Hoping to start on wiring up my garage/workshop fairly soon, and just
want to check on my CU etc.

This outbuilding (detached but next to the house) already has power, in
the form of a cable from a dedicated 30A MCB in the house's split-load
CU, in which all but the lighting circuits are protected by a 30mA trip
RCD. Earthing is TN-S. Cable runs through the house and connects to
SWA inside a metal box in the kitchen; SWA then runs underground to the
outbuilding where it connects (via another metal box) to a CU out there.

The outbuilding CU is pretty old; it has two circuits with cartridge
fuses (30A and 5A) for power and lighting respectively. Power is
currently provided to one double socket only, used for our 'overflow'
fridge and freezer.

I'm intending to extend the single radial circuit into a ring, which
will have 5 or 6 double sockets to power usual workshop tools and
chargers. Nothing particularly heavy duty; just standard drills,
grinders, saws etc.

So, finally the question: is my current outbuilding CU up to the task,
and/or is their anything to be gained (safety wise) by upgrading it?
I'm not anticipating lots of nuisance trips so I don't mind having to
reset the house RCD on rare occasions if need be. Also, I particularly
don't want any risk of nuisance trips of any upgraded garage CU causing
the garage freezer to thaw out without me being aware of it!

Thanks
David

On Jun 12, 3:34*pm, Lobster wrote:
Hoping to start on wiring up my garage/workshop fairly soon, and just
want to check on my CU etc.

This outbuilding (detached but next to the house) already has power, in
the form of a cable from a dedicated 30A MCB in the house's split-load
CU, in which all but the lighting circuits are protected by a 30mA trip
RCD. *Earthing is TN-S. *Cable runs through the house and connects to
SWA inside a metal box in the kitchen; SWA then runs underground to the
outbuilding where it connects (via another metal box) to a CU out there.

The outbuilding CU is pretty old; it has two circuits with cartridge
fuses (30A and 5A) for power and lighting respectively. *Power is
currently provided to one double socket only, used for our 'overflow'
fridge and freezer.

I'm intending to extend the single radial circuit into a ring, which
will have 5 or 6 double sockets to power usual workshop tools and
chargers. Nothing particularly heavy duty; just standard drills,
grinders, saws etc.

So, finally the question: is my current outbuilding CU up to the task,
and/or is their anything to be gained (safety wise) by upgrading it?
I'm not anticipating lots of nuisance trips so I don't mind having to
reset the house RCD on rare occasions if need be. *Also, I particularly
don't want any risk of nuisance trips of any upgraded garage CU causing
the garage freezer to thaw out without me being aware of it!

Thanks
David

Sounds like you need the standard arrangement:
slate fuseboard mounted on wood plinth
suitable sizes of tinned copper wire as fuses
both poles fused of course, yo cant rely on which supply wire's live
knife switches you can make with workshop tools
Conductors of copper or iron
cable insulation not necessary if you mount the cables on standoffs
overhead
sockets: anything you like really, ES lampholders are as good as any
Don't forget some Nernst lighting, or perhaps the new fangled carbon
filament lamps.


NT, 1880

Lobster wrote:
Hoping to start on wiring up my garage/workshop fairly soon, and just
want to check on my CU etc.

This outbuilding (detached but next to the house) already has power,
in the form of a cable from a dedicated 30A MCB in the house's
split-load CU, in which all but the lighting circuits are protected
by a 30mA trip RCD. Earthing is TN-S. Cable runs through the house
and connects to SWA inside a metal box in the kitchen; SWA then runs
underground to the outbuilding where it connects (via another metal
box) to a CU out there.
The outbuilding CU is pretty old; it has two circuits with cartridge
fuses (30A and 5A) for power and lighting respectively. Power is
currently provided to one double socket only, used for our 'overflow'
fridge and freezer.

I'm intending to extend the single radial circuit into a ring, which
will have 5 or 6 double sockets to power usual workshop tools and
chargers. Nothing particularly heavy duty; just standard drills,
grinders, saws etc.

So, finally the question: is my current outbuilding CU up to the task,
and/or is their anything to be gained (safety wise) by upgrading it?
I'm not anticipating lots of nuisance trips so I don't mind having to
reset the house RCD on rare occasions if need be. Also, I
particularly don't want any risk of nuisance trips of any upgraded
garage CU causing the garage freezer to thaw out without me being
aware of it!

It sounds legal to me:-)

I probably would swap the fuse box for a simple CU such as
http://www.screwfix.com/p/volex-5-wa...mer-unit/54580

Unless you want to move the garage supply to the non RCD side of your house
CU and use RCBOs in the garage CU with the freezer on a MCB.

--
Adam

On Jun 12, 6:29*pm, Owain wrote:
On Jun 12, 3:50*pm, Tabby *wrote:

Sounds like you need the standard arrangement:
slate fuseboard mounted on wood plinth
suitable sizes of tinned copper wire as fuses
both poles fused of course, yo cant rely on which supply wire's live
knife switches you can make with workshop tools
Conductors of copper or iron
cable insulation not necessary if you mount the cables on standoffs
overhead
sockets: anything you like really, ES lampholders are as good as any
Don't forget some Nernst lighting, or perhaps the new fangled carbon
filament lamps.

You back on the smooth sippin' laudanum again, NT?

