Shepherds Hut

[walec]

Hi All,
Anyone every run power to a shepherds hut? There are 4 double sockets and a light inside, (which are all pre-wired to a 32A 3pin outside socket), its 60 meteres from the house which is a TT Installation as its in the middle of some woods. For obvious reasons I dont want to bury the cable but there is no fencing, only hedges so I am looking for ideas? Thanks Walec

 

[malcolmsanford]

Well if there is nowhere to clip to, and you don't want to bury it, why not? then your left with one choice really and that is to take it out by poles, not the Eastern European kind.

"There are 4 double sockets and a light inside, (which are all pre-wired to a 32A 3pin outside socket)"

Now that is intriguing. Do they use a 60 metre extension lead that as a plug both ends!!!!, not sure what you mean there.

Are you going to be fitting a new CU inside the hut?

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Sounds like it may be a transportable unit, section 717 may apply.I assume the '32a plug' is an inlet connector wired to a CU in the unit?

 

[walec]

I have asked the owner for information from the manufacturer because its a little odd. The sockets are wired on a ring but straight into the female socket on the outside underneath, so is the light radial, no CU! It appears that you are expected to just plug it in from the house, yes a three pin plug on each end much like camping! but they want to use it as an office which has a bunk bed in!...Its beautifully made but little attention has been paid to the electrics other than to run the cables in, thats what has me stumped! It will be interesting to hear what the manufacturer says, I dont know who thet are yet.

 

[malcolmsanford]

Well the old "death trap" lead of a male plug at each end definitely needs to be got rid of.

You can buy proper male sockets as used in caravan hook ups which would be a better way to do it. Also You will need to revamp the inside of the hut as it's not an ideal design.

What was the "extension lead" plugged into at the origin, and what size was the extension cable?

 

[walec]

They only had it delivered last week, no power has been run to it yet, looks like they put it in place and leave it to you sort out.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

You dont nec. need a CU in there (but prob best). Light might be FCU off sockets. Burying would be nightmare rhrou a wood (roots) unless u use mini digger, like the pole idea

 

[richy3333]

Forget the poles and secure the cable to the trees (ready made poles) LOL
Does the origin have RCD protection and what do you propose about earthing?

 

[walec]

Like the poles idea, too many trees and roots for digging trenches. Origin does have RCD but no room in board. I am thinking new spilt tails, new main switch with MCB, then SWA to hut and put in RCD CU with new Earth rod at the hut.

 

[walec]

The customer is insisting I can not put a CU in the hut as it will mean a re-wire and it will look un-sitely, which of course it will, this hut is brand new and I can understand why they dont want me hacking it about. But with the socket ring and light radial wired straight into the 16A female plug I dont see much option so I am open to ideas/suggestions?

 

[richy3333]

Shot in the dark, but could you fit a caravan hook-up board outside somewhere?

 

[malcolmsanford]

Walec I'm getting a little confused is the internal sockets and lights wired to a Female PLUG or SOCKET

If it is a normal female socket I would change it as that means to utilise it you will need a male PLUG has a supply and that is dangerous. If you think about it a female socket supplies power, you want the reverse you want to supply power to the socket.

I'm not sure what you are going to do concerning the inside. It's not a good design feature to have sockets and lights on the same single protection device. What you have to do though is design your protection to the smallest cable CSA, you may find that both lights and sockets are wired in the same size cable, which should make it easier for you.

After what you say I would do as Richy suggests make it the same as a caravan hook up.

 

[walec]

Sorry my explanation is not great, I meant internal sockets and lights wired to a female socket, 16A 3 pin, the same as a caravan lead. I like the idea of the caravan hook up, I am going back to look more closely at the wiring internally.

 

[Marvo]

I don't understand why the light circuit would have a female plug on it, this obviously means the supply would need to be on a male plug which doesn't sound right.

I would just phone or e-mail the suppliers of the hut and ask them what they had in mind for the supply when they designed the electrical system.

 

[Engineer54]

Well, while your going back to have a look, .....How about some photo's please. That will make it much easier for others to give you ''sound advise''!!!

 

[not clever]

As for getting a submain out there over carp ground, I've in the past used (around a manacured lawn to a summer house)2ft 4x4 posts with the top cut to a 45 degree, concrete 1ft in the ground then nail a gravel board to the top of the posts (one either end one in the middle of board). Then clip the swa to the gravel board I also had some small 230 volt hard plastic labels mde & screwed them to the boards at intervals.

 

[Adam W]

'Shepherds hut' is just a romantic term for a 'rustic caravan' or 'wheeled shed'. Rustic or not it's still essentially a caravan and if it's being supplied brand new and prewired I would expect it to be provided with an EIC accordingly.
I don't like the sound of how this thing has been wired - a ring final with the lighting cct spurred off it with no kind of protection and everything just left in a socket?
If the customer doesn't want the thing rewired, you could maybe fit a suitably IP rated shed CU on the outside and a panel PLUG, then you could just connect it with an extension lead like a normal caravan, although if it's new I don't see why you should have to.

I'd be having words with the manufacturer.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Why not just fix the c/u on the outside of the hut (in a suitable weatherbox).....

 

[walec]

I spoke to the manufacturer of the hut this afternoon, he told me that he has known people use a caravan hook up or attach a CU to the underside! So I went off to talk to the customer again, now it turns out the whole garden is going to be landscaped within the year with a big pond etc and could I do a temporary fix from a breaker in the house, seeing as its 60 metres away etc, I told him no, seems what I thought was going to be an easy job is turning into a difficult one.
I am quoting: Spilt tails, main switch, SWA up and around eves, down under path, up and along stakes to “caravan CU”, earth rod extension lead to hut (hut has to be moved temporarily to allow for landscaping). The customer will then talk to the manufacturer to see who is paying as this thing was not cheap and it is beautifully made which is why I do not want to mess with the inside, they just don’t seem to know much about electrical design. I did try to take photos but it was raining and getting dark, but I did take another look at the wiring, definitely wired straight to the 16A socket underneath in T&E.