Submain to an outbuilding, perhaps

[ladiesman020]

I've got a detached garage only 2.2 metres away from front of house with no electric. How would I go about sinking cable into the ground. What cable would I use (6.0mm t&e?) swa? Would I have the cable going from the main fuse box in the house to another fuse box into the garage.
Ideas needed

 

[winston1]

I've got a detached garage only 2.2 metres away from front of house with no electric. How would I go about sinking cable into the ground. What cable would I use (6.0mm t&e?) swa? Would I have the cable going from the main fuse box in the house to another fuse box into the garage.
Ideas needed

This is an old thread you have dug up. However.
To sink the cable in the ground you need a spade and pick axe.
Use SWA cable, the size depends on the load in the garage.
It can be run from a separate way on the house consumer unit assuming there is RCD protection. You don't necessarily need a consumer unit it the garage, sockets can be run direct and lights through a switched fused connection unit which you use as the light switch.
If there is no RCD you will need to fit one at one end or other of the cable.

But you can't do this yourself legally easily. Someone will be along shortly to tell you the full procedure and no doubt tell you to get a qualified sparks in.

 

[ladiesman020]

I was thinking about 1 500w floodlight, 4 100w lights and 6 sockets

 

[Taylortwocities]

500watt floodlight???

Are you trying to light up wembley stadium, or something?

 

[winston1]

I was thinking about 1 500w floodlight, 4 100w lights and 6 sockets

500 watt flood lights are no longer allowed. Use a 50 watt LED type. Likewise 100 watt lights ( if you mean light bulbs) are no longer available. In a garage fluorescent fittings would be better, say two 5 foot types.
Are the sockets for a battery charger and drill etc or do you intend higher power devices? Heaters would be quite high power.

 

[ladiesman020]

Ok a 400w floodlight!!! 4 batten holders and 4-6 sockets for 12v car battery charger and 1300w mitre saw
I was thinking of 6.0 t&e or swa in metal conduit underground would be enough

 

[Taylortwocities]

No way, Jose!

Building Regulations now have a 150W limit on external lighting.


Read about it at http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/lighting/

In particular this bit|:


External Lights

If you are installing an external light which is supplied from your electrical system and fixed to the exterior surface of your house then you should ensure that reasonable provisions are made to enable effective control and/or use of energy efficient lamps. Two options for achieving this are:

Installing a lamp with a capacity which does not exceed 150W per light fitting and the lighting automatically switches off both when there is enough daylight and also when it is not required at night
Ensuring that the lighting fittings you use have sockets that can only be used with lamps having an energy efficacy greater than 40 lumens per circuit-watt.


In any case, think about the running cost. (AND your effect on the ice cap) Allow £1 per year per watt.

Use LED lighting.

 

[winston1]

As I said earlier use SWA cable, not T & E. 6mm will be ample, even 2.5mm will be OK for your needs. You don't need conduit, SWA can be direct buried.

Take it from a 20A MCB indoors (bearing in mind what I said about RCD protection).

 

[Taylortwocities]

Only 20A, Winston? XLPE 6mm² is better than that!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I was thinking of 6.0

Why?

 

[ladiesman020]

6.0 T&E cos I thought it would be more than enough for 1000w of lights and 6 double sockets.
Would 4.0 be better?
I was thinking of running T&E from CU to a junction box near where the cable goes outside/underground into SWA there its goes underground the 2.2m to the garage where it comes up to a CU in the garage

 

[JohnW2]

6.0 T&E cos I thought it would be more than enough for 1000w of lights and 6 double sockets.

That obviously would depend entirely on what you were planning to plug into those 6 double sockets - after all, if you plugged 3kW loads into each of those 12 outlets, you'd be talking about 36,000 watts (over 150A at 230V)!! You need to design on the basis of expected loads.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ladiesman020]

So would 4.0 be better. I'm not using it much maybe a bit of lighting

 

[Taylortwocities]

Geez

FOUR pages of discussion and we still haven't determined the requirement for the current.

The generally process is:

Determine the load
Select CPD
Examine the installation requirement (method, environment, etc)
Calculate volt drop
Select the cable size

(and there's more)

Want to know how to do it? Here's a guide and example

There is no room for "maybe I'll use size x" or "would size y be better" (or I wonder what I've got round the back of the shed/ on the van)..

Its a calculation, with a result, not a guess.

 

[JohnW2]

Geez ... FOUR pages of discussion and we still haven't determined the requirement for the current.

Not really - this present discussion started as a hijack at the bottom of page 3. However, that aside, I agree wholeheartedly with everything that you go on to say.

Kind Regards, John