DIYbanter - View Single Post - How To Strip Doubled Over Twin And Earth.

In article ,
"BigWallop" says...

"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...
In article ,
"BigWallop" says...
snip
Excuse me people, but why not cut the cable and fit both ends to the
socket
properly. Doubling the cable over and the trying to push it through the
grommet in the back box alone is going to be a hell of a job.

Why - it's still just two 2 1/2 T&E?

But you've broken the conductor cores because you've bent it passed its
recommended bending ratio, so the ends are ****ed now and need cut off
anyways, now that its doubled over enough to fit through the ****ing hole in
the back box.

Degraded the conductor - you're unlikely to have broken it, and if you
have you're no worse off than if you'd cut it in the first place.

Bring the cable to where the socket is to be positioned. Cut the cable
enough to take
into the back and connect to the socket. Wrap both earth connecting
cores
together over their full length and slip the sleeving over them.
Connect
earth to back box along with the earth fly lead that reaches to the
socket
plate.

Which means that if any of the screws come loose it could break the ring
and you'd never realise it. If you don't cut the cable you can't easily
break the ring.

But the two ends should be wrapped together for mechanical strength. And
it also means you haven't tightened the terminals properly in the first
place.

It could be that they've come loose while you were wrestling the fitting
onto the back box, or that the face plate has been removed and refitted
at a later date (for decoration or whatever) and it's worked loose then.

It isn't difficult really. But the mess you lot are making of it,
you'll be
there till Christmas doing the one socket. :-)) I do the whole fitting
with a pair of pliers and a screw driver.

It's really not difficult to do it without cutting the cable - someone
already described how to split the insulation lengthwise with a Stanley
knife.

You've broken the copper where it's bent though. This causes heating
through higher resistance in that part of the copper. Not a good idea.

It's still going to be a better contact than if you'd cut it.

Cables have a bend ratio for the diameter of the conductors inside them.
You can hammer them over and expect them to work properly.

Do a web search on "cable bend ratio" to see what I'm talking about.

I know what you're talking about - the no-cut approach provides
mechanical and electrical integrity in addition to twisting and
clamping. But it's not that big a deal.