What gauge of wire should I use to run power to my workshop? Run is 30m and I will be drawing maximum current?

don't listen to all these jokers who say you cant do it under part p regs nonsense and don't bother to pay the mortgage for those money grabbing electricians .

Run 1mm twin and earth cable . just throw it an inch or so under the ground or cover it with some stone chippings, dont bother fusing it down . if you slam it straight into the fuse for the shower circuit you will probably be able to pull 45-50 amps. you cable will be rated about 16 amps but dont be put off by that they only put low ratings on these cables to make u spend more money on thicker ones.

rcds cost an arm and a leg ...waste of money and time if there is a fault the power runs to earth any fool knows that and as the earth is brown you wont notice any scorch marks.

buy a 50m drum of 1mm squared twin and earth from a diy shop, you can use 30m then take the drum back and get a refund for the full 50m.

Remember part p is only another form of tax

Only one correct answer so far jayktee96. If you don't know then you shouldn't be doing it. There are factors to consider other than current, such as the route of the cable. This can be calculated using tables and information from the 16th edition IEE Regulations. But as jayktee96 has stated this comes under the special locations section of the part P building regulations and is notifiable under this regulation. Failure to comply can be punished by a £5000 fine. The best bet? Get in touch with your local electrician and have the job done safely.

What is maximum current? 15 amps? 20 amps.

It depends on the circuit breaker. If it's a 15 amp breaker, then it must be at least 14 guage. If it's 20, it must be at least 12 guage.

The circuit breaker protects the wiring from igniting when the current exceeds the capability of the wire (thickness). So the wire used must be that which can be protected by the circuit breaker.

Most older homes in the U.S. are wired with 14 gauge wire, using 15 amp breakers. Newer homes have 12 gauge (yes, 12 is thicker than 14) protected with 20 amp breakers.

For a 30 AMP usage or rating a #10 w/ground is acceptable in most cases, however you need to consider the length or distance you will be going from your main to your sub-panel. If you have a long distance you should consider going to a #8 w/ground it is always better to air on the heavier side. I would suggest you check your local building codes and consult with your local building inspectors and they make sure you get the project done safely and correctly the 1st time! Sorry I couldn't convert to metric, where are you purchasing your wire from, most all place today in the U.S. use the National Electrical code nomenclature. Good luck with your project and be safe!

There are a few different ways you can do this, you can either run individual circuts out to your work shop and have the breaker in the main panel, or you can install a Sub-Panel and branch off from there.

Depending on how large of work shop you are going to have, I would either install a 60 AMP sub-panel or a 100 AMP Subpanel.

60 AMP should be more than sufficient to run several large power tools such as a Table Saw and some heavy duty machines.

Just put a 60 AMP breaker in your main panel, run either #4 Copper or #6 Copper and install a Sub-panel in your work shop.

You can get away with #6, but because of the long run it can't hurt to go to the next size up.

Once the breaker is installed in your work shop, then I would put a seperate circut breaker for each power tool such as the sander, table saw, band saw Etc.

Hi. You will need to use SWA Steel Wired Armoured cable with a 30ma RCD as your protective device prior to your workshop circuit.. This is because you are operating electrical equipment / portable hand tools outside of your equipotential zone ie (home).

I think the cable size is 2.5mm squared. A longer time served electrician will be able to clarify. Good Luck.

10/2 with ground

Maximum current of what?? Amps?? You need to know the max. load to calculate the cable size, making allowance for voltage drop.

This comes under Part P regulations and is notifiable, you should not carry out this work yourself. Contact an electrical contractor.

http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/Pocket%20Guide%...

it depends is your workshop detached from your house,how much power do you want out there contact your towns electrical inspector and ask him what the codes are remember never wire for fire

Call your local code enforcement to find out.

It doesn't matter what is sufficient, it is what they have decided already.

Don't mess with code enforcement when it comes to electricity, they don't play around on that.