Outside Electrics

[Tykelad]

Hi all, I'm new to all thid and need some help.
It's a bit of a long story so here goes. I live in a very rural area and we have a field behind our house. We have stables on the field and the distance from house to stables is approx 50 metres. Currently i run an extension from the house to the stables which runs the lights. However, i am getting married in July and a marquee is going behind the stables for the party. The question was to either hire a generator or put in some proper electrics. The generator is gonna be about £500 to hire so i have decided to run armour cable to the stables and put a consumer unit in etc. A mate of mine said that i need 6mm 2 core armour cable and that would be sufficient to run anything that the marquee would need (DJ, Lights, electrics for the bar etc). However, when i went to get the cable, the electrical wholesalers said that i would need 16mm and not 6mm. And that takes the cost sky high, especially with a wedding to pay for. Any ideas ?

Thanks in advance. Neil

 

[ericmark]

To work out size of cable you need to know the power requirement. Trying to guess what a DJ requires is not easy. For a standard record player likely less than 3 amps but add disco lamps and one can quickly end up with some really heavy usage.

Our only clue is hire charge for generator which seems quite high so one starts to wonder how big it is? And also how much noise. The WisperGen uses a Sterling Engine external combustion and produces very little noise but the cheap little generator will likely drown out all the sounds of the party. And the low noise generators cost more.

So you stated 6mm and 50 meters and at 7.3mV/A/m with a max volt drop of 5% (11.5 volt) then max amps = approx 32A. So assuming it will continue from there and lights should really be 3% I would say 20A with 6mm cable would not be a problem.

To be sure you will need info like earth loop impedance but likely no real problem. What is more likely to be a problem is for insurance to cover it will need all the t's crossed and i's dotted so it will need to be done legal. To DIY and stay legal will likely cost more than getting it all done for you.

I would start by getting a quote remember the LABC charges will be over £100 so take off the price of materials and LABC charges and ask your self is it really worth DIY.

 

[ricicle]

Please, for the safety of people, animals and property, use an electrician who can safely install the correct supply for your needs.
Temporary and agricultural installations need extra considerations from the norm.

 

[Tykelad]

Thanks guys. I have no intention of doing the electrical technical stuff myself, just buying the gear and doing the spadework. I would then get an electrician to come in and connect it all up. My point was, which cable would i need. My other half thinks more about her horses than me so its better to be safe than sorry.

 

[riveralt]

Thanks guys. I have no intention of doing the electrical technical stuff myself, just buying the gear and doing the spadework. I would then get an electrician to come in and connect it all up. My point was, which cable would i need.

If you pick the cable size, bury it and then expect him to come around approve it you will be disappointed.
You need to speak to the electrician first. He will determine the size of the cable, its route and the appropriate protective devices given the information you supply.
He may be happy for you to do the grunt work but since he will be testing and signing off for your Local Authority Building Control, he will want to be involved in the whole process.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=2028498#2028498

 

[xr4x4]

My other half thinks more about her horses than me so its better to be safe than sorry.

I feel your pain brother, mine has two, she'd rather starve (and me) before they go without!