Workshop/shed powering up

[activeviii]

hello to all,
i'm new to the site so please be gentle

i'm after a little help on wiring my shed/work shop.

A little history 1st.
my garden is 90foot long, the CU is approx 60foot ontop of that so 150ft run, i have pulled down the 2 sheds that were they as they went rotten. i had 6mm twin/earth running to the one shed from the CU 32amp MCB. then in the shed i split the 6mm into fuse spurs for lighting for the 2 sheds and outside light. also split for 4 double and 1 single socket. i treated the sockets as a ring main back to the 6mm, don't know why i just did it that was i ran a saw bench, diy type, routers, jigsaw, battery chargers, mig welder or a small 1/2hp motor to a metal lathe. not all at once but sometime for hours at a time.

ok the problem/thoughts i have now.

the 6mm was under ground in a tube and was temporary, ok 9yrs, i have only just got around to trying to sort it but i have a few problems.

i can no longer get to the consumer unit with new wire as i have had a garage convertion done and the CU moved further into the room and cant get to the outside from it.
when digging the footings for the new block/render shed the cable got cut, i have run a new armoured cable but it was a freebe and only 100ft long, it will run from the new shed but only up as far as the house where the old 6mm comes out the house.

will this be ok to use, i was thinking of putting a waterproof box on the outside wall for the 2 cables to go into and join.

what would be the best way to sort it out as i really need to use the 6mm to where it comes out of the house. could i still use the 32amp MCD in the house CU and then put a small fusebox in the shed to make wire splitting easier and a little safer.

i still need to run the same tools and i know the right was would be to run a new cable the full lenght but this isnt and option i have at the moment.

any help/thought would be good please. if i have missed anything or you need more info then shout at me

thanks people for your time

All the ebst.
Phil.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

will this be ok to use, i was thinking of putting a waterproof box on the outside wall for the 2 cables to go into and join.

That's OK, as long as you can properly fit a CW SWA gland in the box.

Putting the box inside would be easier, as then it wouldn't need to be waterproof.

what would be the best way to sort it out as i really need to use the 6mm to where it comes out of the house. could i still use the 32amp MCD in the house CU and then put a small fusebox in the shed to make wire splitting easier and a little safer.

A CU in the shed is without doubt the way to go.

Does the circuit from the house CU have RCD protection?

What size is the SWA? Is it 3-core?

Where does the SWA run - i.e. buried (what depth?), overhead etc?

Do you have a PME supply?

i still need to run the same tools and i know the right was would be to run a new cable the full lenght but this isnt and option i have at the moment.

It's actually not that uncommon to join it as you propose, given the difficulty of running SWA indoors, and terminating it in CUs.

any help/thought would be good please. if i have missed anything or you need more info then shout at me

Just checking that you haven't missed this: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2004/20043210.htm

 

[activeviii]

will this be ok to use, i was thinking of putting a waterproof box on the outside wall for the 2 cables to go into and join.

That's OK, as long as you can properly fit a CW SWA gland in the box.

Putting the box inside would be easier, as then it wouldn't need to be waterproof.

what would be the best way to sort it out as i really need to use the 6mm to where it comes out of the house. could i still use the 32amp MCD in the house CU and then put a small fusebox in the shed to make wire splitting easier and a little safer.

A CU in the shed is without doubt the way to go.

Does the circuit from the house CU have RCD protection?

What size is the SWA? Is it 3-core?

Where does the SWA run - i.e. buried (what depth?), overhead etc?

Do you have a PME supply?

i still need to run the same tools and i know the right was would be to run a new cable the full lenght but this isnt and option i have at the moment.

