Cable for the future

[martin hill]

Hi All

Some advice please. Currently boarding out the upstairs walls etc and new floorboards. Later on i am wanting power for my shed and Garden. Going to run the cable thru the house so it's going up the wall then under the floorboards down into the kitchen and then out to the shed that is down the garden so looking at 20 metres to the CU in the shed. With the following in the unit


1 cooker hood fused spur.
1 Curcuit for LV LED downlights in BBQ.
1 Curcuit for LV LED garden lights.
2 Double sockets in the shed.

I am happy to run armoured straight for the House CU to the shed so no join. Am i looking at 10mm. to future proof myself. Any help or point me to a online calculator would be much appreciated.

Also should i use a earthing rob at the shed.

 

[mikeyd]

4mm would do from your description, but nobody knows your future plans.
I'm fairly sure no electrician will laugh at you if you run a 6 or 10mm SWA in now before you lay floorboards etc. They will laugh if you lay the floorboards first though.
Earth rod question depends on a lot more that you've said and will require an electrician (IMHO). It depends (amongst other things) on things like if the shed has stuff like water piped to it.
I'm going to leave it there.

 

[SUNRAY]

4mm would do from your description, but nobody knows your future plans.
I'm fairly sure no electrician will laugh at you if you run a 6 or 10mm SWA in now before you lay floorboards etc. They will laugh if you lay the floorboards first though.
Earth rod question depends on a lot more that you've said and will require an electrician (IMHO). It depends (amongst other things) on things like if the shed has stuff like water piped to it.
I'm going to leave it there.

Very well put Mike.
And the electrician will laugh even less if you run a 3core armoured in. That way he will be able to make whatever earthing arrangement is correct.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

All the advice above is sound. Also take some pictures of the cable when you've laid it in- the electrician who ultimately terminates it and tests it will be signing for the design and installation of the system so will want some proof that it is what you tell them it is. Be careful if you have to notch or drill any joists (there are good and bad areas to put notches in), if you're putting carpet down on the floorboards then mark on the floorboards where the cabling is (and heating pipes and any other stuff like that).

While you're doing that, have a think about whether you'll ever want data out to the shed/garden (mebbe for alarm, streaming telly/audio, whatever) and run in anything now that would be difficult later (I'd chuck 4 runs of CAT6 in myself, should be enough for most eventualities)

 

[martin hill]

Yes going to video the installation after it laid. Did this with the work i did in the house. 3 core cable will be going in and i lucky as joists run from front to back of house so minimum cuttting/notching to be done. From outside to shed i am going to concrete a drainpipe into ground so dont have to dig so deep. Not bothered about the Cat6 but a go idea. For the price you pay for it these days it worth it. Before dot and dab done around the house i laid cables to every room. All p.c's hard wired now so no issues with wi-fi drops and i popped in virgin cables too. Hate when you see them running along skirting boards. It was sites like this where i got some cracking tips that save alot of hassle.

All twin and earth in conduit in walls.
Junction boxes in void in ceiling for lighting so if missus wants a light fitting in 3 easy wires.
Rerouted all cables in loft area to they run only around the edge then conduit to middle of rooms.
Isolation valves on all rads and same for sinks etc.
etc etc.

Wait for it.......... Just the lead gas pipe to get changed now lol I not touched that.