Shed Electrics

[Hard-Drive]

After the very helpful replies to my shed foundations thread it's up...although a little dark!

Yes I know you are supposed to get a sparky in the connect things up, however no sparky will want to spend hours in my garden digging a trench.

Anyone know what the rules are with regards to running underground power to an outbuilding? Happy to do that bit myself and get someone professional in to wire it (presumably to the consumer unit?)

Thanks!

[anonymous-user]

God knows, i just dug a metre or so down and stuck some PVC conduit in.

[elster]

Rather than conduit some SWA cable would be a better idea.

[NikB]

I got bored digging after I got passed the patio so I just ran it along the fence. It's armoured cable so should be OK :awaitstobetoldotherwise:

[anonymous-user]

NikB said:

I got bored digging after I got passed the patio so I just ran it along the fence. It's armoured cable so should be OK :awaitstobetoldotherwise:

Nice British attitide, you obviously didn't have enough beer!

[largerandrock]

I put some outdoor cable through some hose pipe which runs all the way to my shed about 56 metres i only dug about 2ft down to bury it. beein there 6 years and not a problem!

[anonymous-user]

56 metres!! By hand? Soil here is clay(like bloody concrete) took me 6 hours to do 5 metres!

[NikB]

Dave_ST220 said:

NikB said:

I got bored digging after I got passed the patio so I just ran it along the fence. It's armoured cable so should be OK :awaitstobetoldotherwise:

Nice British attitide, you obviously didn't have enough beer!

Don't worry there was a LOT of beer consumed in the construction of my MANSHED. Construction commenced in summer '06 and it's only just finished - just finished the blinds last week!

Anyway, here's my thread asking the same question from way back, some help in there and a lot of whinging about me touching electrics. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[anonymous-user]

NikB said:

Dave_ST220 said:

NikB said:

I got bored digging after I got passed the patio so I just ran it along the fence. It's armoured cable so should be OK :awaitstobetoldotherwise:

Nice British attitide, you obviously didn't have enough beer!

Don't worry there was a LOT of beer consumed in the construction of my MANSHED. Construction commenced in summer '06 and it's only just finished - just finished the blinds last week!

Anyway, here's my thread asking the same question from way back, some help in there and a lot of whinging about me touching electrics. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Good lad, sounds a top job

[NikB]

Dave_ST220 said:

NikB said:

Dave_ST220 said:

NikB said:

I got bored digging after I got passed the patio so I just ran it along the fence. It's armoured cable so should be OK :awaitstobetoldotherwise:

Nice British attitide, you obviously didn't have enough beer!

Don't worry there was a LOT of beer consumed in the construction of my MANSHED. Construction commenced in summer '06 and it's only just finished - just finished the blinds last week!

Anyway, here's my thread asking the same question from way back, some help in there and a lot of whinging about me touching electrics. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Good lad, sounds a top job

The beer must be the largest proportion of the build costs.

So glad I built it now, perfect escape place - got all my mags (car) out there plus TV, PS2, Internet, hoooge hi-fi (which makes the roof shake) and sofa.

[Hard-Drive]

Nik said:

MANSHED.

What an excellent name! I thought shed was too dull, I was going to call it a workshop. It's now a "Manshed". Top stuff.

[anonymous-user]

Sounds like a dream land to me

[Ganglandboss]

The cable should be deep enough to avoid damage.

BS 7671:2008 - 522.8.10

The location of buried cables shall be marked by cable covers or a suitable marking tape. Buried conduits and ducts shall be suitably identified. Buried cables, conduits and ducts shall be at a sufficient depth to avoid being damaged by any reasonably forseeable disturbance of the ground.

So legally no depth is specified. Accepted good practice is 600mm plus the diameter of the cable plus 100mm. Lay 100mm sifted sand in the trench, then the cable, then sifted sand or soil to a depth of 150mm above the cable followed by your marker tape or tiles and then you can backfill it.

ETA:

Edited by Ganglandboss on Friday 14th November 16:42

[Skyedriver]

Up here where the ground is often bedrock with no soil to speak of, the cable is SWA and laid on the surface, generally at the side of a path, along a fence or if there is soil about 200mm deep (if lucky).
Thats private cable not electric board stuff. Got a fright the first time I saw it done but used to it now

BT usually just hang the cable from tree to tree, bush to bush it seems although occassionally they manage to pop it in a duct...

Edited by Skyedriver on Friday 14th November 16:41