10/4 SOOW--European Equivalent

Status
Not open for further replies.

fifty60

Senior Member
Location
USA
Can someone please recommend what type and size of cable would be used in place of 10/4 SOOW cable in the European Union?
 

Besoeker

Senior Member
Location
UK
Can someone please recommend what type and size of cable would be used in place of 10/4 SOOW cable in the European Union?

10 AWG is a bit under 6mm2 and that's a standard size so that would do.
The next size down is 4mm2[/SUP and wouldn't give you the current rating.

What's SOOW?
 

fifty60

Senior Member
Location
USA
SOOW means that the conductors as well as the jacket are oil resistant and water resistant. SOOW is a little more robust and tuff than plain SO cable.

I am trying to size an opening in my equipment so that the customer can install their power cable. In the US, I would use a 10/4 SOOW cable. The entry point on the equipment is circular and a grommet is installed for abrasion resistance. I have strain relief inside the equipment on the sub panel.

For 10/4 SOOW cable I normally size the opening to 1" (25.4mm).

What is the outside diameter of a typical 4 conductor (3 lines and 1 ground) that uses all 6mm^2 cable?
 
What's SOOW?

S - "service" grade jacketed flexible cable, generally rubber/neoprene jacket unless there's a T for thermoplastic (some say the S was originally for "stage")
OO - extra oil resistant (both outer jacket and conductor insulation)
W - suitable for wet locations.

There are also subtypes like "J" junior, has thinner insulation for less-hard service, and "V" for vacuum cleaner rated.
 

Besoeker

Senior Member
Location
UK
SOOW means that the conductors as well as the jacket are oil resistant and water resistant. SOOW is a little more robust and tuff than plain SO cable.

I am trying to size an opening in my equipment so that the customer can install their power cable. In the US, I would use a 10/4 SOOW cable. The entry point on the equipment is circular and a grommet is installed for abrasion resistance. I have strain relief inside the equipment on the sub panel.

For 10/4 SOOW cable I normally size the opening to 1" (25.4mm).

What is the outside diameter of a typical 4 conductor (3 lines and 1 ground) that uses all 6mm^2 cable?
OK. We'd use 4-core steel wire armoured cable. Outside diameter is about 20mm. We have a cable gland at the entry to the equipment. The part of the gland that goes through the hole is about the same size - the outer sheath and the armouring end at the gland.

I'd post some pics but photobucket is playing up.
 

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
OK. We'd use 4-core steel wire armoured cable. Outside diameter is about 20mm. We have a cable gland at the entry to the equipment. The part of the gland that goes through the hole is about the same size - the outer sheath and the armouring end at the gland.

I'd post some pics but photobucket is playing up.
No, SOOW is commonly called "Portable Cord", it is fine stranded to be extra flexible. Like what you would find in an extension cord, and is unshielded.
I think it would be IEC 60245 specification multi-core (3+1) cable, with Class 5 or 6 flexibility, but I don't know if that includes the same oil resistance specs.

The 6mm2 is correct however.
 
Last edited:

fifty60

Senior Member
Location
USA
It is difficult to provide a cable gland when you do not know exactly what cable will be used. I believe the 4 conductor 6mm^2 cable will be used. I am hoping that it is not 20mm in outside diameter!

I typically do not supply any cable glands, and the final customer must provide their own when they install the equipment. The equipment is not chord and plug connected, but is permanently connected equipment. The customer provides the cable/wire to their power supply, and I supply a distribution block inside of the equipment for them to land.

In the US, I would leave a 1/2 inch or 1 inch circular cutout in the panel to fit an Appleton cable gland in the final installation. Will this be of any use to someone trying to install the equipment in the UK or elsewhere in the EU? Or would the available cable glands there not be able to used with my 1/2inch or 1 inch circular cutout?
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
In the US, I would leave a 1/2 inch or 1 inch circular cutout in the panel to fit an Appleton cable gland in the final installation. Will this be of any use to someone trying to install the equipment in the UK or elsewhere in the EU? Or would the available cable glands there not be able to used with my 1/2inch or 1 inch circular cutout?

