Where to buy SWA cable?

kdouglas

Hi All,

I'm looking to run some power out to the garden shed. Will be getting an electrician to hook it up to the main, but want to run out the cable myself while I'm doing some digging in the garden.

I'm thinking 2.5mm or 3.5/4.0mm SWA would do the job? I'd need between 25-50metres (depending on whether I run SWA all the way to the fuse box or put a junction box and go back to regular internal cabling once I get the cable back into the house)

Can anyone recommend somewhere good to pick this up?

indie armada

where abouts are you.....which part of the country?

paddy147

kdouglas wrote: »

Hi All,

I'm looking to run some power out to the garden shed. Will be getting an electrician to hook it up to the main, but want to run out the cable myself while I'm doing some digging in the garden.

I'm thinking 2.5mm or 3.5/4.0mm SWA would do the job? I'd need between 25-50metres (depending on whether I run SWA all the way to the fuse box or put a junction box and go back to regular internal cabling once I get the cable back into the house)

Can anyone recommend somewhere good to pick this up?

What will you have in the shed,as in how many lights and sockets,what type of electrical things will you be using???
3 core 6 square SAW would allow for future proofing.

About 3 euro 50cents -4 euro a meter from most Leccy wholesalers

Best to go board to board,as in from main house fuse board out to shed fuse board.

Make sure the shed fuse board is an IP rated board too.

Dig your trench at least 2 feet deep too.

Carlow52

do the voltage drop calc here
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/Charts/VoltageDrop.html

so as u can get the correct size.

If 50m run I would say 6sq or 10 sq, especially if using elec motors

indie armada

3x6 sq swa shouldnt cost ye more then 3.50 per meter inc vat
if using 3x2.5 expect to pay 1.80 per meter inc vat
if ye post up a full list of what ye need i can post up guide prices.

kdouglas

indie armada wrote: »

where abouts are you.....which part of the country?

Live in north Kildare, work in north Dublin, anywhere near either of those would be handy.

kdouglas

paddy147 wrote: »

What will you have in the shed,as in how many lights and sockets,what type of electrical things will you be using???
3 core 6 square SAW would allow for future proofing.
.

it's only a small 10' x6' wooden shed, 4 double sockets and a couple of light bulbs.

indie armada

there are a few places around finglas/glasnevin... and there is n2 electric in ashbourne...further north there is a kellihers in donabate and mainscourt is in swords.

iba

Hi,

I would like to run electricity from my house to my shed.

The facts are:

I will be taking the power from a socket, i.e. a spur.

The distance from the spur to the shed is 10metres.

I will be using the electricity in the shed to run, a light, a fridge freezer and from time to time light power tools like a drill.

I would appreciate confirmation that 2.5mm Armoured SWA Cable would sufice or this job or would I need to go up to the 4mm?

Do I need a mcb in the shed?

Regards
Iba

delly

Thread moved:
DIY -> Electrical

Bruthal

iba wrote: »

Hi,

I would like to run electricity from my house to my shed.

The facts are:

I will be taking the power from a socket, i.e. a spur.

The distance from the spur to the shed is 10metres.

I will be using the electricity in the shed to run, a light, a fridge freezer and from time to time light power tools like a drill.

I would appreciate confirmation that 2.5mm Armoured SWA Cable would sufice or this job or would I need to go up to the 4mm?

Do I need a mcb in the shed?

Regards
Iba

The best is to run if from the main house MCB board, but you can run it from the socket. I would come from the socket through a double pole 20 amp switch and not a spur, so any problems on the outside circuit can be isolated and not be tripping your sockets RCD.

4 square will be slightly better even though the house socket circuit your coming from will only be 2.5 if its a radial circuit(radial will have 20 amp MCB on the socket circuit your connecting to). And if its a ring circuit, 4 square would be needed really, and even better, 6 square (ring circuit will have 32 amp mcb on socket circuit your connecting to)

If you come off the socket circuit as you plan to, then 2 MCBs in the shed will do. A 10 amp MCB for the light, and 20 amp MCB for a couple of twin sockets.

