Simple Outbuilding Connection

[seaweasel]

I recently put an outbuilding (hard to describe but essentially a metal shed) about 3m from our house, however it's at the opposite side from the consumer unit and I'd like to hook it up for some basic power and lighting.

As the normal load would be pretty low (less than 100W), I was wondering whether some armoured cable with an RCD protected plug indoors would be sufficient as opposed to creating a spur or extending the ring main.

At the shed end, although occasional power tool use would he handy, the essentials would only be a light fitting or two running low energy bulbs and two or threesockets for low power appliances. If my RCD plug idea is feasible, would a fused spur switch suffice for the lighting?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Any advice would be appreciated.

Get an electrician.

PLEASE get an electrician. Your "ideas" show that you are a long way away from being competent to install a supply to a metal building.

This, I'm sure, is not what you wanted to hear, but I'm even more sure it's what you need to hear.

 

[seaweasel]

Thanks for your reply, however you could have been a little less patronising. I didn't think it would be completely unreasonable to connect a couple of low power lights and appliances over a short distance to an earthed and RCD protected supply, however if I had all the answers then I wouldn't have posted here in the first place. I do have a friend of a friend who's an electrician and will gladly check things out with him, but all I was looking for was some pointers in the meantime.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Thanks for your reply, however you could have been a little less patronising.

I wasn't talking down to you. I gave you good and well intentioned advice. As I predicted, it wasn't the advice you thought you should get, but I'm afraid that rubbish ideas like trying to terminate armoured cable into a plug, and rubbish designs like having any sort of plug-in connection for an outbuilding show that you really don't have anywhere near enough knowledge of electrical design and installation practices to be doing this.

I know that it's fashionable to eschew telling people that they are ignorant, and thus incompetent, and to regard any imputation of such as a gross personal insult, as though it were quite right to pretend that everyone knows everything, and that nobody should be dissuaded from attempting anything because they don't know enough, but tough s**t - that's ludicrous, and I will have nothing to do with it.

I didn't think it would be completely unreasonable to connect a couple of low power lights and appliances over a short distance to an earthed and RCD protected supply,

It's not, but the fact that you, for one second, considered doing it by plugging into a socket shows that you are not sufficiently knowledgeable to be trying to do the job.

Do you not think, for example, that this metal building might be one large extraneous-conductive-part?

Do you have a TN-C-S supply? Should you export the earth to the building?

however if I had all the answers then I wouldn't have posted here in the first place.

The problem is that you're only going to ask for the answers you know you don't have. What about the things you don't know but don't realise you don't know because you have no idea they even exist? How will you ask about them?

I do have a friend of a friend who's an electrician

Then have him do it.

and will gladly check things out with him, but all I was looking for was some pointers in the meantime.

• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/6.1.1.htm
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/7.13.3.htm
  
  
• http://www.theiet.org/publishing/wiring-regulations/mag/2005/16-elect-inst-outdoors.cfm?type=pdf
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:mcbtocable
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/4.3.1.htm
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/cableselection_web.pdf
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/5.3.1.htm
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/4.3.11.htm
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/Charts/VoltageDrop.html
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/8.1.1.htm
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:part-p
  

Seriously - none of the above are attempts to blind you with science - they are all apposite, so start reading.