Design

[jonA]

Hello .. great site and looking for some free advice !

I am converting an old agricultural building in Kent to a small house. It currently has no electricity connection and I am in the process of sorting this out with EDF. It is a very frustrating process and it seems impossible to get through to anybody that knows what they are talking about.

The building is about 60m from the supply so I am building a kiosk about half way which will contain their flush meter box. I have paid them about £800 to make the connection and am now waiting for the schedulers to give me a date. Glad I'm not holding my breath.

I understand their supply will be terminated at a 100Amp cut out in the meter box and I believe it is 'PME'.

I believe the consumer unit in the house must be connected via a sub main but I am not going to do this until much later. In the meantime I want a power outlet fitted at the kiosk which I can use.

Could somebody please tell me how the power outlet and ultimately the sub main can be fitted when I am told that only the cut out and meter can be fitted in the meter box? Clearly both will require means of protection and isolation.

Also, I have been warned about 'voltage drop' since the connection is about 30m to the kiosk and a further 30m to the building. What are the implications of this and is there anything I can do to manage it?

Lastly, what underground cable should I use for the run to the building and should it be ducted? Can I run telephone coax (WF125?) alongside this?

Your guidance would be much appreciated!

Thankyou

Jonathan

 

[acat]

First and foremost before doing anything are you part P qualified if not you cannot legally do that work without involving your Local Authority Building Control who yet again will want payment and they are more fustrating than EDF.


Chris

 

[jonA]

Hi acat,

Thanks foor your reply

I won't be doing it myself but dont have an electrician in the frame as yet - I am just planning ahead. Its material to the design of the kiosk and trench which I have to provide within the next 10 days.

Cheers, Jon

 

[R.Sparky]

Hi acat,

Thanks foor your reply

I won't be doing it myself but dont have an electrician in the frame as yet - I am just planning ahead. Its material to the design of the kiosk and trench which I have to provide within the next 10 days.

Cheers, Jon

Using tables ( i'm sure someone will quote you the page in the guide, i wont, as i don't know it off my head...) you apply correction factors such as ambient temp. grouping etc and it gives you the correct size cables to use thus gives you an idea what materials you need.

Don't quote me on this, but the voltage drop i'm sure cant be more than 11.5v.

Most electricians are more than comfortable with giving you some advice over the phone, ring up and consult someone qualified. Do not carry the work out yourself!

 

[beaver74]

where abouts in kent are you

 

[jonA]

Ightham - Nr Sevenoaks

 

[mogga]

by Kiosk Im assuming you are loking for something like a HALDO Pillar ( street furniture supplier ) this will give you room for a small CU to supply temps and a swfuse when it comes to your Sub Mail as for the trench for your sub main Dig your trench duct (Probably purple 75mm again from street lighting supplier)it at a depth of approx 600mm to top of duct Rope the duct with polly propoyne rope (Blue stuff) Put a seperate duct in for your telephone cables

 

[jonA]

Thanks for this.

I call it a 'kiosk' but it isn't really. Its really a 300mm blockwork wall which I will set their approved gas and electric flush meter boxes into side by side. I am supplying the meter boxes. Cables will be brought in and out via approved hockeystick ducts. EDF weren't happy about my design but eventually relented and approved it. It will look like a tombstone but I hope to build a bigger timber frame shed over it.

EDF will just terminate their supply at a 100Amp cut out. I then have to get a meter fitted but the supplier wont fit this unless it is satisfied that my side is OK. All I want in the short term is a local power outlet to run power tools etc off via an extension lead. I'd like this outlet to remain to supply the shed if ever I am allowed to build it. Do you know what would be required for this?

In due course I will want to supply a consumer unit in the house via a 'sub main' [?] but thats really for another day.

EDF might not like it but it seems to me whatever isolators and protective devices are required will have to go in the meter box.

I would welcome your thoughts on this.

Thanks

Jonathan

 

[pennywise]

why not, not put anything in before they put their meter in then they can guarantee that your side is fine, this may speed up the process and you wouldn't need an electrician to come out and certify it before they visit to connect the meter, as they will require a certificate before they connect up if you have any electrical equipment ready for connection ie the socket. For the power supply for the tomb stone area you could just add an additional meter cabinet next to EDF's one and put a small IP rated fuse box in there with a 16A RCBO to a radial IP rated socket . alternatively do away with the two cabinets and mount one of these on a concrete slab with ducts into it, if you made the slab big enough it could eventually double as the base for the shed or outbuilding.


http://www.meterboxes.co.uk/content/productpics/vlarge/IC8.jpg

 

[jonA]

Thanks for this. I agree I am perhaps doing things back to front but its the EDF part that costs the money and takes the time.

I think too that I m a bit out of my depth here and need to speak to an electrician. Trouble is I hate spending money.