Garden lamp post. What cable to use?

[bushidomike]

Hi
I am installing an outside garden lamp post, earthed single 60w light bulb holder at the top of the garden.

My questions are. What cable should I be looking to use? I currently have a twin core with earth and it says Max 13amp for lighting circuits only. The reason I am asking is due to the distance the cable will have to travel. Aprox 70 to 80 feet up the garden. Does the distance make a difference to the type of cable I will need to use?

Also I will be feeding the cable through a suitable conjurite tube down to my garage. I will be wiring this into the lighting circuit in the garage with a one one way switch. Does that sound OK?

Many Thanks for your feedback.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

This should cover everything you need to do for this job:

• 
  
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:mcbtocable
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/4.3.1.htm (all subsections)
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/4.3.11.htm
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/cableselection_web.pdf
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/Charts/VoltageDrop.html
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/5.3.1.htm
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:mcb2
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/7.13.3.htm
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/8.1.1.htm
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:swa-gland
  
  
• http://electrical.theiet.org/wiring-matters/16/elect-inst-outdoors.cfm?type=pdf
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:part-p
  

And yes, you really really must know all that if you want to do this sort of job.

But TBH it looks as if you're doing things on the basis of asking here about things which you think you need to know. The problem with that approach is that you'll only ask about those things and you won't ask about things you don't realise you don't know - the old "unknown unknowns" problem. What if you get something wrong because you have no idea your knowledge is wrong? What if you miss something because you simply have no idea it even exists, and just don't realise you don't know it? Asking questions here can be a useful part of a learning process, but they are not a substitute for proper structured studying. The key term there is "learning process" - you cannot learn all the things you need to know just by asking questions here. It isn't structured enough - it won't provide you with a way to progress where each step builds on what you learned before.

• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:books
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/electricity.html
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/domesticinstallations.html
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/1.1.htm[/list]I suggest you get stuck into the last link right away - it won't give you design ideas, and unfortunately it doesn't refer to the current edition of the Wiring Regulations, but it's free, and will still give you a good grounding which you can augment with more up to date publications.

 

[bushidomike]

That is sound intelligent advice. You are so right. Electricity is too dangerous to mess so I will leave it to an electrician. Thanks.