Outdoor sockets, shed power plus light, advice please

[liam548]

Hi all,

We will be starting a landscaping project soon with pretty much a blank canvas. In the corner at the far end of the garden we are placing a shed. While the garden is dug up we may as well get power to the shed and add an outdoor socket.

At the side of the house is the integral garage and the consumer unit is on the outside wall within the garage.

My plan is to get an electrician to use one of the 2 spare slots in the consumer unit and create an outdoor "circuit" with it's own breaker on the consumer unit and drill through to the outside.

We will get the landscaper to lay cable (does this need to be armoured if dug underground and under a lawn and patio?)

The cable will be left with some excess at the wall near the consumer unit, at the back of the house where we want an outdoor double socket installing and also at the shed location ready for another double socket in the shed and a light.

My query really is does that all sound feasible and will one single length of cable work as planned (with breaks at the mid point for the outdoor socket attached the house?) Am I describing a Radial circuit??? What I don't want to do is mess up at the first hurdle, while we have a blank canvas we need to get it correct.

Photos attached to give you a better idea.

Thank you all,

Liam

 

[danechip]

Your best bet is to ask your electrician for his advice first as he will be the one signing off the installation, but from here, your plan looks just fine, yes it would be a radial circuit, and looped in and out of the first socket and onto the shed for a socket and light. If this is just for a mower and the like, probably a 4mm armoured cable would be the way to go.

If I am wrong, we could always go before Judge Rinder ?? (Are you related? lol)

 

[flameport]

What's suggested will work, and yes, it must be armoured cable.

Suggest you also consider what else you may want, such as lighting for the garden. Far easier to install cables for it now, rather than afterwards.

 

[liam548]

Your best bet is to ask your electrician for his advice first as he will be the one signing off the installation, but from here, your plan looks just fine, yes it would be a radial circuit, and looped in and out of the first socket and onto the shed for a socket and light. If this is just for a mower and the like, probably a 4mm armoured cable would be the way to go.

If I am wrong, we could always go before Judge Rinder ?? (Are you related? lol)

Thanks for this.. you are not the first to mention Judge Rinder lmao haha

So it doesn't matter that the house isn't running radials at the minute etc?

I didnt want to just put one cable under the path and then be told that for a Radial you need an out wire and a return feed etc that kind of thing... Still just need one length of cable from the consumer unit to the first socket not 2?

I don't mind getting armoured cable (apart from the cost) but was curious if this is a UK requirement even if its dug down past certain depths? It will end up being armoured anyway to be honest was just curious.

Lighting wise yes, good point. I'm planning on having lighting but they will run one from outdoor mains socket on the wall which is wi fi controlled so no need to keep opening and closing it.

 

[JohnW2]

I don't mind getting armoured cable (apart from the cost) but was curious if this is a UK requirement even if its dug down past certain depths? It will end up being armoured anyway to be honest was just curious.

As far as regulations are concerned, depth of buried cable does not come into it. No matter what depth, cable has to be either enclosed in mechanically protective conduit/ ducting or else has to have earthed armour or sheath - and armoured cable is the simplest (and probably cheapest) of the options.

At least in theory, few types of non-armoured cable are 'suitable' for burying directly in the ground, at any depth.

Kind Regards, John

 

[liam548]

As far as regulations are concerned, depth of buried cable does not come into it. No matter what depth, cable has to be either enclosed in mechanically protective conduit/ ducting or else has to have earthed armour or sheath - and armoured cable is the simplest (and probably cheapest) of the options.

At least in theory, few types of non-armoured cable are 'suitable' for burying directly in the ground, at any depth.

Kind Regards, John

Thanks John

 

[TimboTwo]

Not sure if you can get those Legrand mcb's anymore. Also, depending on internal configuration, it may not be possible to move the rcd to the left to accommodate more mcb's . Which will mean a new CU.
As regards cable sizing/circuit design, get an electrician involved now, as he will have to sign the certificate as designer, installer and tester. Volt drop on the new circuit is also a consideration to take account of.
New circuits require Building Control notification under Part P.

 

[liam548]

Not sure if you can get those Legrand mcb's anymore. Also, depending on internal configuration, it may not be possible to move the rcd to the left to accommodate more mcb's . Which will mean a new CU.
As regards cable sizing/circuit design, get an electrician involved now, as he will have to sign the certificate as designer, installer and tester. Volt drop on the new circuit is also a consideration to take account of.
New circuits require Building Control notification under Part P.

So the RCD will have to be moved to the left and all new MCBs on the right?

Are these not the same?

https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/pro..._-vZGEIWZmD2HTa8k4saAmk4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[TimboTwo]

So the RCD will have to be moved to the left and all new MCBs on the right?

Yes. But get an electrician in to advise/quote.

 

[liam548]

Yes. But get an electrician in to advise/quote.

https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/pro..._-vZGEIWZmD2HTa8k4saAmk4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I assumed these are just a slightly different design of the same as installed

 

[danechip]

Not sure if you can get those Legrand mcb's anymore.

 

[TimboTwo]

https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/pro..._-vZGEIWZmD2HTa8k4saAmk4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I assumed these are just a slightly different design of the same as installed

May be compatible, may be not. You would need to contact Legrand
https://www.legrand.co.uk/products/...tection-control-measurement/power-protection/

 

[liam548]

Edited below

 

[danechip]

Just ask your sparky Judge. If he doesn't know the answer, he shouldn't be doing the work.

 

[liam548]

Looking at the consumer unit again it has a Hager st301 transformer (working well charging a wireless doorbell by the way at 0.5amp) and a Wylex mcb which was installed as part of the solar panels system so I'm pretty confident that RCD unit has been moved already more than once.

Wylex look like they fit as well with no issues? Doesn't have to be legrand (ideally I'll get that brand but wondering no implications of other brands been used)... Ill email legrand in the mean time.

Cheers all