Above ground conduit or ducting

thos

Hi all,
I’m looking to relocate my electric car charger from the side of the house to a spot 35metres away, which is along a line of hedges and fencing.
The fence is wooden post and sheep wire, with the hedge up against it.
I’d like to avoid digging a trench and burying cable.
Are there any suitable ducting options to run above ground?
Not talking suspended overhead, but run along the ground in something protective.
Any options?

Thanks
Tom

2011

thos wrote: »

Hi all,
I’m looking to relocate my electric car charger from the side of the house to a spot 35metres away, which is along a line of hedges and fencing.
The fence is wooden post and sheep wire, with the hedge up against it.
I’d like to avoid digging a trench and burying cable.
Are there any suitable ducting options to run above ground?
Not talking suspended overhead, but run along the ground in something protective.
Any options?

As this cable run is significantly increased the cable size all the way from the distribution board to the EV charging point may need to be increased.

There are lots of options for running cables above ground. It is important that the cable has sufficient mechanical protection. Also of exposed to sunlight it must be UV resistant. One way of achieving this is to use a SWA (Steel Wire Armoured) cable. Another option is to use galvanised steel conduit, but this can be very expensive. Obviously running cables above ground can be quite unsightly so this may be something you should consider.

Hintel

SWA would be the obvious i suppose

As said above 35m is a long way so it's not just matter of extending a wire

thos

Cable run from board is what I have in mind, not too much further anyway.

Not too worried about the look, I can contain any ducting between hedge and fence, out of eyes sight there.

I was considering SWA but I thought this was only for direct burial? Is laying that along the ground at base of hedge viable? Otherwise, I’ve suspended CAT5e off the sheep wire fence before, just to keep it off the ground, is doing this with SWA an option? I thought ‘suspension’ had to be on a permanent structure or something.

Hintel

thos wrote: »

Cable run from board is what I have in mind, not too much further anyway.

Not too worried about the look, I can contain any ducting between hedge and fence, out of eyes sight there.

I was considering SWA but I thought this was only for direct burial? Is laying that along the ground at base of hedge viable? Otherwise, I’ve suspended CAT5e off the sheep wire fence before, just to keep it off the ground, is doing this with SWA an option? I thought ‘suspension’ had to be on a permanent structure or something.

No

Laying it on the ground is the worst thing you can do

Either above or below ground

2011

This process starts with sizing the cable. The cable size will be determined by a large extent on the load and the length of cable run. Over sizing the cable will unnecessarily increase the cost and under sizing will have other issues such as excessive volt drop and excessive disconnecting times.

thos

32amp / 7kw, and I'd probably round up to 50m for full end to end and any routing.

Hintel wrote: »

No

Laying it on the ground is the worst thing you can do

Either above or below ground

So is attaching to the sheep wire fence an option? It's a 4ft high fence?

Hintel

You're going back to board so you'll need a REC anyhow

2011

thos wrote: »

32amp / 7kw, and I'd probably round up to 50m for full end to end and any routing.

That will be a large and very expensive cable! I would guess that it will be over 10 mm sq. I hope you have deep pockets.

So is attaching to the sheep wire fence an option? It's a 4ft high fence?

That would be inadvisable and considered very shoddy workmanship.

thos

Hintel wrote: »

You're going back to board so you'll need a REC anyhow

Yeah, not looking to tackle the whole thing myself, but just trying to workout the options - if it's a trench, I'd rather start plan to start digging.

2011 wrote: »

That will be a large and very expensive cable! I would guess that it will be over 10 mm sq. I hope you have deep pockets.

That would be inadvisable and considered very shoddy workmanship.

Yeah, doesn't sound great alright!

So overall, besides digging and burying SWA, is galvanised steel conduit the only option? Is there any other ducting to consider?

2011

thos wrote: »

if it's a trench, I'd rather start plan to start digging.

That would be my preferred option.

So overall, besides digging and burying SWA, is galvanised steel conduit the only option? Is there any other ducting to consider?

There are lots of options, but most would look unsightly in a domestic environment. You could install cables in plastic conduit, cable tie unarmored cable to galvanised or plastic tray. The list goes on....

Risteard81

2011 wrote: »

Over sizing the cable will unnecessarily increase the cost

To an extent, but it's overly simplistic. Energy efficiency should also be considered. Sometimes larger cables are more economical through the lifetime of the installation.

2011

Risteard81 wrote: »

Sometimes larger cables are more economical through the lifetime of the installation.

There is a bit more to it than that
You would need to do some homework first to see what the payback would be. Yes, larger cables will have lower resistance so thermal losses will be reduced but if considering this approach a number of factors would need to be considered. This would include the load profile, duty cycle, the capital cost of the uplift, the cost of electricity and if the capital could be invested in something more profitable.

Many EV drivers have the option of charging at work for free so EV points at home may be infrequent so this may take decades to even be cost neutral.

2011

@Risteard: If you would like to continue a discussion on this topic please start a new thread as we are veering way off topic on this thread. Thank you.

Bruthal

Risteard81 wrote: »

To an extent, but it's overly simplistic. Energy efficiency should also be considered. Sometimes larger cables are more economical through the lifetime of the installation.

Possibly, maybe 20 cent per 60 hour use saving, stepping up the cable run.

Difference between 10 and 16 sq 50 meters might be €90 or €100, have not bought any in years.

Myself I would go for the size that does the job. Paying the €100 up front would be more noticeable than paying 20 cent a week extra on €40 of electricity, but useful info for the op all the same.

2011

Please do not derail the thread. A new thread can be started to discuss this topic. Thank you.

Hintel

You never hear the cost of power losses discussed in the context of domestic work

Sure ,if there's any doubt on sizing from the viewpoint of VD or CCC or Zl you choose the bigger cable

2011

I think this thread has run its course.