Installing electricity to shed....

[limetree]

Hi,

I'm getting my shed all sorted for my lampworking but I think the electrician is ripping me off. 
He telling me the price has doubled due to kind of cable needed.
Can anyone tell me what size of cabling is needed to run the usual set up to a shed which is about 30m from the main fuse box.
I was thinking of having 6 sockets for a kiln, oxygen con, fan ventilation, lamp, heater when it get colder and one spare for what ever else I can think of. I know the heater will pull a lot of watts and I know I need armoured cable for outside.
Any advice much appreciated !!!!!! Thanks.

[Josephine]

I don't know but why don't you tell him you are getting a couple more quotes before going ahead if he backs down and goes back to the original price you'll know he was trying to pull a fast one. I assume your kiln is on that just plugs into the usual sockets, I'd make sure he knows that and isn't quoting for a more powerful kiln that needs special wiring.

[limetree]

Hi - Yes I told him it's a normal socket and it pulls about 1.7kw. I've had a couple of quotes but it seems to go from being reasonable to ridiculous prices -so none the wiser.  I think the most expensive thing is the cable so I want to make sure I get the right one.  

[llewennog]

Doubling his quote, Yes id say he's trying a fast one, i think there was about a £4 difference between 'standard'  extension cable and the external cable over a 5 meter run.

Ask him to bring you a sample of both lengths so you can check and for double the price expect it to be dimante and dichro coated

[Zeldazog]

When I was talking to an electrician friend of mine about setting up a shed, he suggested having a seperate fusebox on the shed for running all those extras, which you have already listed.  He said that would cost £40 for the fuse board I think.

The kiln might be 1.7kw, but a heater will be at least 1 kw, and then you have extractor and oxycon, don't know what they pull, but you're already up to the heavy duty cooker type cable which is much more than merely a waterproof external extension.

But I am not an electrician so I don't really know.  Could you ask him for a break down of what exactly extra he wants you to pay for - you can always check the prices of cabling on something like Maplins website?

[Redhotsal]

Dunno whether or not he's ripping you off but the price of metal has gone mad - copper being no exception. Guess if you got receipts for the materials to check you'd know the answer to that - and if he's being reasonable he will show you the receipts. If he won't then go elsewhere. Might be an idea to get a couple of quotes anyway.

If you're going from the house to outside then you will need amoured cable. Depending on what your sheds made of you may need an earth spike. If you're 30 m away how is the cable going to the shed? You need to either bury it substantially or possibly have it on an overhead line. You can't just have it lying around on the ground. Has he talked about that - are you expected to bury it? 30 M is a substantial distance - who is going to dig the trench?

The sockets - you can't just have "normal" house ones as you're not in a house. You're in a shed - they're not grossly over expensive but it all adds up.

Get a quote for materials and labour separately. Get him to breakdown what the costs are. If he can't or won't do it then say you're going elsewhere. And then go elsewhere.

[Redhotsal]

And yes, echo exactly what Dawn has said. Might not sound like a lot but a heater and a kiln and lights and all that other good stuff is quite a hefty pull. Depending on the age of your house and therefore your existing electrics he may indeed need a new fusebox/board or whatever they're called. Newer houses tend to have a bit of capacity for this sort of thing but if you live in an old house you won't be so lucky.

By the way:
Six sockets = kiln, oxygen con, fan ventilation, lamp, heater + a spare. Spare will probably be your radio/mp3 player, so you'll need seven or eight in reality, if you want to plug a laptop in!!!  

[cwest]

I wish I could get someone to at least give me a quote for the installation! My shedio is due to be delivered in 2 weeks and no-one seems to want to do the electricity installation. Electricians in my area must be making too much money. Or perhaps it is the fact that I live in an oldish house, so need new fuse box, cable needs to go under floor boards in hall, then kitchen, through the utility room, through the garage (full to the rafters with dh's junk), along a fence, etc. etc. Don't really blame them, I wouldn't want the job either!
Will probably cost more than the shedio.

Carolyn

[Forester18]

A 30A supply should be adequate for your needs. If you run a .6mm 3core armoured cable over 30m that would be OK. This sort of cable can be bought for less than £2 per meter in vat in cut lengths but a length of 30m + would probably be less. Shop around prices do vary. Wicks, B&Q, City electrics will be able to give you a price.

Frederick

[SallyB]

Hi Limetree

Do you have the information you need now?  

My husband is a plumber and has done a course in electrics to enable him to sort out electric showers himself (he installs whole bathrooms).  Anyway, he's done the electrics out to my shed and says you need a separate breaker and I have normal sockets outside plus the amoured cable which he bought from B&Q.  It's heavy duty stuff.

Sally
x

[Redkite]

Hi!

I had my shed done quite recently (end of August). We had a new circuit added to the main house fuse box, then armoured cable running out the front door, round the side of the house to the shed in the back garden, then a mini fuse box inside the shed, plus an earth spike in the ground. The extraction was installed and put on one circuit, another circuit for the lights and a ring main for 4 double sockets. I do some silver stuff too, but I figured 8 sockets was plenty - wrong!! (I have a drill, desk lamp, radio, slow cooker for pickling, tumbler, baby monitor, kiln, oxycon and heater - so I still have to do a bit of juggling!)

I got 3 quotes for all the work (which has to be certified for building regs) and the cheapest was £900. It took 2 full days. I remember being offered the option of taking some cabling through the house to reduce the amount of armoured cable, but it didn't make a huge difference, so the cables must have been similar prices, but it may have all changed since then!

[Margram]

Hi Cath - could I ask: did you have to have your cable buried? I'm thinking the trench-digging would
be a big chunk of the cost...

[Katiequiggle]

Will ask Tim tomorow for you, he's an electrician and did mine.  I know nothing other than I have outside security lights that come on when theres movement, ordinary household plug sockets, 5 double ones, never enough, remember the kettle, and a fuse box thingy on the wall, plus 2 lots of strip lighting.  Our cable runs along the fence though I know it should be buried, if you do bury it yourself, see if you can get a plastic brightly coloured sleeve to put it in so that in years to come you or the next owner will know its there if they're digging.

[limetree]

Hi - Thanks for all your relies!!! very helpful. I think I have my answer- I needed to know the size of cable. 0.6mm sounds good.  The one who doubled his price said I needed 1mm cable. Another electrician said the 0.6mm was enough so I think I will go with him!!
What's an earth spike? My shed is made from wood- do I need one? I was thinking of putting cable under my decking. I have no grass in my back garden - just decking. Do you think this is ok?  Thanks.

[sea-thistle]

I have 6-8 sockets in my workshop which is 12 foot x 8 foot separate circuit board and junction box so it doesn't affect the house electrics, armoured cable along the bottom of my fence into my garage. I paid 11/2 years ago about £380. I also got a cerificate think they are for 3 or 5 years. I was a bit worried about cable outside but this armoured cable is suitable for outside alos when it goes across the path  and up to the garagei t has been  set in a trench and concreted over.  My shed is at the bottom of my garden and I have quite a long garden. Hope this helps