If you did come from the house MCB board, then a small MCB board is needed in the shed. Main switch fuse, 10 amp mcb for light, 20 amp RCBO for sockets. The Cable for this would be from the Main house MCB board in 3 x 6 square SWA. And maybe a 32 amp breaker on the Main board for this cable.

eiei0

I got 20m of 6sq SWA in Westco in Newbridge for about €3 per M last week. (vat included)

B&Q sell it as well but its mental money.

Stoner

there are planty of wholesalers between north Dublin and Kildare, Edmundsons in D9, Kellihers in croke park, T O Reillies in blanchardstown or newbridge.


check the thread there are other options too like the EAW members, plenty of guys in NAAS etc and other options like eurosales, phibsboro electric etc

http://www.aew.ie/members.php?current=4

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055193263

iba

robbie7730 wrote: »

The best is to run if from the main house MCB board, but you can run it from the socket. I would come from the socket through a double pole 20 amp switch and not a spur, so any problems on the outside circuit can be isolated and not be tripping your sockets RCD.

4 square will be slightly better even though the house socket circuit your coming from will only be 2.5 if its a radial circuit(radial will have 20 amp MCB on the socket circuit your connecting to). And if its a ring circuit, 4 square would be needed really, and even better, 6 square (ring circuit will have 32 amp mcb on socket circuit your connecting to)

If you come off the socket circuit as you plan to, then 2 MCBs in the shed will do. A 10 amp MCB for the light, and 20 amp MCB for a couple of twin sockets.

If you did come from the house MCB board, then a small MCB board is needed in the shed. Main switch fuse, 10 amp mcb for light, 20 amp RCBO for sockets. The Cable for this would be from the Main house MCB board in 3 x 6 square SWA. And maybe a 32 amp breaker on the Main board for this cable.

Thanks very much Robbie - much appreciate.

Will be coming from the socket though, impossible to come off the main fuse box.

So just to make sure that I understand you correctly, I make a connection from my socket to a Double Pole 20amp Switch which looks like this:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/Products/size_3/BG931.JPG

I then run my swa cable from the Double Pole 20amp socket Switch to the 2 MCBs which look like this:

http://www.ued.co.uk/_public/products/images/original/MCB%20Double%20Pole.gif

Can you tell me please what cable do I run from the MCB to the socket and to the light fitting?

Thanks for your help.

Regards

Iba

M cebee

you should get a qualified electrician


the country's full of them at the moment

you can't safely be coached through this job

Bruthal

The double pole switch is right, which can be used to isolate the outside circuit should problems trip your house sockets, but the MCB you linked is not the right type, thats a double pole MCB. Best advice is get electrician in probably.

iba

I forgot, for those looking for SWA Cable, I got some in CWE in Coolmine, right next to Power City - cost about €2 a metre

http://www.cweelectrical.com/

Regards

Iba

iba

Thanks Robbie & M ceebee

M cebee

ya no worries-i'm not trying to be smart

it's just 'safe isolation' before working and installation work and testing after

hardly worth the bother yourself if you've no training

Merch

iba wrote: »

I forgot, for those looking for SWA Cable, I got some in CWE in Coolmine, right next to Power City - cost about €2 a metre

http://www.cweelectrical.com/

Regards

Iba

€2 a metre including vat??, thats 1.50 cheaper then the nearest price i got.

Bruthal

Merch wrote: »

€2 a metre including vat??, thats 1.50 cheaper then the nearest price i got.

Yea just around the €3 a meter for 3x6swa i rang about today.

Merch

robbie7730 wrote: »

Yea just around the €3 a meter for 3x6swa i rang about today.

€3 a metre 3 x 6 SWA in the coolmine place? Maybe iba wasn't talking about 6 square then.
I'll ring them by friday to see, I need some for a shed job. Not sure how far down I need to bury it, plus i wanted to go all the way to the consumer unit but I think it might be easier to manage unarmoured cable through the route i have to take in the house.

bassey

Merch wrote: »

Not sure how far down I need to bury it

450 mm if it's just in a garden

Bruthal

Merch wrote: »

€3 a metre 3 x 6 SWA in the coolmine place?

No it was a place in navan. Might need a few meters myself.