Workshop Electrical Connection

[J_Ashley]

Before we get around to fixing down floorboards that have been lifted for joistwork/plumbing etc., I want to be confident that everything that sits below is as future proofed for our needs as possible. With that I mind, there’s a short-term plan to build a workshop at the bottom of the garden which will require an electric connection.

I’ve presently got a 6mm twin and earth cable running from the fuse box that currently terminates at a weatherproof box at the rear of the house, and eventually an armoured cable will be trenched in to run from there to the workshop.

My questions are:
- Will the 6mm cable likely be sufficient to meet requirements (detail below)?
- Would the same run of cable (i.e. without the break at the back wall) have been considerably better? I’m assuming this would be a continuous circa 30m run of armoured cable.

Under usual circumstances power will be needed for ceiling lights, but there’s likely to be regular use of an air filter/router/desk lamp etc. I guess maximum load would be the occasional use of a drum sander in conjunction with a 1.5kw extractor. There might be a convection heater too, although this can be switched off at times of higher electrical load.

 

[Jonzjob]

I will watch this thread as I am in the same situation :mrgreen:

 

[nev]

http://www.clevelandcable.com/calculator.php
(dont forget the distance )
If it were me....
Better to work it out from the max power likely to be used, without having to turn something off etc. You never know whats around the corner. Calculate it for whatever machines you are likely to use or obtain in the future (oooh look! someones offered me a big planer thickness and a wood kiln for 50 quid, cant turn that down!, electric heating, hot tub and sauna, kettle, more lighting, etc, etc.)

 

[flying haggis]

6mm t&e is good for 40+ amps so "should" be ok but as we dont know what the future brings.........

as it is a new circuit it will needed certifying and it might be easier to do it now if you have a sparky doing other work. as you say floors are up could you run armoured cable from the CU to the proposed workshop position now and if yes you might think about 10mm to further futureproof or run two suitable conduits with draw rope and then run cables later (two conduits, one for power and one for alarm/data/phone etc) but keep them apart ie 100mm if poss

nev posted as I was typing!!

 

[Halo Jones]

It was a quite a few years ago but we had about a 25 m run of 6 mm armoured cable to our "workshop". If my memory serves, even with voltage drop, we should be good for about 9 kw worth of appliances running at any one time, but as a small, one man place I have never gone beyond 4 - 5 kw (table saw, camvac, air-filter and lights)

 

[OscarG]

In my garage workshop if I'm using tablesaw (2000w) + 2 dust extractors (combined 2300w) it's fine but have to remember to turn off heater (1500w) or it trips and I have to go running to the consumer unit to reset.

It's a bit of a pain when it's cold!

If you have option of increasing your allowance, I'd take it.