240v 6mm cable. Where to buy (not Chris's related$

[mborg10]

Ok so this isn't Christmas related but I thought I'd ask the question. I need to get my hands on about 40m of 6mm 240v 3 core cable. I am putting I. A spa in the back yard and need to run some cable under the slab before I pour it this weekend. I have spoken to our electrical engineers and after they calculated my 32a circuit along with the length of run and other factors 6mm is the choice. Online prices look around $250 for a 100m. Anyone know if I can get it somewhere in Sydney by the m or even 40m roll. Don't worry the sparky will be doing all the tricky stuff. I'm just doing the grunt work

 

[AAH]

The cable will have to be ran in conduit so it may be worthwhile asking the sparky if he can run it in 6mm builders wire rather than twin and earth. It has been a helluva long time since I had any involvement with sparkys hooking power up here and to my shed but I vaguely recall that builders wire plus conduit worked out cheaper by a fairly long way than twin and earth (3 core white cable). The conduit size for builders wire works out smaller too.

 

[mborg10]

Really I only have to get about 10m for under the slab worst case and if the sparkly runs the rest. So be it.

 

[ԆцряєсϮ]

Ask your sparky exactly what cable he wants and exactly how he wants it ran.
There are numerous regulations involved and in the end it will be his license against the job.
To be safe if I were you I would just put in a conduit and draw wire under the slab so your sparky can pull his own cable in when required.

 

[mborg10]

Yeah that's what I got at the moment with 2.5mm cable but it was really hard to pull the 2.5mm cable thru the conduit with elbows even though they were long radius. I'm worried if I do that he want be able to pull the cable through. I guess I can get larger conduit.

 

[cozbert]

Get yourself some 32 mm conduit, very easy to pull cables thru upto about 16mm2.

What is the current draw of your spa? because what you said in your post 6mm might not be big enough

 

[battle79]

As a sparky I would be asking for a draw wire (use something strong, maybe a 2.5mm earth wire) and a 32mm conduit with a sweep bend (turns 90deg over about a 300mm x 300mm area) as it comes up from the slab.

Hard to bend a cable that size around the small 90deg bends. And I want to know all about the cable I'm putting my licence on the line for.

Try to only have the one bend in it. Any more and again, it is hard to pull through.

Best of luck,
Rowan

 

[mborg10]

I've got 3 bends. One at each end and a horizontal one. What I have decided to do is run 40mm conduit with sweeping bends and thread the scrap 2.5mm cable thru. Goes thru nice and easy. Then ill leave everything else up to the sparky. I was going to do 32 but when I pulled the 2.5mm thru 25mm it kept jamming on the bends. So better safe than sorry and 40mm it is. Got the 3 bends and 4m length for $30

 

[battle79]

If both ends of pipe are turned up, then you will possibly end up with water sitting in pipe at various times, best to get orange circ cable to withstand that better then the standard sheath. Sounds like the sparky is looking after that now anyway.

Also, if possible, remove the 90deg and just run diagonally, or at least run diagonally and then use a 45deg sweep bend.

Cheers,
Rowan

 

[fasteddy]

Ive always ran my cable when I was installing the conduit if it had bends, that way you put the bends on seperate and it much easier to feed through

 

[mborg10]

Just not sure which cable to run so ill leave that for the sparky but the conduit has to go under the slab.