External cable

[ban-all-sheds]

Others here can probably advise you what sort of ducting would be best.

Black twinwall, such as this:

http://www.drainageonline.co.uk/Ducting/Black-Twinwall-Duct-x-50m-coil.htm

 

[Sunshine12]

Thank you, 100ft garden hence few hundred ££ Have to lay some for front garden/drive too

 

[ban-all-sheds]

ATEOTD it costs what it costs -100m reels of armoured cable aren't cheap, but you should consider the marginal cost increase of running larger cable against the total cost of the entire job.

4-core will be cheaper than 2x3-core.

 

[Sunshine12]

I don’t mind paying for larger cable, I’m just unsure now what is best to lay seens as the electricians advice doesn’t necessarily marry up with other opinions. I wasn’t expecting to have to lay ducting

 

[oldbutnotdead]

No-one is telling you you have to lay ducting but it is a relatively cheap way of keeping your options open. Sounds as if you're wanting to control lights and power from the house- up to you but i'd be looking at a chunkier supply up the garden (hot tub? welder?) and adding relay controls or even wireless remotes for switching the decorative stuff. Joy of duct- you can postpone that decision and give yourself time to shop around for cable

 

[ToastyToes]

Definitely lay some pipe and have the option for upgrading and adding cables later on.

 

[JohnW2]

... Sounds as if you're wanting to control lights and power from the house ....

That is what BAS suggested, and it clearly would make sense as a reason for the two cables (or more cores in one cable). However, I'm a bit confused, since it seems that the plan is for these cable(s) to be supplied from an existing outdoor socket.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Sunshine12]

I don’t think they will be able to be controlled from the house? But could be wrong? There is a double outdoor socket just outside the kitchen door, he said he would ‘spur’ off that.

I told him we will need outdoor lighting, shed power & lighting, a socket for lawn mower, but would like to put in a beefy cable incase we need more in the future eg home office sort of thing.

I certainly don’t mind paying for bigger cable. Obviously I’m not an electrician so I have no clue, hence why I came here. I thought it was as simple as just putting in the ‘biggest cable’.

We need 3 reels of the ducting as we are just over the 100m. I can’t seem to find any shorter than 50m?
I presume the duct can have 2 cables running inside if that still needs to be the case in the future? I will ask the guys to dig the trench say 700mm & use the yellow warning tape further up. Will this suffice?

 

[JohnW2]

I don’t think they will be able to be controlled from the house? But could be wrong? There is a double outdoor socket just outside the kitchen door, he said he would ‘spur’ off that.

Unless, as has been mentioned, you used some sort of wireless switches or suchlike, you would not be able to control the lights (alone) from inside the house if the supply to them originated from an outdoor socket.

I told him we will need outdoor lighting, shed power & lighting, a socket for lawn mower ....

Ah, I slightly misunderstood - I thought you were talking only about lighting (and power) in the shed. If there is to be a feed for outside lighting, then that probably would need a second cable, since it would probably have to go to somewhere other than the shed - but you would still have the issue/problem of how you switch those lights - maybe an outdoor switch near the existing outdoor socket?

... but would like to put in a beefy cable in case we need more in the future eg home office sort of thing.

That's obviously what I suggested. 2.5mm² cable is definitely not at all 'beefy', particularly given the relatively long run you are talking about.

I presume the duct can have 2 cables running inside if that still needs to be the case in the future?

As above, I imagine that the outside lighting cable would need to go somewhere other than to the shed. In that case, it could not really share (at least not all of) the duct going to the shed. However, there's not a strong argument for putting the lighting cable in a duct - directly-buried SWA would probably suffice.

I will ask the guys to dig the trench say 700mm & use the yellow warning tape further up. Will this suffice?

As I said before, that sounds more than adequate.

Kind Regards, John

 

[RichA]

What sort of ducting is required for external cable?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What sort of ducting is required for external cable?

Black twinwall, such as this:

http://www.drainageonline.co.uk/Ducting/Black-Twinwall-Duct-x-50m-coil.htm

 

[winston1]

There is a double outdoor socket just outside the kitchen door, he said he would ‘spur’ off that.

Presumably via a FCU. In which case the max load will be 13 amp and there is no point in putting beefier cable than 2.5mm as he suggested.

 

[JohnW2]

Presumably via a FCU ...

There's a lot of 'assuming' (guessing) involved in that statement, I reckon.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

Do we know how the outside socket is supplied?

 

[Sunshine12]

Outside socket was put in as part of all the electric work during first fix (new build) last year