Supply to summer house.

[PAD66]

Been asked to install 3 X sockets 1 X light 1 X PIR light into a summer house. The building is 45 mtrs away from the house and I'm unable to wire back to the board. My plan is to take a fused spur of the ring and use a 4mm SWA to feed the summerhouse. In summerhouse I intend to install a 2 way garage unit for the circuits. My query is would you use a RCD main switch or a normal isolator. The ring Is RCD protected already. My other question is this a minor works or installation certificate. My thoughts are minor works as it is an alteration to an existing circuit.
Thanks.

 

[davesparks]

Unfortunately in the real world Dave there's a point where cost can outweigh the benefit and you have to compromise on how you do the job to keep it affordable - obviously not cutting corners with safety or contravening regs but a 13amp supply is usually perfectly adequate for a summer house where electric heating isn't required - I have 3 sheds running off one FCU at the house, never blown the fuse yet. Lights simply run from seperate FCUs C/W 3 amp fuses. :smiley2:

What you do in your own house is up to you, but if you sell that to a customer as an installation design then that's a different matter.

I don't see how spurring from a ring circuit to feed a summer house gives good segregation of circuits or minimises the potential disruption in the event of a fault.

 

[Dave OCD]

I understand your point Andy but there's a lot to be said for guiding people rather than scaring them away never to seek advice again. The issue of competency in our trade is a very thorny one indeed, with monotonous regularity I come across work by 'registered' electricians which is rough beyond belief , they generally put all the right stickers on though.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

My gripe is not with the OP, (who clearly has taken the correct course in asking for advise which proves he wants it to be right)....but with the NIC. Personally I don't think it's unreasonable to expect an installer registered as competent by the NICEIC to be able to design an install like this without assistance

 

[Dave OCD]

What you do in your own house is up to you, but if you sell that to a customer as an installation design then that's a different matter.

I don't see how spurring from a ring circuit to feed a summer house gives good segregation of circuits or minimises the potential disruption in the event of a fault.

All I'm saying is that practicalities need to be considered, in my case it was the simplest safe option, much easier than getting a dedicated supply right round the other side of the house with the associated disruption. The only way to achieve truly minimal disruption in the event of a fault is exclusive use of RCBOs and in my experience 60-70% of customers don't see the benefit and don't want the additional cost.

 

[GMES]

To be fair to all in this thread including the op, the questions are pretty basic and anyone undertaking the work as a professional tradesman should know the answers to those questions and if they don't they shouldn't be working alone, That's not a dig at the op but a valid point. As for member replies to be fair I don't see anything nasty or argumentative just genuine concern, sometimes text can come accross the wrong way but is not meant that way. A couple of members have raised concerns about the installation method and design which for me is what the forum is here for.

 

[PAD66]

Have tried to think of another way to do it. Can't get back to board as it is at the other side of house, has double height hall way with no way across. Going around the outside is not an option either, so going off the ring seems to be the only option. My plan is to have a switched fused spur at the house end and a 20 amp switch in the summer house to provide a local means of isolation if required, then fuse the lights down to 5amp. Not ideal but cost effective, as long is the test are within regs. Not ashamed to admit I've retrained was TV engineer for 15 yrs, put my self through night school for 2 years to get my qualifications, still learning aiming to do my NVQ.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Nothing wrong with that if it's the only cost effective way, as long as total load is within 13a!

 

[davesparks]

Oh yes, as long as the tests are within regs then it must be ok!
Don't worry about the reg which requires good workmanship or any other nonsense like that, if you start paying attention to that then you'll be in danger of taking pride in doing a good job!

 

[Dave OCD]

And why exactly will that method not be a good job ?

 

[PAD66]

Have not taken any offence to the criticism of design. That's why I asked the question, guys on here have far more experience. Not had the advantage of an apprenticeship, but did my city and guilds level 3 as a service engineer so do no a thing or two about ohms law etc. Have done my 2395/2394 as well. What lets me down is the experience of the best way of tackling certain jobs.

 

[Pete999]

Have tried to think of another way to do it. Can't get back to board as it is at the other side of house, has double height hall way with no way across. Going around the outside is not an option either, so going off the ring seems to be the only option. My plan is to have a switched fused spur at the house end and a 20 amp switch in the summer house to provide a local means of isolation if required, then fuse the lights down to 5amp. Not ideal but cost effective, as long is the test are within regs. Not ashamed to admit I've retrained was TV engineer for 15 yrs, put my self through night school for 2 years to get my qualifications, still learning aiming to do my NVQ.

Good for you Mate, perhaps if you had mentioned you were still learning you might have got a more sympathetic response, certainly my reply would have been less caustic.

 

[Octopus]

Maybe the OP should be allowed in the trainee section so he can post in their and get useful advice and confirmation from the contributors out of the way of prying eyes and the general public?

 

[Englishman]

I used a similar system to the OP a few months back. In all fairness, I had nothing to do with the design of it. A girl at work (painter) had just had a summer house built and wanted power, she'd had a piece of 4mm armoured that had been down years and wanted connecting. It was also spurred off the ring via a 13a FCU. I just put a 20a isolator as it entered the summer house, ran 3 sockets, and fused down the lighting to 3a.

However, as stated, I hadn't designed the whole lot, and was merely working with existing. All tested out fine, and I saw no major problems with the operation of it.

 

[sparksburnout]

Nothing wrong with that if it's the only cost effective way, as long as total load is within 13a!

Exactly, it's a SUMMERhouse, not an aluminium smelter.

 

[7029 dave]

Emm, it's all too easy to say this an that, not the best design, but nothing wrong with it, providing the ccc an ocpd/ testes are all in order,it is very difficult out there in the real world,if the job might be jeopardized all because of price, I absolutely hated battling with clients, you gave them the best solutions an advice, an them trying to get you to work for next to nothing and the cheapest way, in an lot of ways thank goodness for newer regs= rcd's split boards rcbo's. part p ( had to throw that in tee hee)