It's actually not that uncommon to join it as you propose, given the difficulty of running SWA indoors, and terminating it in CUs.

any help/thought would be good please. if i have missed anything or you need more info then shout at me

Just checking that you haven't missed this: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2004/20043210.htm[/QUOTE]

core blummimg ell do i have to read and understand all that? i have read it but dont understand any.lol.

the main CU has a RCD s well as the MCB's . it is a spilt board but the mcb is on the protected side of the RCD.
would i just come off the 32MCB and then take it into a new CU in the shed and wire as a new CU.
the SWA state 10mm i will double chck it, 90ft weigh a piggin ton i have arms like a monkey from carrying it.lol im intending to cleat it to the cross rail of a post and rail fence that i have just put up, then when it gets to the new shed i have buried a 2" duck 18" down under the footings into the shed.

just so i dont worry anyone, i will have it all check before it get turned on, but as times money for a friend of mine i would like to get it all done right before i call him to check it as i, and friends, charge each other for workwe do for each other or you end up doing work for free more than paid, that way you only call the help when fiished if you know what i mean.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Err - yes, you do have to understand all that if you are planning to do this yourself - not sure what info I posted that was hard to understand though.

I'm not some doomsayer trying to scare you, or an electrician with a private agenda to bamboozle you into using an electrician to do the work, but those things I mentioned were important.

That's OK, as long as you can properly fit a CW SWA gland in the box.

If you're glanding SWA outdoors you must use CW glands, and it's no use choosing a box too small or too flimsy to work with. 10mm² SWA is not very cooperative...

What size is the SWA? Is it 3-core?

The size of the cable dictates its current carrying capacity - both in absolute terms, and on a long run like yours in what it can support before volt-drop becomes excessive.

It's very important to use 3-core, as (a) you don't want to have to rely on the quality of your terminations for the quality of the earth, and (b) with some sizes, the armour is not big enough to use as a protective conductor.

Where does the SWA run - i.e. buried (what depth?), overhead etc?

Good job I asked that, because:

im intending to cleat it to the cross rail of a post and rail fence that i have just put up

that is not acceptable, unless it's a concrete fence, as a wooden one is not considered permanent enough to be used as a support for a cable. You must either bury it all the way, or support it on a catenary wire between two permanent places.

Do you have a PME supply?

You should not simply export a PME earth - see http://supplychain.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=41

Finally, the law and inspection, certification etc.

This work is notifiable to Building Control. If you wish to do it lawfully (entirely your choice - I'm not bothered), then either you must notify them in advance or it must be done by someone who can self-certify compliance with the Building Regulations, and no matter how qualified your friend is, if he's not registered with one of the Competent Person schemes he can't do that. If he is registered then he should not, in all honesty and professionalism sign off your work when it's finishes as if it were his work. If he's not registered, and you do notify, then you will have to ensure that the LABC either step up to their responsibilities to inspect and test, or that they are happy with whatever inspection, testing and certification that your friend is prepared to do.

Nobody (well, hardly anybody) here is a fan of Part P, and if you want to do it safely but not necessarily according to the letter of the law nobody is going to set the dogs on you.

 

[activeviii]

i totally understood what you said, it was the part b i looked at and thought "bl00dy ell"

i think i would be better off asking the freind to do the work so he can sign it off properly and safe.

can i put extra lights/sockets on myself or would that need to be signed off aswell. this has chanced my way of thinking and now i have seen your alias im starting to agree but i lost the garage to the wifes dinning room a few years ago and she wont give me it back. i did ask if i could use the front room to make her a new bedside table but for some strange reason she said NO, i cant understand it, after all it was for her.


thanks again for your help.

Phil.
Gloucester

 

[ban-all-sheds]

i totally understood what you said, it was the part b i looked at and thought "b***dy ell"

This explains it a bit better, http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_buildreg/documents/page/odpm_breg_br1007.pdf although you should take care to note that it only contains recommendations, and ways to comply, and doesn't define the legislation.

i think i would be better off asking the freind to do the work so he can sign it off properly and safe.

It can be perfectly safe without complying with the Building Regs certification stuff..

I guess it's only partially notifiable anyway - the cable from the house to the shed is a replacement for a damaged one, which is not notifiable. Installing the CU and the new circuits in the shed is notifiable.

can i put extra lights/sockets on myself or would that need to be signed off aswell.

Once the circuits are installed, you can add sockets to them without notifying, as long as they are in the shed, and not out in the garden itself.

this has chanced my way of thinking and now i have seen your alias im starting to agree

Ah - no - I mean

NOT

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