# Forum Home Renovation Electrical  Price For Running power to shed

## Fr_303

I am just wondering what price people have paid for running power to there sheds, I have 1 Fluro Light and 2 power points just wondering what price I should be excepting.

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## elkangorito

There are many variables so I would imagine a great range of prices.

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## Boeing777

Got mine hooked up for $175 parts and labour - I had pre-run the conduit from the house, 300mm underground and up into the shed and just had the sparky put in 1 internal and one external powerpoint and connect them to a new circuit. 
Just quietly I would have paid a bit more, I'd booked 3 sparkies to do the job and this was the only bloke to actually turn up!

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## peter_sm

Mine cost $3200.

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## Frankmc

> Got mine hooked up for $175 parts and labour - I had pre-run the conduit from the house, 300mm underground and up into the shed and just had the sparky put in 1 internal and one external powerpoint and connect them to a new circuit. 
> Just quietly I would have paid a bit more, I'd booked 3 sparkies to do the job and this was the only bloke to actually turn up!

  
Are you saying the conduit was 300mm underground ??????? 
Frank

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## Boeing777

Yep, 300mm, 30cm, 0.3m underground - as advised by the sparky on my first phone call. I always thought it was a minimum of 600mm but he said 300mm is legal for single phase with an RCD.

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## Frankmc

Ummmm.......Havent done domestic work in years but i thought it was 500mm  minimum....need to  read my reg book......Many years ago in the old yellow book i recall 300mm being allowed directly below concrete .... 
Frank

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## elkangorito

> Yep, 300mm, 30cm, 0.3m underground - as advised by the sparky on my first phone call. I always thought it was a minimum of 600mm but he said 300mm is legal for single phase with an RCD.

  Unless there has been an amendment to the Wiring Rules & if this job was recently done, your sparky is incorrect.
You'd most probably have a Category A underground wiring setup, which is required to be no less than 500mm deep. There are exceptions to this rule, which involve the use of concrete or some sort of paving/slab. 
Also, the use of RCD's does not have any bearing upon the underground depth of wiring.

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## Boeing777

Not too sure, I hadn't filled in the trench (or glued the elbows) of the conduit with the (different) sparky came out to run the cable, and he didn't say anything about the depth - so either 300mm is correct or its just not a big deal. 
Judging by some of the other wiring I've come across in my 8 year old house, I don't think following the rules is a strong point for the sparkies around here  :Biggrin: , but lets not turn this into another one of those threads. 
Job was completed just over a year ago.

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## peter_sm

My wiring to my shed was 600mm down in an orange conduit, with stormwater in the same trench at 300mm

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## rrobor

I laid my own comduit, sparky advised on corners and pipe amd I could only go 100mm from under the house due to foundations. It is though covered by concrete.If you work out there by yourself I think it best you have  a separate box out there with trips, that way you dont have her indoors screaming when you do an oops during "Days of our lives".

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## jimc

I have 80amps to the shed...price was $2700 and included.. 
circuit board
3 x 15amp
4x double 10amp
2x external double 10 amp
wiring up 6 double flouros in 3 gang switch 
16mm cable back to main board
new earth for house 
very nicely fitted out in conduit. 
I had already buried 40mm conduit back to house 600mm deep

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## elkangorito

> I have 80amps to the shed...price was $2700 and included.. 
> circuit board
> 3 x 15amp
> 4x double 10amp
> 2x external double 10 amp
> wiring up 6 double flouros in 3 gang switch 
> 16mm cable back to main board
> new earth for house 
> very nicely fitted out in conduit. 
> I had already buried 40mm conduit back to house 600mm deep

  Sounds like a good job to me  :Smilie:

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## Terrian

mine is 1m+ deep, and the cost, so far, is less than $60

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## lazydays

Extension lead, take plug off and run it through some conduit (maybe even silicon up the ends), power board with individual switches (on special at Bunnings for $20 at moment). Fluoro with 3 pin plug on end.............all up about $100.

