Huge Garden Power

[PompeySparks]

Your electrical theory is good Adam!

Remember those theorectical R1+R2 predictions will be increased slightly by the connections and contacts!

Also Ze varies around the day and measured Zs seldom equals Ze + (R1+R2)!

The idea you propose will NOT be cheap!

 

[Netrics-PJay]

Thanks for your time and expertise, i'll break the news to big brother! i guess my brother will need to comprimise with the distance allowed, unless of course money is no object.

 

[Adam_151]

True, I make the materials alone to be approx £650/£700 (cable being £440, rest for adaptable boxes, and masterseal outlets), but its going to be cheaper than the ring all around the garden which would double the cable cost (and an extension cable for 25m or so is not going to be anywhere near as annoying to get out as one for nearly a tenth of a mile*)


*Though if it was my money, I'd take the extensions and just hope the volts don't drop too low to actually prevent stuff working - though maybe if the OP's relative has that much land, they've got the money to throw at such a project

 

[PompeySparks]

I was thinking that maybe you could get away with a smaller CSA as well but your calculations are wise! You wouldn't want to get that one wrong! Besides... bigger volt drop means a higher electricity bill!

If they do want to go ahead they'd better do so soon as the price of copper is shooting up!

 

[Adam_151]

If they do want to go ahead they'd better do so soon as the price of copper is shooting up!

I heard a rumour that the price had actually peaked and dropped a little, but that wasn't expected to filter down to cable prices

also, something I just thought of...

*thinks* Isn't there something that allows you adjust volt drop for the fact that the cable isn't opperating at full current carrying capacity and therefore is cooler in appendix 4 of the regs? according to this topic: http://www.theiet.org/Forums/forum/...d=10235&STARTPAGE=1&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear (a little way down) Unfortunatly my copy of the regs hasn't been ordered quite yet so I can't look it up ,so I suppose it just might be possible that 10mm² might be in spec, but I suppose the question is, is it actually worth trying to work it out in order to 'sail closer to the wind' and increase wasted power

(this probably makes no sense, I'm tired and not thinking straight...)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

FFS

 

[Adam_151]

FFS

Yes ban

 

[dingbat]

ding bat, what would your solution be if it was your brother in law bearing in mind he's over six foot and built like a tank and i wouldnt want to cut corners!

I wouldn't want to do the job in the first place, let alone for a relative. There's no way I'm digging that trench! I'd probably just talk him out of it!

 

[Pensdown]

If they do want to go ahead they'd better do so soon as the price of copper is shooting up!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2176819,00.html

Hang onto your coins lads!

 

[Steve]

FFS

LOL

It would be more efficient to have a step-up transformer at the house, with a secondary of 40,000V. Run this overhead to a pole pig transformer back down to 230V at each socket, and have the sockets mounted on the poles, under the pole pigs. OK if you can get hold of some posts and transformers

Otherwise, use extension leads. What's he plugging in?

 

[supersparky]

probrably a better plan would be to run 16mm up the garden canter and tap off of it with 2.5 / 4mm swa to each socket

then back it up with a 20 A breaker, of 32 if 4mm is used

this way you can do what the recs do and with some long calculations start at the board with 16, by mid point prehaps 6 and then last socket on 4mm

however, i hope your hiring a digger and driver

 

[jondiy]

Why not knock up a weatherproof enclosure in some sort of weatherproof location (ie a very very small shed ) with a 4 way consumer & rcd , put this at the very centre of the garden , run a 40,50 or 60A sub-main to this via large SWA & switchfuse/mcb etc , then take 4 x 16Amp radials out to each quarter of the garden!!!