Running a shed from an extension lead - Part P

[Pete999]

why not get your electrician to run the SWA and give you a permanent safe installation to the shed.

What he said

 

[hightower]

QUOTE [So I'm breaking the law by plugging into my house]
YES !
No matter how well or safe you do it !
if your not qualified then it's illegal.
We can advise you on the safest way to do it !
But in the end it's not legal.
Which puts your insurance at risk.

This is your second post, and I don't get what you mean by illegal.... Unless I'm mistaken, we're not Australia where DIY electrics is actually illegal. DIY electrical work can be perfectly legal and safe in the UK.

EDIT: Just noticed your profile does indeed say Australia, so I think this is the source of your confusion. DIY electrics is not illegal in the UK.

 

[Octopus]

This is your second post, and I don't get what you mean by illegal.... Unless I'm mistaken, we're not Australia where DIY electrics is actually illegal. DIY electrical work can be perfectly legal and safe in the UK.

EDIT: Just noticed your profile does indeed say Australia, so I think this is the source of your confusion. DIY electrics is not illegal in the UK.

But failure to comply to the building regs is.

 

[kingeri]

Things like this just serve to highlight how wishy-washy the UK system really is. DIY electrics should either be allowed or not, then everyone at least would know where they stand. I went to a chap recently who had changed all his sockets and switches to fancy chrome fittings, which he is perfectly entitled to do, but when he turned the power on all sorts of things went wrong. He had wired a neutral and line together in a light switch, reversed polarity on several sockets, and lost earth continuity on a ring final. But in the past I have seen whole new circuits installed DIY style to very high standards. The whole system needs looking at, really. Probably.

 

[Midwest]

This is your second post, and I don't get what you mean by illegal.... Unless I'm mistaken, we're not Australia where DIY electrics is actually illegal. DIY electrical work can be perfectly legal and safe in the UK.

EDIT: Just noticed your profile does indeed say Australia, so I think this is the source of your confusion. DIY electrics is not illegal in the UK.

It should be though (it sounds as if the OP in this case has done a competent job, we think).

However, there's a forum I peruse, which has a section on diy renovations. One guy has refurbished his house, doing the electrics himself. He repositioned an old lead sheath supply, bending the cable . Installed CU, final circuits etc. Asked for a new meter to be installed. When they came to fit it, the supply engineers found the property had no earthing facility from the lead sheath!

The bloke is lavished with praise about his handy work. He found an electrician to carry out an EICR on his new work.

 

[Pete999]

This is your second post, and I don't get what you mean by illegal.... Unless I'm mistaken, we're not Australia where DIY electrics is actually illegal. DIY electrical work can be perfectly legal and safe in the UK.

EDIT: Just noticed your profile does indeed say Australia, so I think this is the source of your confusion. DIY electrics is not illegal in the UK.

It should be though

 

[LeeH]

'PAT' test the shed.

 

[Pete999]

'PAT' test the shed.

Well it is stationary equipment

 

[bluestar]

[QUOTE="Outofphase, post: 1238070,

My question is, will my shed then be subject to regulations

YES of course it will !

Basically anything that is connected to the mains wiring in any way,
is covered by code.
So you always where covered by code !
You have gotten away with it, simply because you haven't been caught yet.[/QUOTE]
the regs are only up to and appertaining to the fixed installation what is plugged into a socket is beyond the scope of the regs
reg 420 covers this (cant remember the full reg number)

 

[Outofphase]

Found this:

Q3: To what types of electrical work does Part P apply?

• In or attached to a dwelling
• In the common parts of buildings serving one or more dwellings, but excluding power supplies to lifts
• In a building that receives its electricity from a source located within or shared with a dwelling, and
• In a garden or in or on land associate with a building where the electricity supply is from a source located within or shared with a dwelling

I don't know to what extend this is applied. If I roll a normal 13a extension lead out into my shed, powered my install via 13a plug, surely that wouldn't be subject to regs?

I'm not trying to pick holes in the regs, but I'm trying to work out the grey area I've stepped into.

Bluestar, if you could find a source for that information for me to read through, that would be great! I had a quick google search but didn't find anything new.

It would be legal plug a caravan in with a 32a plug wouldn't it? Maybe I need some wheels and a tow hook for my shed.

EDIT: Just to add - I have tested everything with a 500v Megger (all fine), all connections are secure and robust, and no risk of water ingress. All fittings/conduit/sockets/MCB's/wires are new and unused.

 

[Octopus]

Matey.... Part P applies to new circuits, rewires, fuseboard changes and a few other things in England - a dedicated 32A commando socket would fall under this.

As it stands an extension lead "fudge" doesn't

 

[Outofphase]

Murdoch, you don't like this whole idea do you?

 

[Pete999]

Don't think any competent Electrician does, like it

 

[Outofphase]

I'll find out when the time comes I suppose!

 

[Octopus]

Murdoch, you don't like this whole idea do you?

Up to 13A you can plug in what you want.... but over that, how ever you look at it, it will fall under Part P...

Whether I like it or not is irrelevant...