Garden Power Socket

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tonyo
  • Start date Start date
T

Tonyo

Guest
I want to install a hook-up point in my garden for the electricity supply to my motorhome so that my batteries are constantly charged to supply the alarm and tank heaters. What size armoured cable do I need?
Hope you can help.
Tonyo
 
What size armoured cable do I need for an electrical hook-up to feed my motorhome? I'm thinking of a double socket to use the lawn mower without disconnecting the motorhome - is this OK? The supply will be from my garage which has an RCD but is this enough or do I need another RCD in the line?
Hope you can help.
Tonyo
 
Assuming its a 32A supply, a 4mm2 SWA should suffice. A 20A would be fine with a 2.5mm2 SWA but for the cost difference I would use 4mm2.

EDIT: See later post.
 
Last edited:
One RCD at the origin will cover everything plugged on to it. Must be 30mA though. If its 100mA not good enough. tbh I replied to your other post assuming you were going to use a commando type socket which you will need for your motorhome will you not?
 
Length matters. How far?

I would also strongly recommend you look into earthing types. You are not permitted to use PME to supply a van. While loads of people likely chuck a lead out the window and plug it in, it is not permitted under the ESCQR regs. A dedicated hookup would be a better option.
 
Done some quick calcs. ;) Taking a nominal 26A for the design load, the 4mm2 cable can be 40m long before 5% vd becomes an issue and a 6mm2 cable can be 60m long. Thats extremely conservative as I doubt that 26A would ever be achieved, more likely to be 16A. I would not consider 2.5mm2 SWA under the circumstances.
 
Thanks to Unphased and Lectrician for sharing your knowledge. The length is 10m so I'll go with 4mm2 cable and check the RCD is 30mA. At the moment I use a commando socket and an adaptor to plug into the garage supply. Could I not make up a lead with a standard plug at the garden end and a commando plug at the motorhome end so that the garden socket is available for garden machinery? If that's not good practice there's no problem with installing a commando socket.
 
No thats fine, Tonyo. You could also use a combination of sockets so, for example, you could use a dedicated commando socket for your van and a weatherproof 13A socket to plug in your lawnmower.
 
I would still be concerned about the earthing regardless of what type of socket you use. Photo of your service head/metering? If TN-S or TT, then do what you want, but if PME, you really should not be using that earth to connect a semi-permanently connected van.

I would prefer to see a commando type outlet, and then a 16amp blue to 13amp socket used for the lawn - The lawn is the thing that gets the least use, so convert it. Not the other way around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top