The old 'armored cable to a summer house' question again

[maxpdaddy]

Hey Everyone,

I am a Programmer and IT Engineer, but i studyied Electronics in College and i dabble in as much Electrical work as im allowed to from time to time, i do have basic qualifications in PAT testing but im not a trained electrician and certainly not Part P.

Anywho... my in-laws are looking to run power to their summer house half way across the garden, nothing too powerful in there, a flatscreen tv, radio, 1 or 2 lights (maybe an outside one) and other garden lights from the sockets if they have some sort of party etc. it is possible they might have a small heater down there but probably wont if they are advised against it.

A husband of a friend is Part P registered and is happy to connect up a circuit if we (I) do the digging / cable run but at the moment he is unavailable to answer questions.

Another friend of their's has kindly donated a good length of armored cable that looks to be about 2.5mm (it might be 4) but only twin core... my first question is can the steel braid on the cable be used as the earth? i think this has been answered in other posts i've seen but i'd like to be 100%

So the plan is as follows:

From the CU in the pantry straight out through an exterior wall along one wall, round 2 90 degree corners and along another wall above a flat roof but below the bedroom windows, down a wall near the kitchen window and into the ground.. under about 10 m2 of concreate area (thats gonna be fun) then under the lawn to the summer house, and up through the floor.

can anyone see any issues with this plan?

Also what would be the best set up in the summer house regarding a CU or fused points etc. if its a CU do we need another stake in the ground?

Sorry for the length of post i like to be descriptive and any help would be grately appriciated i always prefer to have other opinions.

Many Thanks in Advance.

Regards

Mark

 

[Doc Hudson]

Welcome to the forum, what you suggest may well be adequate. But you say that someone else is going to test & sign the work for you to ensure compliance with Part P building regulations. As the declaration they will be signing includes designing the circuit it would be wise to consult with them about the specifics. It would be no good anyone on the forum saying that is OK, if your electrician is not happy with it for one reason or another. If he is busy at the moment best to either consult with another electrician who can come and do a site survey and recommend cables sizes and earthing arrangements etc, or just wait for your original electrician to be available. Cables running across gardens do pose various dangers and hazards both in relation to how they are run and loading and volt drop.

I would point out that the husband of the friend would currently be breaking the terms of his scheme membership by just signing off someone else's work without undertaking his own pre installation checks, design, dead tests than live tests. At the moment none of the scheme providers allow a member to sign off other peoples work. However it is appropriate for someone to design a project, oversea some laborers fixing materials in pre agreed routes and locations, then do final commissioning dead & live tests before bringing the new circuit live. (which is no different to an electrician who has a mate or apprentice.)

I have moved this to the DIY section are you say you are neither a qualified or training electrician.

Doc H.