SWA to a garage - what size please

[GJUK]

Hi guys.

Firstly I will be getting and electrician to do all of this work, apart from laying the cable as I have this and the digger to do it myself.

We have electrics running to an outbuilding already, via SWA cable and it has all bee checked recently to be very sound and 'over rated' for the use there.

From the outbuilding I want to run it to another garage. The sparky has visited and suggested 10mm will do the job.
In the new garage I will have two car lifts, welders/grinding tools and quite a bit of lighting.
The run from the outbuilding to the garage is ~50 metres.

Am I better installing 16mm or even bigger cable?

Thanks,

 

[winston1]

Don't you trust what advice your electrician has given you?

Have you got permission from your DNO or this unusually heavy load?

 

[GJUK]

Exactly that . He didnt query what I would be running in the garage, 2 car lifts etc.
DNO? What is this exactly?

 

[GJUK]

DNO = electrical supplier.

I'm sure it can't be much more than the AGA we have running currently!

 

[bernardgreen]

Dig the trench and install a duct for the cable to be pulled through later. Install a second duct for ELV ( Extra Low Voltage ) cables for telephone, data, alarm etc etc.

230 volts AC is classed as Low Voltage

The DNO is the District Network Operator, the company that maintains the supply network and it is their cable to your house that determines the maximum load you can take from the network. If you need to look at https://www.ssepd.co.uk/Whoismynetworkoperator/

 

[GJUK]

Never considered having to check with the supplier on how much I can use.
It's not commercial or anything, I just want it rated for overkill if I'm running big things in the future.

I'll check with them.

Thanks.

 

[John D v2.0]

If it's 50m long then volt drop will be your issue, especially with those grinders and pumps starting up. I'd say if you're buying it yourself the extra cost of bigger cable would be worth it.
However as said above your neighbours won't thank you for making their lights dim too every time you turn something on.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Never considered having to check with the supplier on how much I can use.
It's not commercial or anything, I just want it rated for overkill if I'm running big things in the future.

I'll check with them.

BGI. You have signed an agreement with them to the effect that you won't do anything which affects other people's supply.

If you go ahead without checking, and getting their approval, if you do cause problems for your neighbours they will cut you off.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It's not commercial or anything

Be aware that if you upset anyone, and they complain to the council, two car lifts and more than one welder will not, on the face of it, look like anything other than "commercial"

 

[Nozzle]

You'll find that it's quite hard and expensive to get a single phase car lift too, they're generally three phase. You could use a smaller alternative which is a "movable" lift shaped like a parallelogram with a large hydraulic piston across two corners and a power pack. The power pack is a hydraulic pump tha runs on compressed air. It's good gear, and movable (though heavy and akward) as I think two posts would get in the way in the set up I have here. Check out Automotech.

Nozzle

 

[XtraRaptor]

What size cable runs from the supply to the outbuilding?
How is it protected?