1 new socket in garage and 2 lights - Help if possible

bikersparadise · Jul 7, 2019

Hello,

I am looking at adding one new socket to my garage and two wall lights. I have a plan of attack and would like the advice of the professionals if at all possible ?.

There is an existing socket in the garage which is part of the ground floor socket ring circuit. The existing ring circuit utilises 2.5mm twin and earth and is RCD protected and fed from a 32 amp breaker.

I hope to spur off the existing socket to a 13amp switch . From the switch I will feed (with 2.5mm T and E) to a double socket. I will then spur off the new socket to a bulk head light and then spur of that light to another bulk head light.

I appreciate that the socket will only work when the 13amp switch is activated and in turn both lights will be on when there is power to my new socket, ie its all or nothing, if the new socket has power to it the lights will be on and if there lights are off there will be no power to the new socket.

Its a domestic garage and my cable will be offered some protection in the form of PVC conduit.

I have drawn a diagram to try and explain a little bit more.

Strima · Jul 7, 2019

With that set up you risk overloading the supply cable tapped off your ring circuit, as spur off a spur is a no no.

Where the garage supply is spurred from your ring circuit you would need to have a fused connection unit, this would limit the total demand on that spur to 13 amps, you can then add as many sockets and lights as you wish without risk of overload on the cable.

For your lights you can use a switch fused connection unit to turn them on and off, fit a 3 amp fuse to this one allowing you to utilise a smaller cable which lighting connections tend to be designed for.

The usual advice of 'consult a local electrician' applies.

FatAlan · Jul 7, 2019

Why not just extend the ring to the new socket then fuse down to 5 amp for the lights. Ideally you should have the existing ring final circuit tested to see that is still intact and earthed correctly.

Toneyz · Jul 7, 2019

What sort of garage is this integral, attached? Can we assume that the ceiling is plasterboarded?

buzzlightyear · Jul 7, 2019

bikersparadise said:
I have a plan of attack

to get a spark in .

Deleted member 26818 · Jul 7, 2019

Please confirm whether the existing socket in the garage is a spur, or part of the ring.
Have had this in the past, where advice is given, then new information arises which negates that advice.

bikersparadise · Jul 7, 2019

The existing socket in garage is not a spur, it is part of the ring for the ground floor sockets.

I will spur off this socket (part of ring circuit) to a 13amp switch spur unit and then from there to a double socket and to two lights.

Strima said:
With that set up you risk overloading the supply cable tapped off your ring circuit, as spur off a spur is a no no.

Where the garage supply is spurred from your ring circuit you would need to have a fused connection unit, this would limit the total demand on that spur to 13 amps, you can then add as many sockets and lights as you wish without risk of overload on the cable.

For your lights you can use a switch fused connection unit to turn them on and off, fit a 3 amp fuse to this one allowing you to utilise a smaller cable which lighting connections tend to be designed for.

The usual advice of 'consult a local electrician' applies.

Its not a spur off a spur, the existing socket is part of the ring main, i will spur off the existing socket to a 13amp switch and then to a double socket and two lights. The cable will be protected by the 13amp switch.

westward10 · Jul 7, 2019

Without actually testing the circuit you have no way of knowing if it is part of a ring final circuit. If it is you can incorporate the new socket and lighting spur into the ring final circuit. This is a simple job for an electrician who can test the circuit and confirm it has correct protection which would include an rcd/rcbo.