Outside wiring

There is an SWA cable running down the garden at Handyman Towers, providing power to the shed.

It appears to terminate inside the house at an FCU.

This place seems full of bodged electrics, wall lights wired into sockets with diagonal cable runs, CH wiring a complete bodge etc (all now sorted).

Should this SWA cable terminate in an RCD?

CU only has MCB's.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman
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Probably. But at which end of the cable?

Reply to
ARW

There is an SWA cable running down the garden at Handyman Towers, providing power to the shed.

It appears to terminate inside the house at an FCU.

This place seems full of bodged electrics, wall lights wired into sockets with diagonal cable runs, CH wiring a complete bodge etc (all now sorted).

Should this SWA cable terminate in an RCD?

CU only has MCB's.

I'd make sure it *started" with one and had one at the shed as well for local protection

Reply to
Nthkentman

Do you mean that?

Two RCDs? Two MCBs? Or one of each?

Reply to
ARW

Presumably the house/supply end to protect the cable?

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

There will need to be an RCD somewhere, although it does not have to be at the head end of the cable.

If the SWA is exporting the house earth to the shed, and its correctly wired at the FCU with the armour connected to earth, and the house earth is a TN variant (i.e. not TT), then the SWA itself should be adequately protected from "spade through cable" style problems.

What is the arrangement in the shed?

Reply to
John Rumm

You can't really cascade normal RCDs like that, since a trip condition could take out any combination of them.

You only really need one at the head end if you are unable to provide adequate earth fault protection to the SWA without. If that is the case them you will need a type S (i.e. time delayed) RCD at the head end, and a normal one at the shed.

Reply to
John Rumm

All my outside buildings (quick count up, approx 7) are supplied by underground swa, starting off in a distribution box with a 100mA rcd main switch and fed via an MCB of appropriate size. At the far end each building has a distribution board with a 30mA rcd main switch and feeds mcb's of a size appropriate to the local circuits. Most are three phase feeds, but some are single phase. Each building has a local earth rod. Then there are some supplies daisy chained from distant buildings

I reckon the 100mA main rcd's will prevent fires and the local 30mA rcd's will protect life and limb.

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

7???
Reply to
Mentalguy2k8

Barn, Woodwork shed, two Portakabins, two greenhouses, a poly tunnel, the 'Bothy' (meat preparation kitchen), Chicken shed, Lambing shed, Old Dairy, oh and not forgetting the remote outside loo - I make that twelve now you've may me count properly

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

I think what you have is Legacy cabling. Its what was done before the health and safety folk got involved. grin

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

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