Electrics for breezeblock shed

[djspeeduk]

Hi there am new to this so go easy....Now im not going to do this myself as its dangerous.

I want to run a swa cable to my shed which is approx 100 meters away from my main consumer box most of the cable will be buried 2ft down in the ground.

I plan to run approx 5kw at the most. But i do plan on having a striplight or 2.

What i want to know is,
*what type of swa cable wil i need as in what core and what size mm
as id like to lay this myself minimising work for electrician ( saving me money)

*what consumer box is best for the job

all replies are greafully received.....

 

[OwainDIYer]

A quick calculation at http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/Charts/VoltageDrop.html suggests
Required Cable Size 16 mm
Voltage Drop 6.30 Volts.
Percentage Drop 2.7%
Current Load 21.0 Amps

 

[djspeeduk]

thanks ...what abour the wire core? will 2 core do the job or do i need more?

 

[Monkeh]

If I were you I'd talk to your electrician about getting the cable. 100m of 16mm² will weigh around 100kg and cost upwards of £400..

 

[OwainDIYer]

Are you sure you want 5kW - that's quite a lot of load?

 

[Steve]

Hi there am new to this so go easy....Now im not going to do this myself as its dangerous.

Its not though.

 

[Monkeh]

Hi there am new to this so go easy....Now im not going to do this myself as its dangerous.

Its not though.

It is if you roll the SWA over your toes!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What i want to know is,
*what type of swa cable wil i need as in what core and what size mm
.
.
*what consumer box is best for the job

You have to ask your electrician those questions.

She will be the one signing declarations that say she did the work, including the design, and that it all complies with the Wiring Regulations and the Building Regulations.

You cannot go ahead, choose a cable, choose a CU, choose an earthing method, stick the cable in the ground and then expect an electrician to roll up and take responsibility for it. She won't mind at all if you dig the trench yourself, but you must agree that up front with her - in effect she has to be directing and supervising your work, she has to decide where the cable will go, she has to specify how deep the trench will be, and how the base is prepared etc.

Plus she'll be paying less for the materials than you will, so it makes economic sense to involve her from the start and you just work as her labourer.

 

[OwainDIYer]

For 100m you'd be hiring a mini digger anyway (I hope!) so it would be worth burying it rather deeper than 2 ft.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[OwainDIYer]

6' might be rather difficult to trench safely without shoring, but I'd suggest about 3'6" / 1m to allow depth for double-digging the garden above. 2' (with warning tape at 1') probably okay under a patio.