If the holes are a true diameter of 1/2" or 1" they are useless to me.

For trade size 1/2" connectors (glands) I need a hole with 7/8" true diameter.

For trade size 1" connectors (glands) I need a hole with a 1-3/8" true diameter.
 

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
It is difficult to provide a cable gland when you do not know exactly what cable will be used. I believe the 4 conductor 6mm^2 cable will be used. I am hoping that it is not 20mm in outside diameter!

I typically do not supply any cable glands, and the final customer must provide their own when they install the equipment. The equipment is not chord and plug connected, but is permanently connected equipment. The customer provides the cable/wire to their power supply, and I supply a distribution block inside of the equipment for them to land.

In the US, I would leave a 1/2 inch or 1 inch circular cutout in the panel to fit an Appleton cable gland in the final installation. Will this be of any use to someone trying to install the equipment in the UK or elsewhere in the EU? Or would the available cable glands there not be able to used with my 1/2inch or 1 inch circular cutout?

In my opinion, giving them a pre-punched hole based on US conduit sizes is likely more trouble than assuming they can do it themselves. A 1/2 conduit hole is not too bad because they have 22mm as a standard size, but after that they don't match up as well and if your size hole is off by too much, they would have to find or fabricate an adapter. I used to face the opposite problem when equipment came here from IEC countries.

More common to what they would be used to is what is called a "gland plate", a rectangular section of the enclosure, usually the bottom, that can be removed, punched, then re-installed.

ipzsd5.jpg
 

fifty60

Senior Member
Location
USA
According to this page http://www.superimpex.com/cable_glands/technical_data.htm
I will need a size 20 gland to fit a 3+1 6mm^2 cable. It also indicates that a 1/2 inch entry thread located on the equipment will work for mounting this gland. Am I reading this correctly?

All of the other information indicates that I will need a size 25 gland to fit this cable that has a approximately 18-20mm outside diameter.
 
Last edited:

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
According to this page http://www.superimpex.com/cable_glands/technical_data.htm
I will need a size 20 gland to fit a 3+1 6mm^2 cable. It also indicates that a 1/2 inch entry thread located on the equipment will work for mounting this gland. Am I reading this correctly?

All of the other information indicates that I will need a size 25 gland to fit this cable that has a approximately 18-20mm outside diameter.
That would be OK if your customer reaches the same conclusion about wire size that you do. If they decide to go bigger (VD maybe) then your gland is too small. I prefer Jraef's solution. Or at least make it easy for them to pull out your gland and punch their own hole.
 

fifty60

Senior Member
Location
USA
I like that idea as well. I am trying to understand why the size 20 gland is recommended for the 3 + 1 6mm^2 cable. From all of the charts that I can find the size 20 gland would be too small. I would have to use a size 25 or 32 gland to fit a cable that is 18-20mm in outside diameter. Is that correct, or am I not understanding how to size the glands?
 

Besoeker

Senior Member
Location
UK
No, SOOW is commonly called "Portable Cord", it is fine stranded to be extra flexible. Like what you would find in an extension cord, and is unshielded.
I think it would be IEC 60245 specification multi-core (3+1) cable, with Class 5 or 6 flexibility, but I don't know if that includes the same oil resistance specs.

The 6mm2 is correct however.
At 6.0mm2 it would not be a typical flexible cord here - that's typically 0.75mm2 and double insulated.
For 6.0mm2 we'd probably still use an armoured cable but with braided rather than wire armouring.
 

fifty60

Senior Member
Location
USA
The Appleton cable gland strain relief that I have accepts cables with an outside diameter of up to .75 inches. .75 inches converts over to 19.05mm. All of the 4 core steel wire armoured cable that I can find in 6mm^2 has an outside diameter of around 18mm. I believe I will be ok using this cable gland that accepts up to 19.05 mm.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top