POWER SUPPLY TO EXTERNAL GARAGE

[pdb20020]

How do I do this? In lamens terms please? preferably a step by step guide would be very much appreciated!
Thank you.

Paul

 

[mapj1]

It might be worth searching the archive for previous peoples questions and answers on this - there are a number of pitfalls, some of which will, and others will not apply to you. First some questions...
First, is it detached (if so how far), or joined to the house, how much power do you want out there (1 light, of plasma cutter and welder on together), and what is your supply earthing arrangement.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

pdb - you are aware of Part P are you?

 

[pdb20020]

Thanks mike! All I require is lighting and a few power points. The garage is seperate from the house which is mid-terrace, approx 15ft away.

I'm worried about wiring into my fuse box! How do I go about that safely, What size fuse, cable do I require? Do I need special flanges for the cable comming out/into the house/garage? Do I need a lightning rod?? Do I create a ring/radial curcuit? Do I need a seperate fuse box inside the garage? How far down must the cable be burried and in what? Do I need to lay blue polythene over this?

feedback please!!!

Thanks so far

Paul

Part P - No idea! I do know regs are changing regarding home electrics! How this will be policed baffles me!! Anyway that's why I've chose to do it now!!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I'm worried about wiring into my fuse box! How do I go about that safely, What size fuse, cable do I require? Do I need special flanges for the cable comming out/into the house/garage? Do I need a lightning rod?? Do I create a ring/radial curcuit? Do I need a seperate fuse box inside the garage? How far down must the cable be burried and in what? Do I need to lay blue polythene over this?

All these questions and more have been discussed here many times in the past. Search for terms like garage, shed, outhouse, outbuilding, outside.But I have to say that given the questions you are asking you have a lot to learn before you should be attempting this job yourself. It should not be done on the basis of blindly following instructions, you should know and understand all about it.

Part P - No idea!

The search here doesn't work for terms of less than 3 letters, so if you try to look for Part P it'll just match Part. Try the fora at Screwfix, IEE and a s k t h e t r a d e s.

But in a nutshell, the law now says that this job must either be done by an electrician able to self-certify compliance with the Building Regs or if done by someone not able to self-certify then it must be notified to Building Control in advance.

I do know regs are changing regarding home electrics!

Have already changed.

How this will be policed baffles me!!

And the rest of us...

Anyway that's why I've chose to do it now!!!

You are too late - the new regulations came into force on Jan 1st. If you had already started before then then you would have had until tomorrow to finish before the new rules affected what you are doing.

So basically you have 3 choices. 1 & 2 are legal, 3 is not:

1) Get a registered electrician.

2) DIY and inform LABC. (IMHO with your current knowledge you will struggle to meet the technical requirements of the Building Regulations in respect of this work).

3) DIY and not tell LABC.

 

[pdb20020]

Cheers ban all! lolol

 

[mapj1]

If you don't need much power, (say only 1 or 2 sockets, and a light) then you could 'just' do the garage as a fused spur from your existing ring main indoors. Though I'd recommend not doing that, as it restricts the maxmum total load.
3 core Armoured cable, buried 'deep enough to avoid disturbance' (18" typically in a garden, less is OK under a path or slabs, more if it might be dug up by accident. flowerbeds/lawns or paths are all different.)
The cable will be best terminated into metal boxes at both ends, using proper weatherproof glands, making sure to earth the armour and the box, as well as the earth core, and then, after conversion to 'normal' twin and earth cable fed into a box with an RCD in the garage, feeding an MCB for lights and power. For 5m, 2.5mm will be OK for a 13A, or even 20A spur, if you wanted to beef it up a bit, use 4mm and fed from a 32 amp breaker in the fuse board would be more appropriate. (the additional price of the heavier cable is small compared with the hassle of doing it twice.)
However, do please do that search.. Are you TT, PME, TN-s ? you haven't said yet.

 

[pdb20020]

Thanks mapj. All these abbreviations dont't help much i'm afraid. I'm more worried of how I go about connecting to the mains. Ie when the box is turned off and fuses taken out that stops the supply into the house but I take it its still live with the power comming into the house!! Please help on this matter as this really is my main concern!

Comments/ideas please!

Paul

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Thanks mapj. All these abbreviations dont't help much i'm afraid.

Those abbreviations are all to do with things that you must know about, and must either use or fit or take into account when doing your design. TT/TN-C-S/PME/TN-S for example are different types of earthing systems for your main supply, and what you have has fundamental effects on how you take a supply to the garage.

I'm more worried of how I go about connecting to the mains. Ie when the box is turned off and fuses taken out that stops the supply into the house but I take it its still live with the power comming into the house!! Please help on this matter as this really is my main concern!

It should not be of concern to you, because given your complete lack of knowledge, and, sadly it seems, your unwillingness to do any research and learning, you should not do this yourself.

Please get an electrician.

 

[pdb20020]

I have no problem in researching this matter and i will get there in the end !! I just thought that using a forum would prove more helpful and less time consuming! So... off to do my research! Thanks for...er nuffin all sheds.!!

 

[pdb20020]

Why dont you help others rather than quoting them only to pick faults! Isn't this REALLY what the forum is for!!! For others to help others! and pass on knowledge, tips and hints etc....

Sad man!


Paul storms off to electricute hisself!!!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Why dont you help others rather than quoting them only to pick faults! Isn't this REALLY what the forum is for!!! For others to help others! and pass on knowledge, tips and hints etc....

I am helping you - I'm passing on my knowledge of things that you need to find out about, and telling you that yes, this forum can help you and that you need to search through it.

mapj1 is helping you by telling you things you need to know - it's not his fault, or mine, if you don't understand what he's telling you because you currently know so little.

We have both told you that the type of supply you have (TT/TN-S/TN-C-S) is of vital importance, and has fundamental effects on how you go about things, and still you have not said which you have.

We can tell, from the questions you are asking, that you do not know enough to be doing this job at this point in time. We also know something important that you haven't grasped - you cannot do this just by following "idiot guide" instructions, you can only do it based on a proper understanding of your environment and the rules and theory underpinning what you are doing. It's not like changing a plug.

This forum is great for answering questions and getting pointers, but you cannot use it as a way to learn by asking only the questions that happen to occur to you, because there will be important things that you don't know, but won't ask about because you don't know that you don't know them.

Take a look at this list:

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=75416&highlight=#75416

As an absolute minimum you should get the first three, and Guidance Note 7.

Sad man!

All I ask is that, when you have learned more, and you look back and do an honest appraisal of your knowledge right now, you consider whether I was right after all.

Paul storms off to electricute hisself!!!!

Let's hope not.