6mm SWA to shed 60m from CU

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im planning on running SWA from a CU to my shed 60m down the garden. I plan to power a few lights and have a few sockets in the shed, there won't be any constant load but I'd like to run a few workshop tools now and then.

I'm thinking that 60m of 6mm SWA running off of a 32a RCD is ok or does it have to be a RCBO? Will the voltage drop be too much at 60m?

Thanks,
W
 
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Hi, i would estimate a vd of 10v @60m with 6kw load.

Regards,

DS
 
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https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/Charts/VoltageDrop.html?

But there are many other things that create far more danger if they are not done correctly.

Do you want an earth fault in the shed to trip the RCD that supplies lighting in the house. Obviously not. Do you want to find your way out of the shed in the dark after one of your tools tripped OFF the mains to the shed.

How will you install the SWA "down the garden" Buried is often the best option, fixed to a wooden fence is never a good way.. How deep to bury it.

Doing the work can be DIY but designing the installation to be safe requires lot of knowledge and experience.
 
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im planning on running SWA from a CU to my shed 60m down the garden.


I'm thinking that 60m of 6mm SWA running off of a 32a RCD is ok or does it have to be a RCBO?
What overcurrent protection are you thinking that an RCD will provide?


The thing is, installing outside supplies, submains etc is not a trivial job, and I can assure you that it involves knowing far more than you think it does.

Asking questions here can be a useful part of a learning process, but they are not a substitute for proper structured studying. The key term there is "learning process" - you cannot learn all the things you need to know just by asking questions here. It isn't structured enough - it won't provide you with a way to progress where each step builds on what you learned before.

You can't carry out a job of this magnitude by asking whatever random questions happen to occur to you. You've already shown that you have some dodgy misconceptions - what if you get something wrong because you have no idea your knowledge is wrong? What if you miss something because you simply have no idea it even exists, and just don't realise you don't know it?
 
It will cost you surprisingly little to get this scheme designed, installed, tested and commissioned properly as long as you are prepared to do the donkey work (ie digging a 1 metre deep trench from house to shed and doing any fiddly wiggling at the house end to get the end of the SWA to your consumer unit). You'll probably get a better deal buying the SWA to your electricians' spec than letting him/her supply it but get a price from them anyway.

While you've got a big trench available throw some ducting in it (for CAT5, alarm, telephone, any other odds that you might want at the end of the garden in years to come).

Cost wise (unless you are going mad with sockets at the shed end) you're looking at a days wages for the spark plus £200 in bits and pieces (excluding the SWA). Re the sockets in the shed- your electrician may suggest using conduit, singles and metalclad sockets rather than plastic sockets and T & E- takes a bit longer but is easier to get neat and you can pre prepare the conduit and backboxes thus saving their time (and your money). Either way you get a properly designed and tested installation notified to Building Control into the bargain (as long as you used a Part P accredited electrician of course).
 
32A design current at 60 meters will be around 13.76 volt drop, permitted volt drop for power is 5% = 11.5 volt and lights 3% = 6.9 volt so it would seem yes volt drop is too high. But it is that design current, if you consider it to be 20A then it drops to 8 volt, drop to 16A then 6.24 volt so if the design current was 16A then it would be OK.

Now the size of MCB and the design current are not always the same. In theroy the MCB protects the cable so nothing to stop having a 32A MCB feeding a switched FCU with a 5A fuse running the lights and a 13A socket.

As to DIY the cost of paying the LABC is likely about the same as an electricians day rate so does not make sense to DIY, may as well get a scheme member to design it and install.

What however you do need to do is work out exactly how much power you need, using a gas fire instead of electric can save so much. So yes take some time to work out your needs, but simply not worth doing the work DIY.
 
So I think the following should be ok:

So a the SWA Running off of a 20A RCBO from the main CU gives me 4.8kW which is way more than enough.
A 60m length of 6mm SWA at 4.8kW results in a voltage drop of 8.5v which is 3.7%.

Does this sound ok or have I missed something ?
 
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So I think the following should be ok:

So a the SWA Running off of a 20A RCB from the main CU gives me 4.8kW which is way more than enough.
A 60m length of 6mm SWA at 4.8kW results in a voltage drop of 8.5v which is 3.7%.

Does this sound ok or have I missed something ?
Yes you've missed something- if you're running lighting off this here installation (which you obviously are) you're only allowed 3% volt drop. Plus you're glossing over all the required notification and test requirements which b-a-s has covered quite extensively.

