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Burying SWA cable

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  • 16-08-2019 1:54pm
    #1
    awec
    Administrators Posts: 53,439 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭


    Have to bury a SWA cable in the garden underneath the lawn, about 10m long.

    How deep should I put it, and should I be putting some ducting down or is the cable fine directly in the soil?


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    #2
    Steve
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 22,584 CMod ✭✭✭✭Steve


    SWA is fine direct in soil in a back garden. Minimum 500mm depth afaik (foot traffic only).


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    #3
    Phil.x
    Registered Users Posts: 1,723 ✭✭✭Phil.x


    awec wrote: »
    Have to bury a SWA cable in the garden underneath the lawn, about 10m long.

    How deep should I put it, and should I be putting some ducting down or is the cable fine directly in the soil?

    For extra protection stick it in a waven pipe and if you can get some red and white tape or electrical tape, the stuff without sticky back and wrap it around the pipe.


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    #4
    Risteard81
    Registered Users Posts: 2,567 ✭✭✭Risteard81


    If you enclose it in ducting then it must be the proper red stuff. Either bury it direct or use the correct ducting, but definitely don't stick it in any old crap.


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    #5
    alta stare
    Registered Users Posts: 2,326 ✭✭✭alta stare


    Phil.x wrote: »
    For extra protection stick it in a waven pipe and if you can get some red and white tape or electrical tape, the stuff without sticky back and wrap it around the pipe.

    Doesnt the tape have to be above the piping/swa and not wrapped around it? Its purpose is to warn of a hazard before you get to it. I cant remember the exact distance between tape and piping/swa.


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    #6
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    Also sand is usually placed on top of the tape.

    Red ducting is extremely difficult to get it to go where you need it but is ideal and you can use multiple cables and it always gives you the option for pulling more through at another date if ever needed.


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    #7
    Supertoucher
    Registered Users Posts: 173 ✭✭Supertoucher


    When I did mine, I put it in red ESB 50mm conduit, at a depth of 600mm on a bed of gravel/shingle.


    Hazard tape placed about 200-300mm below the surface - as alata stare says - so that hopefully any digger (mechanical or person!) hits and sees it before hitting the conduit.

    punisher5112 wrote: »
    Red ducting is extremely difficult to get it to go where you need it but is ideal and you can use multiple cables and it always gives you the option for pulling more through at another date if ever needed.


    Ain't that the truth! I bought it in a 50 metre coil and so it had coil memory and was horrible to route. My trench was as straight as possible and I tee'd off of it where necessary which allowed it to be a bit more flexible.



    You can get straight lengths too but they would have been too long for my car.


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    #8
    awec
    Administrators Posts: 53,439 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭awec


    I don't think I'll bother with the conduit since it's fine directly in the ground, and it's my back garden so I'll know where it is (it's a small enough garden).

    The cable comes from one corner of the garden, and the shed that it's going to will be in the opposite corner. Is there any advantage to me going the long way around keeping the cable at the edges of the garden, vs just going direct across the lawn?

    Also, I was planning on just getting the shed guys to cut a hole in the floor of the shed in one of the corners, and bring the SWA up inside. Is that the correct way to do this? I'd then get an electrician to wire up the inside of the shed, with a few plug sockets, a light and a switch. Anyone see any issues here?


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    #9
    Steve
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 22,584 CMod ✭✭✭✭Steve


    That'd work, just make sure the hole isn't so big you get insects / rodents in. Seal the entry with some expanding sealer or silicone.

    You'll want a small CU inside with minimum an isolator / main fuse, RCD for socket(s) and MCB for light(s). Not expensive.

    Something like this.

    BlAMquI.jpg?1


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    #10
    comfort
    Registered Users Posts: 52 ✭✭comfort


    Searching for some time now as was delighted to see awec's post which is exactly what I am looking to do with slight difference. Hoping it should be the exact same. I have my house obviously with its main fuse box which is located inside the front door (normal). I have had the attic converted and had sockets and lighting installed and inside one of the sides of the attic is a fuse box for those sockets and lighting connected to the main fuse box. All working perfectly for 15 years now. I also have a games room down the back of my garden (block built) and this has its own fuse box inside for the sockets and lighting and this fuse box is connected to the fuse box in the attic using saw cabling which is under ground in the garden.

    Now I want to have power to my garden shed for sockets and lighting as awec's was planning. I am thinking of running saw cabling from the games room to the shed even though the head is at the side of the house but to run cabling from the house to the shed would prove very difficult and involve cutting concrete and getting from hall through another room etc. but awec's idea is what I was planning. Would everything be ok this way as I know it is like daisy chaining and thank you for clearing other issues I was asking myself too with regards to the sea cable being buried so I don't need to have ducting as it will be buried along the foot of the wall in my garden.

    The other thing is that I want to put outdoor sockets along the route of the sea cabling - is this possible ? Not many sockets as they will be used for Hue lights and I will have another saw cable from the games room going along the end of the garden and up along the other side for the same thing with outdoor sockets.

    Finally I plan to run sea cabling from the garden shed back out to the front of the house again for outdoor sockets not many maybe 2 doubles again for hue lighting on a small 2 foot high brick wall. Is there anything I should aware of?

    Any advice welcomed and grateful for in advance.


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    #11
    meercat
    Registered Users Posts: 4,730 ✭✭✭meercat


    comfort wrote: »
    Searching for some time now as was delighted to see awec's post which is exactly what I am looking to do with slight difference. Hoping it should be the exact same. I have my house obviously with its main fuse box which is located inside the front door (normal). I have had the attic converted and had sockets and lighting installed and inside one of the sides of the attic is a fuse box for those sockets and lighting connected to the main fuse box. All working perfectly for 15 years now. I also have a games room down the back of my garden (block built) and this has its own fuse box inside for the sockets and lighting and this fuse box is connected to the fuse box in the attic using saw cabling which is under ground in the garden.

    Now I want to have power to my garden shed for sockets and lighting as awec's was planning. I am thinking of running saw cabling from the games room to the shed even though the head is at the side of the house but to run cabling from the house to the shed would prove very difficult and involve cutting concrete and getting from hall through another room etc. but awec's idea is what I was planning. Would everything be ok this way as I know it is like daisy chaining and thank you for clearing other issues I was asking myself too with regards to the sea cable being buried so I don't need to have ducting as it will be buried along the foot of the wall in my garden.

    The other thing is that I want to put outdoor sockets along the route of the sea cabling - is this possible ? Not many sockets as they will be used for Hue lights and I will have another saw cable from the games room going along the end of the garden and up along the other side for the same thing with outdoor sockets.

    Finally I plan to run sea cabling from the garden shed back out to the front of the house again for outdoor sockets not many maybe 2 doubles again for hue lighting on a small 2 foot high brick wall. Is there anything I should aware of?

    Any advice welcomed and grateful for in advance.

    There’s lots of issues with your installation currently
    It’s not permitted to have a distribution board in the crawl space of an attic.it should be accessible and the socket rcd be tested regularly
    Without knowing your specific installation I’d be concerned with adding an extra load
    If there’s work on a consumer unit then a rec only is permitted

    I’d advise getting a rec in.
    He may have to issue a notice of potential hazard on your existing installation


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    #12
    comfort
    Registered Users Posts: 52 ✭✭comfort


    Oh I have the fuse box for the attic room that was converted when the house was being built is just inside one to he wall doors. So the fuse box is fixed on the inside of the wall and is accessible very easily and clear of any possible interference.

    You are basically looking at the fuse box at eye level when you are kneeling on the attic floor.


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