Running Power cable to Garage.

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Glamorgan
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United Kingdom
I want to run a cable underground to my garage which is detached from my house. Do I HAVE to use armored cable, or can I use any cable as long as it's large enough and is in trunking or simular?
 
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any cable running underground must have it's live conductor(s) surrounded by metalwork that is connected to earth (or in the special case of split concentric cable neutral).

you have a few options

split concentric cable is the cheapest and easiest option if you can find a supplier but it can be a little tricky to get hold of especially in smaller sizes and it is more prone to damage than SWA. If you do use split concentric make sure you get stuff with copper cores (DNOs like to use aluminium core stuff because it is a bit cheaper and can self support for longer spans but it requires special precautions when terminating or the terminations corrode and fail).

SWA is what most electricians use, it is pretty tough, more expensive than split con but less so than MICC.

MICC is another, on the plus side it is almost completely fireproof and it is much thinner than other cables for a given current carrying capacity. On the downside it is nowhere near as physically tough as SWA, it is very expensive and requires special tools to terminate.

Steel conduit is a possibility in principle but likely to be a huge pain to install and very expensive.
 
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And I understand you need an electrician to certify all new mains cabling for building reg Part P.
 

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