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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Electrical Questions >> Earth sleeving https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1244326004 Message started by HouseBasher on Jun 6^th, 2009, 11:06pm

Title: Earth sleeving
Post by HouseBasher on Jun 6^th, 2009, 11:06pm

I normally do my own wiring (simple domestic stuff) and then get a friendly electrician to do the testing and stuff on it. He knows my work and is happy checking it out.

However my nephew has recently completed his college course and picked me up on how I do my earth sleeving. He says that I should make sure that every part of the earth wire is covered in sleeving - I tend to put enough on to identify it but not to fully cover it. I don't see the point as the sleeving is for identification purposes not insulation purposes - isn't it? Am I ok doing what I am doing and my nephew is just being pedantic because that's what he's been taught at college?

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by dingbat on Jun 7^th, 2009, 9:49am

Your nephew is right; you're wrong...

..and so, therefore, by the sound of it, so is your 'friendly electrician'.

(Check out regs, 514.3.2, 514.4.2 and 543.3.2)

(I keep hearing about these friendly electricians, by the way... are these like those 'friends' on whose behalf one asks the doctor about embarrassing conditions?)

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by Y3 on Jun 7^th, 2009, 12:26pm

dingbat wrote on Jun 7^th, 2009, 9:49am:

(I keep hearing about these friendly electricians, by the way... are these like those 'friends' on whose behalf one asks the doctor about embarrassing conditions?)

;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by sparxxxx on Jun 8^th, 2009, 1:56pm

I think the main reason for sleeving is to protect against any re-action between the copper earth wire and commonly used galvanised (zinc) boxes.
So it should completely cover the wire.

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by HouseBasher on Jun 9^th, 2009, 12:05am

Thanks dingbat, I checked out the references you gave. I should have said that this is related to the earths in switches and sockets. Having read the regs, I still think that covering the whole ~5" of wire is a bit pedantic. I can understand how the regs have been written as they are written to cope with any length of wire potentially metres long, but as they state it is for identification purposes when you can see the whole length of wire, why does the whole length need to be covered.

Sparxxx, if that is the case with galvanised boxes, then using plastic back boxes shouldn't need this protection. What about the earth lug in a galvanised box react then? ;-)

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by Lectrician on Jun 9^th, 2009, 6:22am

Housebasher - admid defeat ;D

It is always considered a poor installation if there is little or no earth sleeving ;)

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by Zambezi on Jun 9^th, 2009, 8:54am

I always thought the sleeving was to try and prevent the bare earth wire from touching a live terminal/screw, when the socket/switch is pushed back into the box. As well as for identification of course.

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by Lectrician on Jun 9^th, 2009, 9:34am

I think it is for all reasons mentioned so far.

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by TIMBA-WOLF on Jun 9^th, 2009, 10:47am

and to stop it getting cold in winter!!!! :P ::) :P ::)

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by HouseBasher on Jun 9^th, 2009, 11:14am

Not quite admitting defeat, but understanding a bit more about the requirement.

I do cover most of the wire, 80-90% of it, just not 100% as my nephew states. And as my "friendly" electrician (timeserved decades ago) says when I met him the pub the other night, "life's too short to bother with such minor details. There's the regs and there's real life", and he makes the call depending on each situation.

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by Zambezi on Jun 9^th, 2009, 11:28am

... of course there is also the 0.00002p that you save by not using the extra 20% to cover it properly ;D ;D

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by Joiner on Jun 9^th, 2009, 12:46pm

You may scoff, Z, but do it 10,000 times and you've saved yourself two pence, and in these straitened times it all helps.

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by dingbat on Jun 9^th, 2009, 7:01pm

wrote on Jun 9^th, 2009, 11:14am:

... my "friendly" electrician (timeserved decades ago) says when I met him the pub the other night, "life's too short to bother with such minor details. There's the regs and there's real life"...

Then it's almost certainly time he did a regs course. Regs and real life are not incompatible.

He should contact Chubbs: www.ElectricalTraining.co.uk ;)

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by Y3 on Jun 9^th, 2009, 7:08pm

sparxxxx wrote on Jun 8^th, 2009, 1:56pm:

I think the main reason for sleeving is to protect against any re-action between the copper earth wire and commonly used galvanised (zinc) boxes.
So it should completely cover the wire.

So we dont need to use it then if we use plastic boxes? ;)

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by Y3 on Jun 9^th, 2009, 7:13pm

Im slow!

Title: Re: Earth sleeving
Post by howlingdog on Aug 23^rd, 2009, 8:44pm

You could save more money if you cut the earth wire off. No more N/E faults to call out electricians for and save 2P in the long term?

You could then remove the brass connection terminals and sell them for scrap. ;)