What size armoured cable for greenhouse electrics?

Hi everyone,

I'm going to buy all the bits for my greenhouse electrics in the coming days, so can anyone please tell me what size armoured cable would be best for the job?

The job will be carried out by a qualified electrician once I have bought all the bits.

Thanks

Sheps.

 

Cable size will depend on what you plan to run off it and how long the cable is. Cable length affects the voltage drop. This calculator will give you some idea but always best to double check with the sparky before buying
Voltage Drop Calculator | TLC Electrical

 

Check with your electrician on the SWA cable size . For the cable , glands , waterproof socket etc etc go to a good electrical factor . This should be cheaper than going to the big sheds. Screwfix prices will be good , but not sure they sell SWA by the metre ?

 

Do you have a spare way in your consumer unit for this circuit?

 

Thanks for the advice, it's appreciated...I think it might be best leaving it to the Sparky

Hi Scrungee...yes, I have spare ways in the CU in the house and in the old type fuse box in the garage, I was planning on having the power supply to the greenhouse coming from the garage fuse box, but now that I think about it I might have to have the old fuse box changed out for a new CU before the Sparky will even think about doing the wiring for the greenhouse

Think I might have started running before I could walk on this particular job

 

Are they RCD protected?

 

The Consumer Unit in the house is one of the new, 17th edition, metal types and has dual RCD's, with the power supply for the garden / garage running off this on its own MCB.

So, with that being the case, is the old type fuse box ( pull out plugs with fuse wire ) in the garage protected by RCD? or does this still need replacing with a new one with its own dedicated RCD.

 

Best not say what I do, but it works!

 

When first thinking about it I probably had a similar idea, Vince ...mine was heavy duty rubber pond cable, plug on one end and a waterproof socket on the other, running through some black flexible conduit and into a circuit breaker in the garage

But in the end I thought I better have it done all legal like.

 

Thanks for the advice, Armandii...I'll make sure that RCD's are fitted.

 

For my outside electrics I have RCD protection for each of the three circuits . Last year my new kitchen electrics were fitted and certified by an electrician , we also fitted anew consumer unit.
I asked him that with the modern breakers fitted in a CU do I still need RCD protection for my outside electrics ? The answer was not really but it does no harm to have double protection .
So do you need RCD protection for outside electrics ?

 

I already have one of these in the garden, fastened to the outside of the garage and it has worked spot on for many years.

So, I was thinking 2 of this type in the Greenhouse would be sufficient, giving me enough sockets for a Fan, Heater, Heated Propagator and Radio, but if anyone can recommend a better type, then feel free to comment