Planning ahead - electric socket and charging point outside house

[ericmark]

When I was younger I installed many cables just in case. But as I got older I realised we never used those cables installed just in case. Often either rules, methods, or technology had changed by time we wanted to use it, so it was redundant, for example loads of cables buried in the walls of my house for telephones, now all phones are cordless. So a duct with draw wire yes, but a cable no would not bother. For one thing the electrician has to sign to say he has inspected the cable which once buried he can't do. By time you get an electric car they may be using 100A chargers, or the reverse may only need a 10A, or there may be a special off peak, or when the wind is blowing, or when sun is shining charger. So it may need more than three wires in the cable. So duct yes, cables don't bother.

 

[seasickstevie]

I ran phone cables to both toilets in our house, so that I could answer it when ... blah blah.
... they've never been connected.

Now some people sit on the loo surfing the net ... so I've been told.

 

[Echo the husky]

Toilet phone, very posh, though not as posh as the mansion I was working at last year. That had a telephone extension in the remote indoor swimming pool, and the PABX allowed you to phone many rooms in the property with the 20 speed dial buttons. You could argue that was pointless too as the owner hadn't been to the property in over 6 years...

 

[Iggifer]

On a recent job the building owner built a downstairs toilet on the ground floor lounge of a large student property, resulting in the existing door entry point ending up right next to the cistern. I was ADAMANT it should stay where it was, nobody else seemed to agree with me!

 

[EFLImpudence]

Wouldn't building a toilet on a ground floor lounge mean the toilet was upstairs?

I think a better description is needed.

 

[ey143]

the other end to a junction box screwed to a wall like this one below?
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/WK308G.html

Why do you feel it necesary to terminate this cable?
Do you know how to do it? Have you ever tried to terminate SWA?
You need a specific gland to do it properly and, if you use the Wiska box, a special earth clamp bar to properly terminate the armour sheath.

As I mentioned above (#8) my advice is to not terminate it at all. The installer will probably want to take the SWA directly into the charge point itself.
If you terminate the cable in the wrong place, or make the run too short then the installer has fewer options. My advice: run the cable and leave it for the expert to connect.

Maybe I am using the wrong terminology. I simply mean that I want to cap each end off and place it in a junction box so that it's not left exposed to the weather.

Running ducting will be difficult if I'm going to have to run it over ceilings and lots of bends. It won't be running via the ground.

 

[Taylortwocities]

The cable is PVC inside and out. Water and damp won't run up pvc/pvc cables and cause problems. It will not be connected to the supply.
It will be fine left just as it is until connection time.

 

[seasickstevie]

SWA rolls usually come with the end sealed with a shroud of sorts. If so, just leave it on.

 

[ey143]

Ok thanks. Last question on this subject...I hope.

How significant or bad is it if all the mains electrical cables are not being run under the concrete ground floor slab but over the ground floor ceiling where there will be rockwool insulation etc. If the whole house is being rewired, and cables are being run above the ceilings with the insulation there, do these cables get hot, is there a risk of fire (both regular cables and even say 6mm armoured cable)?

 

[EFLImpudence]

There are varying degrees but the worst case is - if a cable is completely surrounded by thermal insulation for a run of half a meter or more its current carrying capacity is halved.

That is 6mm² T&E cable down from the maximum 47A to 23.5A. Armoured cable very similar.

The best is to keep the cables away from insulation.

 

[DaveHerns]

I see a Volvo XC90 Hybrid has options for the home charging point from 3.7 to 22 kw. The latter would need some serious cabling etc