Thread: Let their be light!

What's the distance from the house and how do you propose to run the cord?

About 15m and I was thinking either through the ground, or through a window.

Through the ground is a no-no...too dangerous due to damage, and through a window?

Better to do it properly for safety sake; sparky to run through grond properly. You only get one chance with electricity, and that's the chance you don't want. Dangerous stuff!!

It won't cost the earth, particularly if you dig the trench, and you have the peace of mind that the job is safe. Extension cords are a temporary solution to an occasional problem, one of appliance cord too short to reach power point from job.

I agree with W4U. If you dig the trench and just get a basic line run with a dual outlet GPO to the shed and it won't cost the earth.

Does your house have an RCD circuit breaker? If not I would get the sparky to install one at the same time.

Yes, the house has an RCD breaker.

And I have a dual outlet GPO as well, I will use. thanks fella's.

Hoover,

Check your local regulations. I recollect that for electrical conduit, the trench had to be at least 450mm (18 in.) deep. Also, dig the trench in straight lines (a 90 degree bend is OK) which will enable the sparkey to easily pull the wires through.

Mike

Originally Posted by Ekim

Hoover,

Check your local regulations. I recollect that for electrical conduit, the trench had to be at least 450mm (18 in.) deep. Also, dig the trench in straight lines (a 90 degree bend is OK) which will enable the sparkey to easily pull the wires through.

Mike

600mm deep unless covered by 100mm concrete, or sufficient depth And to be covered with 100mm concrete.

Yeah pretty sure it's 600mm, in orange conduit so I scares the crap out of any poor bugger who digs it up.

Originally Posted by danny.s

Yeah pretty sure it's 600mm, in orange conduit so I scares the crap out of any poor bugger who digs it up.

An a layer of bright orange plastic above that.

Originally Posted by BobL

An a layer of bright orange plastic above that.

And then house bricks in the trench above that.

These requirements for electricity transmission cables, serve well to highlight the the unseen danger of the service, and should as well illustrate the folly of using an extension cord for anything more than TEMPORARY connection of an appliance when the attached cord NEEDS extension. The connectors on extension cords must be either non-removable moulded, or transparent type.

Following is an extract from Worksafe Tasmania doc:

Extension cords

Maximum extension cord length depends on the conductor (wire) size; the larger
the conductor size, the greater the distance can be from a switchboard (source) to
an appliance (see Table 1 below)

Table: 1 Maximum extension cord lengths

Extension cord Conductor area Maximum length of
rating in amps in mm

2 extension cord in m
10 1.0 25
1.5 35
2.5 60
4.0 100
15/16 1.5 25
2.5 40
4.0 65
20 2.5 30
4.0 50

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