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## elkangorito

> Extension lead, take plug off and run it through some conduit (maybe even silicon up the ends), power board with individual switches (on special at Bunnings for $20 at moment). Fluoro with 3 pin plug on end.............all up about $100.

  A bit bodgy but nonetheless legal. :Smilie: 
I wouldn't do it this way. :No:

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## Dan574

> A bit bodgy but nonetheless legal.
> I wouldn't do it this way.

  Im not trying to start an argument or try and be a smart ass, but why is it dodgy.   
Its not the normal thing to do but wouldnt it be the same as running normal wire through conduit.  I imagine the length may determine some things though.

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## elkangorito

> Im not trying to start an argument or try and be a smart ass, but why is it dodgy.   
> Its not the normal thing to do but wouldnt it be the same as running normal wire through conduit.  I imagine the length may determine some things though.

  Sorry Dan if you got the wrong idea. :Redface:  I don't want an argument either.  :Smilie:  
From a "tradesmans" point of view, it's a "bodgy" job (not dodgy). Bodgy means "rough".

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## Dan574

Thanks elk, I actually want to know about this.  I didnt get the wrong idea I really want to know your opinion.  It seems  one needs to word a reply on an electrical thread very carefully these days to avoid an all out war  :Smilie:  
I know from a tradies point of view its not the way to go but from a diy point of view it sounds like a cheap safe option (correct me if Im wrong) 
What are the pitfalls/dangers of this type of set up.

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## lazydays

Same here......don't want a flame war but from a DIY side and wanting to save as much money as possible (let alone trying to an electrician out for this sort of job) what are the dangers of this sort of set up. 
I have 2 types of set-ups. The first is an extension lead running through a conduit. The male end is plugged into a weatherproof power point on a protected veranda, then it runs underground to my front fence (about 5m) to another weatherproof powerpoint and this has in turn a 12v garden light system plugged into it. 
The other set-up is a shed I've just built over my pool pump with an extension lead plugged into it, connected to a power board (complete with individual switches and overload) which has a fluro plugged into it with maybe max of one drill used occasionally

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## Vernonv

I think one issue is that such a setup would be quite obviously a DIY job. This may prompt a closer investigation of the rest of the electrical install by (and just thinking off the top of my head) an electrician doing other work, a building inspection prior to sale, insurance or fire investigation, etc. 
Personally I'm all for appropriate DIY electrical, but I also prefer to see a job done as well as (quality wise), if not better than what a tradie would do.

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## rrobor

My final advice to this is dont just fit conduit. I fitted an 80mm plastic pipe all nicely sealed against water etc. Through that I got 2 nice orange conduit pipes, one has power, the other is the TV and telephone and the third thing  is a nylon rope to pull stuff with. After all this is a blokes shed and there is no telling what future needs may bring.

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## jimc

Suppose it all falls down to how much load you want to run over that extension cord. I used to do that and that poor cable got mighty hot at times...mind you I was pulling a fair amount of current..light..vacume with power trigger and tool of choice...mind you it was over 20 metres from nearest power point! 
Now I can have every tool in the shed going at once!

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## elkangorito

> Thanks elk, I actually want to know about this.  I didnt get the wrong idea I really want to know your opinion.  It seems  one needs to word a reply on an electrical thread very carefully these days to avoid an all out war  
> I know from a tradies point of view its not the way to go but from a diy point of view it sounds like a cheap safe option (correct me if Im wrong) 
> What are the pitfalls/dangers of this type of set up.

  Sorry for the late reply but I missed your post.  :Redface:  
There aren't any real pitfalls or dangers in using flexible cable as a sub-board supply. It's probably more expensive than the equivalent TPS cable but it's been 3 years since I've lived in Australia so I don't know the going rates for cable etc. Also, bear in mind that flexible cable usually has cores that have 64 strands or more. This can make some terminations a bit tricky, unless you know what you are doing. 
Pulling flexible cable through rigid conduit is a lot easier than pulling TPS through. 
Of course, the cheapest & easiest way to go would be to pull "building wire" (single insulated) through the conduit. It is also one proper way to do the job...it's not "bodgy".

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