Exactly. But for the average domestic garage 20A is enough.
consumer units
- Thread starter davetoms
- Start date
Exactly. But for the average domestic garage 20A is enough.
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how about metal clad sockets at chest height
That's exactly my preferred height. But they gotta be under 1200 to keep electrician #1 happy!
That's the sensible approach, in my opinion. Here it's pretty much normal to fit garage receptacles a little over 4 ft. from the floor, that way when things like 4 ft. wide sheets of drywall or plywood get propped against the wall they're not in the way or hidden.
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If you're using metalclad sockets, have a think about wiring them in singles in conduit rather than T & E stapled to the wall. Nice and neat, mechanical protection and protection from UV (if you get daylight in your garage) and not that difficult (in plastic)
That would save about £25.
The main cost of a consumer unit it what's fitted into it, which is the same for metal and plastic versions.
I would also be highly suspicious of any electrician who has availability to do work like that at such short notice, particularly in December.
If using metalclad sockets, use steel conduit, not plastic.
Steel conduit is a much nicer job agreed, but it is much harder work especially if you've got buttresses and corners to get round. I could have laid hands on a thread cutter and a bending rig but I wanted to get the 25 metres (crossing 6 buttresses) done in a day. For a domestic garage, plastic is fine- not quite as pretty and nowhere near as strong but completely adequate for the proposed use.
And be thankful no-one has mentioned stickyback minitrunking yet
He is using an electrician, not DIYing.
Maybe he should find one who can do pyro..
Maybe he should find one who can do pyro..
Fair point, trouble is most Part P sparks will have done a conduit run at college (and maybe a pyro run as well) and that'll be the last time they did it. Commercial types aren't allowed to do domestic now (or rather they can but then having some spotty youth looking disdainfully at it will take the shine off things a bit)He is using an electrician, not DIYing.
Maybe he should find one who can do pyro..
Pyro is not taught at college any more. I work with two young lads. One is qualified and 5 years in the job, the other is a third year apprentice. Neither of them knows how to terminate a pyro end. Two of the older electricians I regularly work with were taught it, but they wont work on it as they don't have the skills, experience or tools to do so.
I have a 50A supply in 16.0mm² SWA to my garage. I have a 9 way DB in the garage which in reality is too small for my needs and already has some doubled up circuits. A 20A radial without a CU or DB certainly isn't a one size fits all solution to garage supplies.
I have a 50A supply in 16.0mm² SWA to my garage. I have a 9 way DB in the garage which in reality is too small for my needs and already has some doubled up circuits. A 20A radial without a CU or DB certainly isn't a one size fits all solution to garage supplies.
Got to agree with all of that- think there are at least 2 types of garage;
Type 1- space just about big enough to park the car and that's all that happens (or maybe it gets filled up with spare furniture and kids tat and there's no room for the car any more). Power requirements- couple of sockets for freezer and Black & Decker, single florrie tube.
Type 2- Big garage, room for 2 maybe 3 cars, a couple of motorcycles, the ride-on lawnmower and as many tools as the owner can lay their hands on. Power requirements- minimum 32A (you need that much to run one of those 1 ph-3ph converters) and even then it'll be struggling when the MIG and the lathe are running at the same time. Lighting- probably 10 x double florrie fittings or, for the more affluent, a load of low bay metal halide things. Plus task lighting over the workbanch
Dunno what you're going to do with 9 ways, 4 was enough for me (32A ring, 6A lights, 32A to CEE 32 socket for the big Mig and a 20A radial for the compressor which is out in the stable). But a proper man cave is a Good Thing
It's a pity the U.K. no longer has anything in between PVC conduit and heavy gauge steel. Here we have EMT (Electrical Metallic Tubing), which is a good middle ground and much easier to work than the heavy stuff where the strength of the latter isn't needed. We also have two grades of PVC conduit, Schedule 40 and Schedule 80. The latter is much tougher than U.K. PVC conduit.
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