Owain

hehe
Are you saying the only sensible choice is Moore's tubes?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_McFarlan_Moore


NT

Tabby wrote:

On Jun 13, 1:25 pm, Owain wrote:
On Jun 13, 1:19 pm, Tabby wrote:

Are you saying the only sensible choice is Moore's tubes?

I like Moore's tubes and somewhere have the instructions for them ...

Owain

What really struck me about them is that one lamp can be a couple of
hundred feet long. Good for efficiency, but scarily impractical.


NT

For some reason, doing a Google Image search on "Moore's tube" with
safesearch off is a really bad idea (glad I'm working from home today!)

I really can't figure out why!

--
Tim Watts

On 12/06/2011 19:32, ARWadsworth wrote:
wrote:
Hoping to start on wiring up my garage/workshop fairly soon, and just
want to check on my CU etc.

This outbuilding (detached but next to the house) already has power,
in the form of a cable from a dedicated 30A MCB in the house's
split-load CU, in which all but the lighting circuits are protected
by a 30mA trip RCD. Earthing is TN-S. Cable runs through the house
and connects to SWA inside a metal box in the kitchen; SWA then runs
underground to the outbuilding where it connects (via another metal
box) to a CU out there.
The outbuilding CU is pretty old; it has two circuits with cartridge
fuses (30A and 5A) for power and lighting respectively. Power is
currently provided to one double socket only, used for our 'overflow'
fridge and freezer.

I'm intending to extend the single radial circuit into a ring, which
will have 5 or 6 double sockets to power usual workshop tools and
chargers. Nothing particularly heavy duty; just standard drills,
grinders, saws etc.

So, finally the question: is my current outbuilding CU up to the task,
and/or is their anything to be gained (safety wise) by upgrading it?
I'm not anticipating lots of nuisance trips so I don't mind having to
reset the house RCD on rare occasions if need be. Also, I
particularly don't want any risk of nuisance trips of any upgraded
garage CU causing the garage freezer to thaw out without me being
aware of it!

It sounds legal to me:-)

Thanks Adam!

I probably would swap the fuse box for a simple CU such as
http://www.screwfix.com/p/volex-5-wa...mer-unit/54580

Sounds like a plan. So if I maintain the house CU as it is would I just
fit standard MCBs in the garage CU? Would the house RCD still trip in
preference to them?

Unless you want to move the garage supply to the non RCD side of your house
CU and use RCBOs in the garage CU with the freezer on a MCB.

That would be a really good idea actually; unfortunately the non-RCD
side's already full though, and wouldn't be easily sorted. A new
busbar, cut differently, would sort it; however it's quite an old CU and
I don't rate my chances of getting hold of one!

Thanks
David

Lobster wrote:
On 12/06/2011 19:32, ARWadsworth wrote:
wrote:
Hoping to start on wiring up my garage/workshop fairly soon, and
just want to check on my CU etc.

This outbuilding (detached but next to the house) already has power,
in the form of a cable from a dedicated 30A MCB in the house's
split-load CU, in which all but the lighting circuits are protected
by a 30mA trip RCD. Earthing is TN-S. Cable runs through the house
and connects to SWA inside a metal box in the kitchen; SWA then runs
underground to the outbuilding where it connects (via another metal
box) to a CU out there.
The outbuilding CU is pretty old; it has two circuits with cartridge
fuses (30A and 5A) for power and lighting respectively. Power is
currently provided to one double socket only, used for our
'overflow' fridge and freezer.

I'm intending to extend the single radial circuit into a ring, which
will have 5 or 6 double sockets to power usual workshop tools and
chargers. Nothing particularly heavy duty; just standard drills,
grinders, saws etc.

So, finally the question: is my current outbuilding CU up to the
task, and/or is their anything to be gained (safety wise) by
upgrading it? I'm not anticipating lots of nuisance trips so I
don't mind having to reset the house RCD on rare occasions if need
be. Also, I particularly don't want any risk of nuisance trips of
any upgraded garage CU causing the garage freezer to thaw out
without me being aware of it!

It sounds legal to me:-)

Thanks Adam!

I probably would swap the fuse box for a simple CU such as
http://www.screwfix.com/p/volex-5-wa...mer-unit/54580

Sounds like a plan. So if I maintain the house CU as it is would I
just fit standard MCBs in the garage CU? Would the house RCD still
trip in preference to them?

Yes, just standard MCBs and no RCD in the garage (you will be using the
house RCD). Of course what trips depends upon the type of fault! You would
be in the same position as before but with a cheap CU not an old fusebox.


Unless you want to move the garage supply to the non RCD side of
your house CU and use RCBOs in the garage CU with the freezer on a
MCB.

That would be a really good idea actually; unfortunately the non-RCD
side's already full though, and wouldn't be easily sorted. A new
busbar, cut differently, would sort it; however it's quite an old CU
and I don't rate my chances of getting hold of one!

Whats the CU?

--
Adam

On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:05:26 +0100, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:


Whats the CU?

It's the thing the wires come into and go out of again.

HTH

HAND etc etc

Nick

Nick Odell wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:05:26 +0100, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:


Whats the CU?

It's the thing the wires come into and go out of again.

HTH

vbg

Have you been watching Airplane:-) - re hospital gag?

--
Adam