Digging a trench?

Jeannine

We will need to dig a trench to get power to the cabin at the bottom of the garden (electrician's quote doesn't include this of course!). It's about 40m and am wondering if anyone's done it themselves? It's seems a long way to dig (not sure exactly how deep or wide yet). Any feedback / suggestions appreciated!

Waterlily24

Hubby did ours, don't know how wide or deep but will ask later. I think it was about 200ft long.

Gloomendoom

Yes, I've done it more than once. How hard, depends what type of soil you have.

In flinty gravelly soil it is bloody hard work. In soft soil it is a good workout.

If you have the means and access, I'd recommend hiring a machine. If you do it by hand, a mattock will make the job a lot easier.

ormus

id get a local paddy in to do it.
100 quid well spent.
my local paddy used to be employed when the JCB broke down.

andrew-b

There isn't actually a specified depth required though it makes sense to bury the cable in such a way excavating/digging won't damage it.
From what i've found it needs to be at least 18 inches deep..but ask your electrician being the one signing off the work . SWA (steel armoured) cable and marker tape "electic cable below" near the top on filling in again. Width...as narrow as you can get away with to minimise digging..so a spade width.

Where under the lawn carefully remove turf so you can put it back again..don't let it dry out though.
I'm currently taking rain break whilst digging a similar trench at the moment - though only 4m. Already previously dug a 15metre one for satellite cable to dish down the end! Get the spade out...you'll sleep well tonight!

27col

I dug the whole foundation trenches for my first house by hand, to a depth of 1 metre. It was bloody hard work, but it certainly toughened me up for all the later work. It was dug in clay which had a lot of shingle and flints embedded in it. Every spadeful had to pick-axed out before I could shovel it. Even if I was not a retired wrinkly, I do not think that I would do it again by hand. Mind you, since I did it, they have invented mini-diggers.

vaio

The wiring regs say.........

"A depth of burial of less than 500mm is usually inadvisable as shallow laid cables may be inadvertently damaged by general gardening etc, cables that cannot be buried at a reasonable depth should be specifically protected, e.g. by ducts encased in concrete, or installed along an alternative route. See HSG47 "Avoiding danger from underground services".

As others have said use a couple of layers of warning tape, you can also get trenching shovels which are only 3 or 4 inches wide, it might be worth buying/hiring one although I'd be looking down the digger route.

mikey72

Deeper than a shovel is a fair rule, two shovels is best.