long extension lead

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Advice needed for size and best way to run an extension lead plus or minus 200 yards to run 2kw quartz heater, lighting and small power tools .thks
 
Ouch that is a long lead I'm not sure if there are any formal rules on extention lead volt drops but still you need to keep it to a reasonble level. If this were a fixed installation cable running direct from the installation origin and with a 3KW load (about right for a 2KW heater plus some tools) then you would need 10mm for a non-lighting circuit and 16mm for a lighting circuit.

Can you explain exactly what situation you want this for? Where the lead will run? how permanent the setup will be etc?
 
Unless you use BS EN 60309 plugs & sockets, the largest cable you'll be able to use is 2.5mm² - you simply won't be able to get anything larger into a BS 1363 plug.

Voltage drop is 19mV/A/m, so if we assume a 10A load, that'll be a 38V drop - far too much.

And it'll weigh nearly 40kg, which is a heck of a lot to cart around, winding and unwinding each time. Talking of which, you'll need something to wind it onto, so let's make that a total weight of well over 50kg including the drum, which will be about half a meter in diameter.

Either you've not thought this through at all well, or you don't actually plan on winding this "extension lead" up very often....
 
Use a generator if it is only temporary, or do the job properly using the correct size fixed cable.
 
love the spelling of your tag 'electrisity' hopefully it's intentional!?

This isn't an extension lead is it? you want to permanently power your shed? do it properly.
 
Can't be - as soon as any part of it becomes fixed to anything, it comes within the scope of Part P, and all you've got then is a guaranteed non-compliant bit of work...
 
It could just be because the OP wants to run an "extension lead plus or minus 200 yards to run 2kw quartz heater, lighting and small power tools."

The sort of thing you may do when you have to say, work inside a shed or barn thats 200 yards away from the nearest electrical point etc :D

At the moment if I was doing something like that I'd certainly want a heater, I'd need portable lighting and I'd be using power tools.
 
Yes, but would you want an extension lead which, including the drum (which would probably need to be motorised) would weigh in the region of a quarter of a ton?

And that's assuming regular H05/07 RR or RN cable - if the route of it required something better protected then it would be even heavier.

And would you want to lay rollers out along the route, as I wouldn't fancy your chances of dragging 200m of cable weighing 200kg across the ground?

And would you want to install a 60309 socket at the source end?
 
Advice needed for size and best way to run an extension lead plus or minus 200 yards to run 2kw quartz heater, lighting and small power tools .thks

Plan A:

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Plan B:

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Plan C:

http://www.competentperson.co.uk
 
Plan D

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The voltage drop will be massive, so the heater won't be quite as warm, and the powertools with either go slow or charge slowly (or maybe not at all)

Oh and the total cost is £120...

Personally I'd be inclined to buy a 2KVA genny - but then I like generators.

An extension lead this long is going to be a right pain in the
donkey_and_butterflyweb.jpg


-Dan
 
The problem is being approached incorrectly.

1) Temporary ends up with a costly Marquee style solution

House end...
- Final circuit protected by 16A RCBO
- Feeding BS4343 IP67 32A Interlocked Socket on wall
Cable run...
- BS4343 IP67 plug to 100m Artic 6mm BS4343 IP67 inline socket
- BS4343 IP67 plug to 100m Artic 6mm BS4343 IP67 inline socket
Shed end...
- BS4343 IP67 plug to 1m Artric 4mm to MK Masterseal 2G SWITCHED socket

Cost is high AND it is still temporary.


2) Fixed gets you a proper installation for less/same money

House end...
- Final circuit protected by 16A RCBO
- IP65 Jn-Box on wall
Cable run...
- CW20 gland to 10mm 3c 200m (or even 16mm on CW25 gland)
Shed end...
- MK Masterseal 2G SWITCHED socket (plug in heater & lights)
- MK Masterseal 1G SFCU for permanent lights

SWA can be run across the ground if not subject to traffic & visible.
(NHS tend to do it versus clipping to a fence which may blow down).


3) The reality is the OP may actually want cheap AND temporary

For ***** sake do not daisy-chain 50m extension leads re non waterproof socket-and-plug, an RCD does NOT protect against L-N shocks.

i) reduce your heating needs to 400-750W tube/fan/radiator

- a) tape up all gaps in the shed b) staple gun a vapour barrier
- a) line shed w/ polystyrene plant trays b) polystyrene sheet

ii) reduce lighting demands to 18-28W

- simple IP fluorescent light, gland, flex, plug

iii) reduce power tool demands to <500W

- consider portable tools if at all possible
- specifically big chop saws will be a PROBLEM re induction motor & lights dim to nothing

iv) forget off-the-shelf extension reels and go safe...
- Farnell - 2x 100m of 2.5mm Artic (£50+£50, think yellow is cheap)
- Ebay - 1x IP67 BS4343 socket & IP67 BS4343 plug (£3+£3)
- Ebay - 1x MK Masterseal 2G Switched socket (£25) and a gland (£1)
- Farnell - 1x Inline 10mA RCD for added safety (£12) if you wish

You can flog the lot on Ebay for 50-60% of what you paid.
However generators are not expensive, just reduce your heating needs.

May be simpler to work near the house with a wall mounted 2kW IR lamp?
 
For temporary work, every (sensible) solution proposed so far involving a temporary supply from the grid would almost certainly work out significantly more expensive than a cheap generator and fuel. 200 yards of relatively large CSA copper cable isn't cheap.
 

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