# Burying a Cable?



## oldworld (25 Feb 2021)

I have an idea to build a workshop/bike store in the garden. 
The site is about 40 metres from the house. I'd need electricity for lighting and heating so I'd need a cable run from the house.
What are the rules on doing this? If I buy armoured cable and bury it would this meet requirements?
If I would be allowed to do this, what depth would the cable have to be buried at?
I don't have a fence or wall to fix a cable to.
I'd do the cable laying but get an electrician to wire the workshop up.


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## Phaeton (25 Feb 2021)

18" to 2' or 450mm to 600mm in those new fangled things


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## Chislenko (25 Feb 2021)

If it's an easier option I ran mine in protective trunking down the fence about six inches above ground when building at the bottom of our garden.


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## sheddy (25 Feb 2021)

Garden work needs sparky.

Correction: regulations have changed.


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## shep (25 Feb 2021)

sheddy said:


> Garden work needs sparky.


To bury a cable?


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## Randomnerd (25 Feb 2021)

I’ve laid suitable conduit in a two foot deep trench and let the trade do the rest. They get armour cable cheaper and job is be indemnified


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## Drago (26 Feb 2021)

sheddy said:


> Garden work needs sparky.


The regs say "competent person"...

_
"The *Electricity* at *Work Regulations* clearly define a *competent person* as a *person* having the necessary technical knowledge and/or experience to avoid danger and injury"_


The generally accepted method of ensuring someone is competent is to use a trained and accredited sparky, but I do all my own. Daughter #3's feller is a pro rugbyist but hes also a trained sparky and I get him to eyeball all my work.

Personally I'd bury a conduit well hnderground and feed the cable up that.


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## Phaeton (26 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> The regs say "competent person"...


Yes this is what a lot of trades prey on, "You can't do that you have to be certified" Nope sunshine I'm competent. It's the Doodle way, with all their regulations & coding, it's a money making scheme.


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## Electric_Andy (26 Feb 2021)

I laid my own cable when going to the house to the garage, then got a sparky in to wire it up each end, and he also fitted a consumer unit in the garage. My partner's garden was a total electrical nightmare; her ex had spent over 20k on illuminating the garden with wires (underground) going everywhere. After 6 years nothing worked, and we spent ages pulling it all up because no electricians could figure out why it kept malfunctioning. All I'd suggest is, maybe route it down the side of the garden instead of down the middle; it's easier to find if theres a problem, and stands less chance of being stuck into or dug up in the future.


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## T4tomo (26 Feb 2021)

as no fence or Wall then armoured cable down conduit at a suitable depth.. personally, having dug the trench, I'd run the armoured cable down some plastic drain pipe or similar, that way its dead easy to get back out again, or run something else down - if you're super anal, leave a run of string down it for future use. You only want to dig a 2ft trench once!


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## Sterlo (26 Feb 2021)

I got a sparky in to do some kitchen work (to be honest it was basically a full re-wire so too much for me to do myself) and asked him as the regs say that it needs to be done by a qualified person if it's in a kitchen or bathroom and even he said it isn't. I've always done my own where possible and never had any issues. Personally I would do as much as I was capable of then get a pro to do the final fit to the mains and check over your work.


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## Drago (26 Feb 2021)

Sterlo said:


> I got a sparky in to do some kitchen work (to be honest it was basically a full re-wire so too much for me to do myself) and asked him as the regs say that it needs to be done by a qualified person...


That's incorrect, as demonstrated by my quote above. 

He's either a fibber, or ignorant within his own supposed sphere of expertise. Neither scenario showers him with glory. I wouldn't want him examining my electrics.


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## Sterlo (26 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> That's incorrect, as demonstrated by my quote above.
> 
> He's either a fibber, or ignorant within his own supposed sphere of expertise. Neither scenario showers him with glory. I wouldn't want him examining my electrics.


I would never get him again but was struggling to find someone, he took a long time to finish, didn't do it as I requested and I thought charged too much but wouldn't reduce his bill. I hung on paying it until he really started pushing.


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## Phaeton (26 Feb 2021)

It all depends if its a new circuit an addition to a existing one or a replacement of an existing one & whether it's being done under building regs.


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## straas (26 Feb 2021)

Bed a drainpipe on sand, then cover with sand and a line of no dig tape, then fill with gravel to below topsoil level.


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## Mr Celine (26 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> The regs say "competent person"...
> 
> 
> _"The *Electricity* at *Work Regulations* clearly define a *competent person* as a *person* having the necessary technical knowledge and/or experience to avoid danger and injury"_
> ...



Asking for advice on a cycling forum would suggest that the op does not have the necessary technical knowledge or experience to be considered 'competent' as defined in your quote.


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## Phaeton (26 Feb 2021)

Mr Celine said:


> Asking for advice on a cycling forum would suggest that the op does not have the necessary technical knowledge or experience to be considered 'competent' as defined in your quote.


The OP never suggested he intended to terminate the supply only to dig the trench & lay the cable which most sparkies I know would be grateful for they don't like physical work like digging holes


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## PaulSB (26 Feb 2021)

oldworld said:


> I have an idea to build a workshop/bike store in the garden.
> The site is about 40 metres from the house. I'd need electricity for lighting and heating so I'd need a cable run from the house.
> What are the rules on doing this? If I buy armoured cable and bury it would this meet requirements?
> If I would be allowed to do this, what depth would the cable have to be buried at?
> ...


Might I suggest the thing to do is find the electrician first. Tell him what needs to be done and that you are prepared to dig trenches etc.

I have no idea about the regulations but if you employ a quality electrician he should only allow you to carry out work which it is safe for you to do. If he has to certify the work he will need to be satisfied your contribution is up to standard.

Personally electricity scares the life out of me. I wouldn't do anything other than dig and back fill the trench.


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## oldworld (26 Feb 2021)

Back in the days when you could I've rewired houses I've owned. I never had training but used to help a mate at weekends who was a qualified sparks. Things like ring mains. lighting circuits and immersion heaters are simple when you're shown how and get it explained to you in simple language. 
Life as we knew it has changed and whilst my ability to wire things up hasn't changed the rules have.
As I may have said, I'm happy to dig the trench, lay the wires and even wire up the lights and power.
That's it though and it'll be over to the electrician to check the work, connect to the mains and provide a cert for the work.

My friend told of a time when as an apprentice he was completely rewiring a terraced house. The power had been turned off at the fuses and the first job was to strip out the old wiring, this was his beer money. 
Working in the loft he used his cutters on a cable and it turned out to be live although the house's power was off. It must have been a live feed from next door. Maybe next door was paying for the electricity?.
Apart from giving him a shock he said this taught him a valuable lesson, never assume you've isolated everything, always check.


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## irw (26 Feb 2021)

Drago said:


> The regs say "competent person"...
> 
> 
> _"The *Electricity* at *Work Regulations* clearly define a *competent person* as a *person* having the necessary technical knowledge and/or experience to avoid danger and injury"_
> ...



Not strictly correct I'm afraid- you're referencing the Electricity at Work regs. Work carried out in a domestic setting is covered by Part P of the building regs, which I think is what @sheddy had in mind. This is why I, as a competent theatre electrician (in the eyes of my employers) can do what I do at work without any particular electrical qualifications, but can't, strictly, do certain jobs in my house, that I'd probably do to a higher standard than your run-of-the-mill domestic sparky. (Based on what I've seen/fixed/corrected since I had the house rewired when we moved in four years ago...)


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