Shed supply in conduit??

[cpvh]

Hi All,

In the olden times, my Readers Digest DIY book said the two approved ways t o get a supply to a shed were either burial (probably SWA) about a foot to

18 inches deep or else. Attaching to a wall (NOT a fence) at about 6 foot h igh. A catenary may have been a third option.

Is there a fourth option that is refs compliant??

I am thinking of running heavy duty metal conduit close to the ground and f ixed to the concrete posts that hold the fence panels (so six foot centres I think).

Would this be compliant with either PVC, or SWA in it? Presently the extension lead is used for HiFi, lighting and a 2KW Heater an d comes of a spur from a 20A (MCB with an RCD feeding it Radial circuit (I THINK it may be a ring, but don?t KNOW the topology, so had 20A MCB s fitted rather than 30A). I am thinking to run either 4mm or 6mm. I could give it a dedicated supply from the CU at extra cost.

[John Rumm]

You could do that...

SWA would be kind of pointless (i.e. you could run that, with it sat on the ground against the fence)

Its easier to get singles through conduit than normal T&E

The general advice is the cable is cheap compared to the effort of doing it, so opt for the bigger one to leave more options open in future.

[cpvh]

I had PVC against the fence, but my wife kept cutting it with shears / secateurs.

Would SWA on the ground against the fence take any harm from garden implements?

[Cynic]

I'd bury swa in a trench instead of buggering about. You only need to do it once if you do it right. It might be handy to lay it inside a bit of duct in case you wish to make upgrades or alterations in future.

[tabbypurr]

to get a supply to a shed were either burial (probably SWA) about a foot t o 18 inches deep or else. Attaching to a wall (NOT a fence) at about 6 foot high. A catenary may have been a third option.

fixed to the concrete posts that hold the fence panels (so six foot centre s I think).

and comes of a spur from a 20A (MCB with an RCD feeding it Radial circuit ( I THINK it may be a ring, but don?t KNOW the topology, so had 20A M CBs fitted rather than 30A). I am thinking to run either 4mm or 6mm. I coul d give it a dedicated supply from the CU at extra cost.

Metal conduit is fine but AIUI you can't fix it to a temporary structure.

NT

[John Rumm]

Well there is temporary and temporary... concrete fence posts are unlikely to blow away.

[ARW]

It could do. Any decent strimmer etc could split the outer sheath and the SWA will rust.

[ARW]

If the conduit is at a low point then you should not use PVC cables as condensation will cause the cables to be sat in water.

[John Rumm]

It more robust than other cables, but you can still damage the sheath like that... (which if you tape it up well enough to keep the water out, will normally be ok).

(its main claim to fame is that its much harder to damage you when chopping into it, since you can't reach anything live without going through a layer of earthed metal screen, which tends to create an earth fault, and cut off the power).

[Andrew]

While installing the SWA, slide a few 6-inch lengths of heat shrinkable sleeving and leave them loose on the cable somewhere where they are out of sight. Should you ever damage the outer sheath, just slide one of these sections along to cover the damage and shrink it tight.

[Dave Liquorice]

Not water proof in my expeience, even the adhesive lined stuff. Self amalgamating tape on the other hand is.

[cpvh]

Cheers for all the advice.

Its going to be buried SWA.

I?ll by a pre terminated length.

[ARW]

Good.

Do you mean a pre cut length not pre terminated length?