is earth?
To me that's a planet.
tgood
 
In Britain and probably Europe we have Brown as live Blue as neutral and Yellow/Green as earth. 3 phase wiring is Brown Black Grey and Blue. Our domestic cabling has unscathed earth.
 
Ground is earth - logical really!
 
Bet you didn't know why America went with Black/blue as hot and white as neutral and green as ground. Green is obvious. Color blind electricians who wrote the first National Electric Code, NEC. Back in the day of knob and tube both wires were black with hot on the right side of the feed. That is facing from the fuse box. But still many a home owner got quite a jolt when they did not know the difference. Kept a few porcelain knob and tubes for keepsakes.
tgood
Maybe blue should be ground as our planet is referred to as the blue marble.
 
We used to have red, blue, yellow as the three phases, with black as neutral..
We now have brown, black, grey as phases, with blue as neutral..

You can only install the new colours, and you can have new and old in the same switch / distribution box..
You have to be really careful about the blacks!
 
PhilP said:
We used to have red, blue, yellow as the three phases, with black as neutral..
We now have brown, black, grey as phases, with blue as neutral..

You can only install the new colours, and you can have new and old in the same switch / distribution box..
You have to be really careful about the blacks!
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And the blues! Changing an old 3phase electricity Meyer can make you think
 
I know of a company who had 'smart metering' installed.. New refurb. of an industrial unit... Lots of network cable (my bit).. Lots of 13Amp sockets with USB charging ports..

I was not there, but as the person who had installed 'whatever' started putting breakers back 'in', apparently faceplates started 'exploding'.. Then all the lights went out!

I did not need to go back in, as the networking and telephony equipment had a very robust UPS system in place.
Never did find out just how much damage had been done, but I hope said person / company had a robust insurance policy!! :eek::oops:
 
PhilP said:
I know of a company who had 'smart metering' installed.. New refurb. of an industrial unit... Lots of network cable (my bit).. Lots of 13Amp sockets with USB charging ports..

I was not there, but as the person who had installed 'whatever' started putting breakers back 'in', apparently faceplates started 'exploding'.. Then all the lights went out!

I did not need to go back in, as the networking and telephony equipment had a very robust UPS system in place.
Never did find out just how much damage had been done, but I hope said person / company had a robust insurance policy!! :eek::oops:
Click to expand...
Sounds like lack of neutral on a 3 phase supply, the potentials finding their way back to the star point and giving 41 volts across live and neutral. It is well known that 240V things don't like 415V ginger through them
 
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