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Steina

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Hi everyone
I've been out the business a long time and am rusty on regs. Perhaps someone can assist?

My son has an armoured cable fed from his house CU via a dedicated mcb to his detached garage.

This cable is connected to a 'Lewden' 'garage' CU consisting of a 6A mcb feeding two small flourescent light fittings and a 16A mcb feeding one double switched socket.

He uses several rechargeable drills/tools etc in his job and currently uses two 4-way extension leads to recharge everything.

I'm proposing installing four additional double switched sockets and returning to his garage CU to change the feed to a ring. I appreciate this means I need to change his 16A mcb to a 32 A mcb.

To save changing the 16A for a 32A, is it within the regs to simple add four more sockets i.e. have five in total on a single cable?
 
So what you're saying is you've never been in the business you're a DIYer that wishes for some advice.

Yes, you can add four more sockets. I'm sure those who do domestic work will correct me if I'm wrong here, but this work will be notifiable to building control, and will need a minor works certificate producing.

- Corrected by others, not notifiable if it stays as a radial circuit and is already RCD protected.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The additional sockets would need RCD protection (take it's a domestic garage). If the circuit remains as a radial, it would not need a compliance cert.

As Rob said, what level of competence, expertise and test equipment do you have?
 
Yes you can add extra sockets to the 16A circuit, however the sockets require RCD protection.
No there is no requirement to notify.
Easiest way to provide RCD protection, would be to swap the 16A MCB for either a 16A or 20A RCBO.
 
To clarify:
I'm a timed served electrician who then qualified as an engineer. I've worked in the Merchant Navy as an Electrical Engineer and Nuclear Power Stations. This experience removes me from the DIYer status but have not worked in domestic situations since I was in my early twenties (50 years ago!) and am therefore not familiar with current IEE Regs.

My original question is to ascertain whether I'm acting within regulations (whether building or IEE) in simply adding four more sockets to his existing radial circuit or do I have to make the radial a ring circuit and change the 16A mcb to a 32A mcb.

Much appreciate any help.
 
To clarify:
I'm a timed served electrician who then qualified as an engineer. I've worked in the Merchant Navy as an Electrical Engineer and Nuclear Power Stations. This experience removes me from the DIYer status but have not worked in domestic situations since I was in my early twenties (50 years ago!) and am therefore not familiar with current IEE Regs.

My original question is to ascertain whether I'm acting within regulations (whether building or IEE) in simply adding four more sockets to his existing radial circuit or do I have to make the radial a ring circuit and change the 16A mcb to a 32A mcb.

Much appreciate any help.
You do not have to change from radial to ring.
You do not have to change the MCB from 16A to 32A.
What you do have to do, is provide RCD protection for the new sockets.
This can be by using RCD sockets, swapping the 16A MCB for an RCBO, installing an RCD before the garage CU or by providing RCD protection at the house.
 
To make any changes means that the changes you make must comply with current regulations Spinlondon has summarised this effectively.
It should be clarified that this RCD protection should be 30mA and that if there is already such protection further protection is not required.
You would also need to provide a minor electrical installation works certificate detailing the compliant results of your testing.
All this is assuming that the basic factors of the existing circuit are currently safely and compliantly installed.
Under building regulations in England, almost no matter what you do, if it is described in the above posts, it would not be notifiable work.
 

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