Power supply to garden shed/ garage

Post by **cebul** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:36 am

Hi, is there any electrician here?? Need some advice.

I have a garage on the back of my garden, about 25 meters from my house. Unfortunately, there is now power supply in the garage. Mainly I need it for: Lights, radio, heater over the winter, some drill, angle gringer or any power tools, and maybe little welder.

My question is – what is the easy and safe method to do this.??

My plan is – drill the hole in to the house, to closes socket, plug in the wire, than fit the wire along the fence and run it straight to the garage, that attach it to the wall, 2 socket and wire to the middle of the garage for light – job done. Basically, I will just build an electric extension from house to garage. What do you think about it?? If it is ok, could you advice what type of wire I should buy – thickness and weather condition protection to run it outdoor.?? I believe it should be armored.

It will be attached to the fence and closed in some plastic housing or in tube.

I would like to avoid of digging and placing a wire underground, as My knowlage is basic in electrician stuff, so creating a new circuit is not for me as I may mess it up.

Post by **Donald** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 1:06 am

My old man did the same thing, but buried the cable. I don't know the exact specs of it but I can ask next time I see him, I'm sure someone will respond before then, though.

'92 Si VTEC · Post by **jjmartin349571** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 1:40 am

Whoever wired my garage just ran a loose cable from the fuse box to the garage. The fusebox is in a cupboard on a wall that stands next to the drive about 2 car lengths from the garage, so they just drilled through to the outside and left the cable traipsed along the drive beside the house

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 5:42 am

Ok, well a sparky would say that instead of just plugging into an existing socket in the house you need to hard wire it in with its own individual rcd protected supply etc. but if you're not bothered about compliance with regs, aren't a virgin to wiring/just want a practical solution and if you're planning to unplug it whenever you're not using it, then as you say, in practice it's no different to if you were running an extension lead into the garden to use a flymo!

If you're wanting to leave the cable out there in between use then yes, you need armoured. Otherwise you'd need to carefully check the full length of the cable every time prior to use (and it's still at risk of a rodent etc. attacking it during use). The problem you'll have is getting an armoured cable into a 3-pin plug I expect.

Use a plug in RCD at the socket inside the house. You'll just need 3 core cable (one core for live, one for neutral, one for earth). There's no need to sleeve it or run it in conduit - that's precisely what the armour protection is for. Just make sure it's tidily clipped along its route, so it can't be snagged/pulled etc. by someone and that the connections at both ends of the cable are inside the house/shed and protected from where water can get at them (e.g. uphill of any hole you've drilled for the cable and/or that the hole has been sealed after).

As for the rest, it all comes down to how much current you will be drawing. Ultimately you'll be limited by 13amp max, because you're running off a standard plug socket inside the house, so remember that and don't exceed it.

Of the things you've listed above, the heater will be the biggest single draw, by a long way (then the angle grinder, power drill and welder). What heater are you planning to use? What's the current or power rating of it?

If the total that you're going to be regularly drawing is up near 13 amps then might need to look a bit more closely into the socket you're planning to plug into in the house (is it a spur or on the ring main, is it double gang and is there anything else plugged into it at the same time etc.) because otherwise you could still end up overloading that local socket. Hopefully you won't be going close enough to that kind of current though...

mercutio · Post by **mercutio** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 9:42 am

Aldi do an outside power socket kit I bought a couple they are pretty good

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 10:05 am

Like this sort of thing merc?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Masterplug-We ... rmvSB=true

The rcd and the socket are good, but that cable is no good for 'permanent' installation outside. That's why the flex on them is so short and it says "for temporary installation" - so people don't go running them down their garden to a shed

mercutio · Post by **mercutio** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 12:02 pm

yep that's the one but cable can be changed for a decent armoured cable or run through conduit

YouTube · Post by **Sailor** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 1:52 pm

I'll be re-wiring my shed soon, with the same set of conditions, except that mine will have to go overhead on a tension wire.
As Wurly says, an RCD is essential. And don't skimp on the cable cross-section.

prelude91 · Post by **prelude91** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 3:46 pm

I have a similar set-up as described by Wurly, rcd inside the house, plug and unplugged into wall socket when needed, SWA from outside wall, run underground to the bottom of my garden, thence into the shed where I have distribution board and four sockets. It's been in for about 12 years now and no issues.

hondaman · Post by **hondaman** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 12:50 pm

Same as really it'll need to be run into the fuse box i would have thought, the last person to live here did that, and i've got multiple sockets, a trickle charger on the bike and tonnes of lighting