I'm told this is against regulations?

[ljs007§§]

I have a quick question which I wondered if anybody would be kind enough to answer for me.

I'm looking to buy an electric car and would need to get a car charger installed on the outside of my garage wall so I posted on an electrical car forum and have been told our electrical setup may not be suitable.

I live in a 5 year old detached house which has a separate garage at the end of the garden (approx 10 meters away). The garage has electric and has been fed via a cable which runs under the lawn and into the house which goes through the brickwork and into the back of the dining room wall socket.

The garage is on the same fuse as the rear of the house sockets so the only way to isolate the isolate power to the garage would be to knock out half of the house sockets.

I've been told on another forum that this setup is not right, the forum :

"This diagram shows what is acceptable as a spur off a ring main. As you will see anything bar one socket on a spur needs to be protected with a FCU.
https://www.diynot.com/diy/media/ring-main.11895/full?d=1243854953

You may have some restitution under the NHBC scheme."

Can anyone shed any light on this for me please? Is our setup against regs?

 

[Deleted member 9648]

It may not be acceptable depending on what else is in the garage and the type of car charging load. If a single cable is run from a ring final circuit that is classed a s a spur, and a spur may only supply one single or twin outlet. If the spur is run through a 13a fused connection unit then unlimited sockets may be connected to it but the load will be limited to 13a. Car charger points may be 13a, 16a or 32a. It would only be possible to utilise a spur off a ring for a 13a point. There is also a special location section in the regulations for car charger points, and your final installation will need to comply with those requirements, with restrictions on type of earthing etc. Your garage installation may not meet those requirements. Get an installer to check it out for you.

 

[Andy78]

A dedicated circuit should be supplied for the EV charge point regardless AFAIK.

If you have concerns about the way the garage is arranged you could get a local electrician to investigate it for you and provide a letter to fire off to the developers.

 

[Startinez]

If it were a much older house, you might expect something like that (regardless of whether it's right or not) - on a 5-year-old property? I'd be making inquiries as to how on earth the developers signed that off.

 

[westward10]

Have you lived there since it was new.

 

[ljs007§§]

Wirepuller, initially it was just the one light and one socket in the garage but another electrician has since installed 2 more sockets and more lighting.

 

[ljs007§§]

Westward10 - Yes we've lived here since the house was new.

 

[Karin]

is it definitely a ring? what size circuit breaker covers the dining room socket? (16A? 32A?)

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Andy is correct, 722.311 requires a dedicated circuit for electric vehicle charger points. So the garage supply is a no go if it is a spur off an existing circuit.

 

[Wilko]

If it were a much older house, you might expect something like that (regardless of whether it's right or not) - on a 5-year-old property? I'd be making inquiries as to how on earth the developers signed that off.

Unfortunately I have seen more than a few new builds where the garage power is a radial off the kitchen RFC. Ugh !

 

[paul291277]

A dedicated circuit should be supplied for the EV charge point regardless AFAIK.

Totally agree without looking at my BYB, the fact that there are other loads on said circuit makes it a no-brainer for me

 

[PEG]

If i may add,you would find the NHBC as useful as teets on a boar

 

[Toneyz]

From my experience with house builders , a lot of them done away with detached garages being wired as standard (especially the smaller houses) and made it a extra. This had the knock on effect of unless contracts were exchanged it would not be wired and unfortunately this meant that in some cases the feed for the detached garage would be taken from the back of a socket.

 

[telectrix]

for a 5 year old new build it's crap, cheap shortcut, typical of new-build, throw it up get paid, Next..

 

[newbie1980]

also note the ev charging points are meant to be wired as a t-t system