Thread: Estimate of wiring in a 16 amp 240 circuit

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

I had never before heard of 16 amp outlets. Are they some new and strange European thing? My shed has 15 amp outlets for the lathe, two welders, and the 3MT drilling machine. There are eight normal 10 amp outlets for anything else, plus lights. It has a separate switchboard with circuit breakers.

The 'Cee Form' Euro style 16 amp outlets have been around for about 20 years here in Australia. Not at all common in domestic use but pretty common in the Hire and Event Industries. They meet Australian Standard so technically no dramas using them but a standard 15 amp Aussie outlet is far cheaper and easier to get hold of for most.

You were spot on when you said how long is a piece of string .
If you have the money , a sub board in the shed is defiantly the way to go .
If you are putting the conduit in the ground yourself & pulling the cable through later , make sure you use smooth long sweeping bends .
Size wise , 25mm would be the min conduit size for 6mm single phase & 32mm should be ample for any average single phase supply .
For all intents & purpose 15a & 16a circuits are the same thing .
Min cable size to a sub board is 6mm & is good for 32a over a moderate distance of aprox 40m from the point of supply .
If your incoming power supply is a long way from the shed you will need to think a bit deeper .