Talk to your electrician- see what he/she suggests (one popular school of thought is to use 3 core SWA to ensure earth impedance is low enough. Given how much effort it'll cost you to dig the trench, I'd chuck 10mm 3 core at it- from TLC (who aren't the cheapest for SWA) that would cost an extra £80 and mean you can run a MIG without the lights flickering and /or big motors (which require big current to get turning).

Another design point to consider- rather than running the garage from your house CU (and thus dropping half the house if you hit a fault condition in the garage) get your electrician to split the supply from your meter and power the garage from a separate MCB (via Henley blocks). Brucie Bonus from this technique- if you are ever having work done on the CU in the house you can power the freezer, fridge, heating etc. short term via a long extension lead from the garage.
 
I'd chuck 10mm 3 core at it- from TLC (who aren't the cheapest for SWA)
Also they do have an additional charge for delivering heavy items, and 60m of 6 or 10mm SWA will be heavy.

So pick up from them, or other local electrical wholesaler will be your best bet.
 
It will cost you surprisingly little to get this scheme designed, installed, tested and commissioned properly as long as you are prepared to do the donkey work (ie digging a 1 metre deep trench from house to shed and doing any fiddly wiggling at the house end to get the end of the SWA to your consumer unit). You'll probably get a better deal buying the SWA to your electricians' spec than letting him/her supply it but get a price from them anyway.

While you've got a big trench available throw some ducting in it (for CAT5, alarm, telephone, any other odds that you might want at the end of the garden in years to come).

Cost wise (unless you are going mad with sockets at the shed end) you're looking at a days wages for the spark plus £200 in bits and pieces (excluding the SWA). Re the sockets in the shed- your electrician may suggest using conduit, singles and metalclad sockets rather than plastic sockets and T & E- takes a bit longer but is easier to get neat and you can pre prepare the conduit and backboxes thus saving their time (and your money). Either way you get a properly designed and tested installation notified to Building Control into the bargain (as long as you used a Part P accredited electrician of course).
1 meter? :censored:
 
Yep, that's what the electrician I used for a similar job recommended- actually might have been 900mm, can't remember now. Trench was running straight across the garden (no pathway or whatever near the route)- if you were going under a path you could probably run shallower since the slabs/concrete would protect the thing.

100mm sand bed at the bottom, cables and ducts and water pipe, another 100mm of sand, warning tape, layer of bricks, more sand, warning tape, soil.
 
It will cost you surprisingly little to get this scheme designed, installed, tested and commissioned properly as long as you are prepared to do the donkey work (ie digging a 1 metre deep trench from house to shed and doing any fiddly wiggling at the house end to get the end of the SWA to your consumer unit). You'll probably get a better deal buying the SWA to your electricians' spec than letting him/her supply it but get a price from them anyway.

While you've got a big trench available throw some ducting in it (for CAT5, alarm, telephone, any other odds that you might want at the end of the garden in years to come).

Cost wise (unless you are going mad with sockets at the shed end) you're looking at a days wages for the spark plus £200 in bits and pieces (excluding the SWA). Re the sockets in the shed- your electrician may suggest using conduit, singles and metalclad sockets rather than plastic sockets and T & E- takes a bit longer but is easier to get neat and you can pre prepare the conduit and backboxes thus saving their time (and your money). Either way you get a properly designed and tested installation notified to Building Control into the bargain (as long as you used a Part P accredited electrician of course).
1 meter? :censored:
No, 1 metre.
 
Winston

Do you just imagine things?

No, 1 metre.
Show me the regulation that says 1 metre

We are talking a domestic installation, in his own garden. There is NO repeat NO regulation regarding the depth of buries SWA cables in this situation.

I'll show you a regulation regarding this. But that is from NJUG (National Joint utilities Group). They specify the requirements of utility services in PUBLIC streets.

Here's a the relavent bit

Screenshot 2016-07-18 12.25.16.png

So, where do YOU get your 1metre figure from. I don't think the OP is talking about an HV supply (don't forget the definition, now.....)

Unless I need another visit to Specsavers, the requirement for LV in the STREET is 450mm. In a garden its down to a risk assesment, but I guess he isn't going to run a plough or a seed drill across his lawn.

So. I am happy with my position on 450mm.

I await, with interest, your reply together with a copy of the regulation that states 1metre......................
 
Useful and ta. I was only going from what the electrician who did design and install for my garage power told me- I'd searched around and found various different depths and requirements, he wanted it a metre deep, he was responsible for signing it off so I buried it a metre deep to his specification. Good excuse for a mini digger for the day :)
 

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