Help and advice on Garden/shed power.

[martin hill]

Hi All

Hope everyone safe and well. Revamping the garden totally now after building my shed lol. With wanting power and lighting on a more perm. basis i wondering the best way to achieve this. I currently have a unused 32 amp ring circuit up in the loft that is 2.5mm t & e. Is it possible to run armour cable from the loft to the outside into the shed terminating into a garage consumer unit for shed power and light and power and light in the garden. The new lighting in the garden will be spots and wall lights with bulb converters so i can use 12v IP65 transformers in enclosures around the garden feeding the lights. Is this possible. Any advice by greatly received.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Power and light is a very broad brush. what sort of “power”? Lathe, welder, engine hoist, hot tub, heating, (my BIL has all of these powered from his rather large shed.

What is distance from the supply to the outbuilding?
What is the electricity supply type.
Is this circuit really a ring? What is already on it? Is it RCD protected?

these are all the first basic questions that the registered electrician will need answers to when he designs the circuit’s requirements.

 

[AndyPRK]

A 2.5mm shouldn’t be on a 32A breaker for a start (unless ring) . 16 or 20
So this is a bad starting point.
Start somewhere easier

Mini CUs aren’t always required in a shed.

Their benefits are :

1. If there is no RCD in the house protecting the shed circuit

2. If many cables in the shed need somewhere to join to.

3. To terminate an Swa cable to professionally

So don’t assume you need one.

 

[muffking]

Taylor beat me to it

I was going to ask:-
Is the ring RCD protected?
What sort of load do you anticipate pulling from the shed socket(s)?
How long will the run be?

 

[chivers67]

Is it Bungalow? How Far?

 

[martin hill]

Sorry chaps i was a bit vague in my description.

Its a 32a SP MCB with 2 x 2.5mm T & E running buried in plaster 6m upto the loft where they terminate in 1 double plug.

From this location it would be approx 25m to the shed.

Shed..

Lighting in the shed would be one LED 600mm weatherproof batten.

Double plug in shed for low usage for drill charger. No lathe welder hoist.

Garden..

Double plug on patio area for phone charger/Radio.

Double plug at BBQ for same and also using with 1100w reciprocating saw and a 2000w mitre saw.

Missus not decided on all the lighting but it looking like 3 x 60w led drivers. These will be for evening use so maybe on for 5 or 6 hours.

Thanks.

 

[winston1]

So it is a ring with one double socket only (not plug, that is what is on the appliance cable).

If you want to run SWA to the shed from here it needs to be at least 4mm as it is on a 32a circuit.

You have not answered this question yet. It has been asked twice and is important: Is the ring RCD protected?

 

[martin hill]

Yes it a ring with one double socket on it. Sorry again missed that out. It on a 80 amp RCD