Shed Supply From.....?

[peehead]

Evening all,

I'm having a blonde moment, really tired but need to get a qoute out to customer in the morning.

Customer wants Freezer, Tumble dryer, spare 1 x 2G socket and a security light supplied from a wooden shed about 5 meters away from house.

I'm not sure about wattage of any of the appliance but would you agree that should I just put 3 core, 4mm swa (32 amps) in to save hassle and incase she decide to throw any other appliances in there as well?

As this is my first outbuilding to be wired I just want to check another thing. I know I should have a seperate way on the main CU with RCD but I have been to an outdoor office built last year 10 meters away only connected by swa via a 13amp fused spur. Could I do similar as the nearest plug is a washing machine plug and just put a fused spur there aslong as the circuit can handle it?

 

[Phil]

Evening all,

I'm having a blonde moment, really tired but need to get a qoute out to customer in the morning.

Customer wants Freezer, Tumble dryer, spare 1 x 2G socket and a security light supplied from a wooden shed about 5 meters away from house.

I'm not sure about wattage of any of the appliance but would you agree that should I just put 3 core, 4mm swa (32 amps) in to save hassle and incase she decide to throw any other appliances in there as well?

As this is my first outbuilding to be wired I just want to check another thing. I know I should have a seperate way on the main CU with RCD but I have been to an outdoor office built last year 10 meters away only connected by swa via a 13amp fused spur. Could I do similar as the nearest plug is a washing machine plug and just put a fused spur there aslong as the circuit can handle it?

not if the customer wants the above appliances and does not have a fair size supply of 13a fuses

 

[peehead]

Ah yes, So tired I forgot what she was having.

I have told her she'll need to upgrade her CU to have it's own RCD to avoid nuisance trips but she doesn't seemed to mind but in my mind I'd rather leave a job good knowing that someone is'nt running back and forth or incase it trips in night and then freezer defrosts.

All ideas welcom. CU is a good 15 meter from shed but for some reason has a concrete ceiling and can't think of another way to run a cable to shed.

 

[Engineer54]

Take a non RCD'd 4mm SWA supply cable from the house supply to a small RCD consumer unit in the shed and supply your circuit requirements from here. What is the earthing system, and is there any metallic water service pipes in or attached to this wooden shed?? If it's PME and has any extraneous services etc, then you will need to run in a 10 mm 3 core SWA cable, to comply with PME bonding requirements. Or of course TT the shed, which would be a really daft idea for the sake of a few extra £'s for the bigger cable!!

 

[Richard Burns]

Do your cable calculations based on the diversified load, cable length and protective device, do not just guess at cable size.

Run the new circuit in SWA from a spare way in the CU and fit an RCD 2 way CU in the shed, then run your shed circuits from there.

Take into account your earthing system, the fact that you may have water supplies in the shed, you may need bonding to the shed, so 10mm2 bonding, if required.

EDIT pretty much as E54 has said!

 

[Guitarist]

If, of course the customer has an older CU and has requested an upgrade anyway (along with the spread of tests that involves), then fit a high integrity CU and use one of the unprotected ways to supply a new RCD board in the shed. Take note of what the guys above have said, along with making sure that you bury and protect the swa adequately.
I'm assuming that you are new to electrics, as you say that this is your first outbuilding supply?

 

[peehead]

Cheers for the replies. She's pretty much said no to a new CU and obviously don't want to throw away work but in this case I'll just be blunt with her and say no new CU no oower to shed.

Been sparking for 7 months so not got years of experience but my first outbuilding so far.

 

[Guitarist]

It's one thing to break into an RFC to get a socket to a shed for plugging the mower in, but another thing altogether to run a stack of appliances from the outbuilding.
Have you checked what the main earthing system is?

 

[peehead]

Tncs system but shes has no spare ways on her current Cu.

 

[Des 56]

You can advise a customer of the options as far as renewing a consumer unit,but you are being a little naive if you turn that into blackmail

She wants power to a shed
Assess the situation, taking in mind the advise about load,cable size and protection,work out how best to supply that shed from the mains position.work out the price and await her decision

 

[peehead]

Please dont get me wrong I will obviously say to her politely that I'm unable to supply any power to her shed unless she upgrades her CU. I definitely don't do the hard sale as I'm busy enough already.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Take a non RCD'd 4mm SWA supply cable from the house supply to a small RCD consumer unit in the shed and supply your circuit requirements from here. What is the earthing system, and is there any metallic water service pipes in or attached to this wooden shed?? If it's PME and has any extraneous services etc, then you will need to run in a 10 mm 3 core SWA cable, to comply with PME bonding requirements. Or of course TT the shed, which would be a really daft idea for the sake of a few extra £'s for the bigger cable!!

why not just pull in a 10mm G/Y with the 4mm SWA?

 

[peehead]

No services / metal entering the shed

 

[Engineer54]

why not just pull in a 10mm G/Y with the 4mm SWA?

No reason at all, what ever's the cheapest option i guess.

 

[Guitarist]

Looks like Henley block time then.

 

[peehead]

That's what I was just thinking myself, spooky lol.

 

[Richard Burns]

Just do not do what I saw at one time.

Oh we want power to the shed, we will use Henley blocks, well I think I will just wire the SWA into the Henley block.

Protection for the cable whats that?
Glanding SWA whats that?
Earthing the armour whats that?

and they proudly told me they were not in the habit of putting their family at risk!

 

[Guest111]

Just do not do what I saw at one time.

Oh we want power to the shed, we will use Henley blocks, well I think I will just wire the SWA into the Henley block.

Protection for the cable whats that?
Glanding SWA whats that?
Earthing the armour whats that?

and they proudly told me they were not in the habit of putting their family at risk!

There's a lad near me set up his own building firm,Bodgit and Scarper I think it's called,anyway he asked me to do a ticket on a garage that he'd just worked on basically a domestic garage split in half across the middle and the back end made into a small room,the walls were drylined.Anyway the first thing was an armoured cable coming out of the house via a hole in the window frame,this went to a plastic Proteus CU in the garage,no glands just stuffed in through a large hole in the bottom,2 cables came out one 2.5 T&E on a 30A fuse a radial feeding 3 twin sockets,on plastic boxes set into the wall,the 1mm off a 5A fuse went to a jb then split to feed a florry and 6 downlights,the cables were just strung anywhere with not a clip in sight,needless to say he'd never heard of sleeving for earths.I looked it over,no need for testing then shook my head and walked off,the homeowner came over and asked if there was something wrong and what the best way would be to put it right,she took it well when I said the best way was to start again,well better than I would anyway.lol.For weeks afterwards I had the guy ringing me up and saying that since I was a mate couldn't I just tweak it and give him a ticket.

 

[Guitarist]

Another post lost.... guess it's not sorted afterall

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Henley block into a consumer unit to supply the shed depending on the route your taking i wouldnt RCD protect the cable going to the shed, calculate the cable that is suitable. Fit a RCD consumer unit in the shed and away you go if there is no extranaous metalwork.

I dont know why you would tell her your not doing the work if she doesnt have a consumer unit change as it sounds like a nice little job.