Need power to summerhouse

[Jimbo75]

Hi there I'm just wondering if you can help.
I've bought a summerhouse not very big one and it's 10 meters down the other end of the garden and we need power down there as we are putting a pool table in there for the kids so need the lights over the pool table.

Does anyone have any solution or the price something like this would cost.

Sorry for my ignorance but haven't got the foggiest where to start apart from call a sparky but thought I would ask here first.

Cheers

 

[Taylortwocities]

It all depends on a lot of factors.
You want power down there. How much? Lights, and a radio don't take much, but maybe you want some heat too?

The amount of power, and the distance will dictate the size of the cable.
How will the cable be run, in a ½ metre deep trench? Who will dig that and lay the cable?

Are there other services that need to be considered in teh outhouse?

How will the cable be connected at the house end? What are the cahracteristics of your supply? Is there space in your existing fuseboard for an additional connection for the outhouse? Or is there a lot of work to be done there too.

So, a lot to be considered and all of this will have a bearing on the cost.

The nly way is to contact a couple of Competent Electricians and get some quotes.

It will probably cost about the same as a weekend away.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I suggest you call a sparks, giving you cost would be pure guess work without knowing a whole host of things about your electrical installation and the access or ease of route between house and summerhouse.

It will be more than likely that a trench of about 600mm will need to be dug and duct used to run a steel wired armoured cable inside will be needed, that must be calculated for load demand, then it would be a case of what is the best logical method of supplying power, my preferred choice would be directly to a MCB that is not protected by a RCD, then have a small RCD protected consumer unit in summerhouse to distribute for sockets and lighting from there.

I suggest you contact 3 competent electricians and ask for quotes.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

my preferred choice would be directly to a MCB that is not protected by a RCD

Mine would be to split the tails and have a switchfuse at the house.

 

[ericmark]

Solar panel, battery, and LED lights is always possible just like a caravan. Digging a trench fitting SWA cable is time consuming so this means expensive and disruptive.

 

[Jimbo75]

Thanks for your replies much appreciated.

I know all sparky's will charge different prices but I wondered as a guesstimate are we talking a days work here or longer and around £400.

I understand without any proper details of the layout etc it's hard to give a guesstimate.

Thanks

 

[Taylortwocities]

It will probably cost about the same as a weekend away.

That could be a weekend in Bognor, could be a weekend in New York.

 

[Greenie9657]

Hi Jimbo

To keep costs down you could do as much as the work as you are confident to do.
Dig the 18 inch (deep) trench from your house to the summer house, lay conduit in there, fill in half then lay a line of safety tape (the stuff that's yellow and says electrical cable below), then fill rest of the trench up. If you aren't confident enough to feed the cable through the spark could just feed it in and connect up both sides.
The cost will really depend on what you leave for him/her to do. But even if you don't want to touch any of the cable or Consumer Units then you could save time and money by doing the hard labour or digging and lying.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

But even if you don't want to touch any of the cable or Consumer Units then you could save time and money by doing the hard labour or digging and lying.

It would be better if he were truthful.

 

[bernardgreen]

Dig the 18 inch (deep) trench from your house to the summer house, lay conduit in there, fill in half then lay a line of safety tape (the stuff that's yellow and says electrical cable below), then fill rest of the trench up.

Unless the electrician sees this work in progess you should take photos with clear indication of the depth so the electrician can sign the certification of compliance.

 

[Greenie9657]

Dig the 18 inch (deep) trench from your house to the summer house, lay conduit in there, fill in half then lay a line of safety tape (the stuff that's yellow and says electrical cable below), then fill rest of the trench up.

Unless the electrician sees this work in progess you should take photos with clear indication of the depth so the electrician can sign the certification of compliance.

Yeah good point Bernard.

Take photos alone the way with the tape measure out just to prove everything is ok and at the correct depths.

 

[JohnW2]

Solar panel, battery, and LED lights is always possible just like a caravan. Digging a trench fitting SWA cable is time consuming so this means expensive and disruptive.

I agree. If the requirement really is only for a few lights in a small 'room' (probably not all that many watts of LEDs), then it might be difficult to justify the hassle and cost of installing a proper electricity supply to the outhouse.

Having said that, once people have electricity in outhouses, they often suddenly discover all sorts of ways of increasing the supply requirements!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

my preferred choice would be directly to a MCB that is not protected by a RCD

Mine would be to split the tails and have a switchfuse at the house.

It's very tempting to say that, but I wonder if it's actually just a 'purist' view. IF (as seems to be the case with the OP) the required outhouse supply is very modest, and IF there is spare capacity in the CU, then PBoD's preference and yours are electrically equivalent, and I'm not sure that I can think of a particularly good reason (except, perhaps, for considerations of simplicity/cost) for favouring one of the other. Am I missing something?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Jimbo75]

Top answers guys thanks very much.