Workshop electrics

[Joe Shmoe]

Hi guys.

I would like to install permanent lights and sockets in my two sheds/worshops.

I have basic electrical experience, I can install new spurs from a ring main, and work out if an existing socket is on a ring or is a spur itself etc.... but that is about it.

Are there any guides that tell exactly how to do this kind of job and I could then get it signed off by a qualified spark or BC, or should I just leave it to the Pros?

I hate the thought of paying a fortune to someone to do this job for me, because its not technically skilled work, just a case of knowing the numbers/rules etc.... (which I don't :lol: )


Any thoughts ?

Regards
Joe./

 

[Shultzy]

Joe, the most time consuming and costly part of electrics is the labour to lay out the cables. What I did was to mark on the walls and ceiling the positions of the lights, switches, sockets and of course the fuse box. Draw a plan of these positions, then go and see a sparky and he will tell you what to put where. Leave everything unconnected and bring him in to finish off.

 

[jedmc571]

You can go one step further........

If your confident enough, fit and connect everything except to the consumer unit, let your spark do this, he has to test everything with his boxe of tricks, and he can tell if it's connected properly from his readout.

That's what I did anyway :wink:

Cheers

Jed

 

[OLD]

There of course are books on the subject result of first search:-
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781854861078/Workshop-Electrics

 

[wobblycogs]

To get from the main CU (consumer unit) to the workshops you will need to run armoured cable underground unless you are lucky enough to have some other possible route. Laying armoured (usually sold as SWA) cable is a time consuming job so if you can you are best advised to do this yourself. It gets tricky when it needs to go under paths and walls etc. Armoured cable also has to be terminated with a special gland which is fairly straight forward to fit - just make sure the armour wire is trapped so it can't pull free.

Connect one end up to a 40 or 50A breaker in the main CU and a the other end to a secondary CU in shed. An alternative is to have a second feed taken from the incommer but I'm not so keen on that. Make sure your secondary CU is 17ed compliant and that the RCDs trip quickly enough (you may need an extra earth cable if it's a long run) - you will need a trip meter to measure the release time, if you use a sparky he will have one and be able to test this for you.

Unless you are confident in your wiring I'd just pull the wires in and get a sparky to fit the sockets / ligths and do the sign off. If you do go down the route of getting the council droid in to sign off the work don't expect him to test it - they generally don't have a clue what they are looking at.

 

[white_sw]

What's all the talk about sign off ? I haven't ever had anything signed off apart from GAS work which I always have done by a CORGI guy. I totally re-wired (including CU) my old house 10 years ago and 2 years ago when I did my workshop I took a second switched feed off the incomer fuse and wired my workshop that way. Is there now a CORGI equivalent for electrics ? Do I need to get my workshop signed off ? How will anybody know I did it myself ? etc, etc. Hooking it up to the incomer was does by my friend who is an ex spark.

Cheers,
Sam

 

[awkwood]

There is now part P of the electrical regs
I don't know too much about it, but replacing light fittings and switches and sockets seems to be about the only things you can do legally
The regs changed around the same time as the new harmonised wiring colours came in, so basically if in in new colours it should be done to part P
i'm told, The electrician tests the work (and is also responsible for the safety whole system not just the new additions) and sends a copy to whoever he is registered with and they send copies to building regs etc.
I think it becomes a problem when you come to sell because of the hips pack
We were thinking about changing to a more efficient storage heater in the house, but the electrician has told us we need to have the lighting system rewired because the earthing isnt up to spec

 

[RogerS]

What's all the talk about sign off ? I haven't ever had anything signed off apart from GAS work which I always have done by a CORGI guy. I totally re-wired (including CU) my old house 10 years ago and 2 years ago when I did my workshop I took a second switched feed off the incomer fuse and wired my workshop that way. Is there now a CORGI equivalent for electrics ? Do I need to get my workshop signed off ? How will anybody know I did it myself ? etc, etc. Hooking it up to the incomer was does by my friend who is an ex spark.

Cheers,
Sam

Sam....where have you been living these last few years ! Part P of Building Regulations came into force several years ago. If you search this forum you'll see many threads on the subject especially where workshop electrics are related. Will you get caught? Depends. If most of your wiring is in red/black and you go and build an extension or add a whole lot more circuits then because the cable colour has changed to blue and brown then that's a bit of a giveaway.

Joe, if you do run in SWA cable make sure that you use 6mm or ideally 10mm for future-proofing.

 

[Digit]

Out of curiosity, 'cos you all knows I'm an awkward pipper, has any one sold a house since Part P came in to force, if so, did any surveyor actually check the wiring?

Roy.

 

[RogerS]

There is now part P of the electrical regs
I don't know too much about it, but replacing light fittings and switches and sockets seems to be about the only things you can do legally
The regs changed around the same time as the new harmonised wiring colours came in, so basically if in in new colours it should be done to part P
i'm told, The electrician tests the work (and is also responsible for the safety whole system not just the new additions) and sends a copy to whoever he is registered with and they send copies to building regs etc.
I think it becomes a problem when you come to sell because of the hips pack
We were thinking about changing to a more efficient storage heater in the house, but the electrician has told us we need to have the lighting system rewired because the earthing isnt up to spec

You beat me to it! Re colour change, there was an overlap between the January and March where work could be done without Part P but using the new cable colours and, in fact, the new cable colours came out a while before Part P.

New storage heater means rewiring the lighting? Not convinced that follows and my immediate reaction is one of scepticism but I am not an electrician. Why not post the question on Ask The Trades ?

 

[RogerS]

Out of curiosity, 'cos you all knows I'm an awkward pipper, has any one sold a house since Part P came in to force, if so, did any surveyor actually check the wiring?

Roy.

Yes.

What surveyor?

 

[Digit]

On behalf of a purchaser Rog. And you don't have to agree with me! :lol:

Roy.

 

[RogerS]

.....
We were thinking about changing to a more efficient storage heater in the house, but the electrician has told us we need to have the lighting system rewired because the earthing isnt up to spec

Just checked. if you are connecting a new storage heater to an existing connection unit then you can do this yourself. Not notifiable under Part P.

 

[RogerS]

On behalf of a purchaser Rog. And you don't have to agree with me! :lol:

Roy.

No, it was a cash buyer who decided against using a surveyor. I agree that the chances of them actually checking are most unlikely since they will rely on any existing certificates.

 

[Digit]

Last time I sold a property the certificate for damp coursing was long gone, nobody queried it.
Also, if the Conservatives win the next game of charades they say they will bin the HIPs.

Roy.

 

[RogerS]

...
Also, if the Conservatives win the next game of charades they say they will bin the HIPs.

Roy.

Correct. An EPC will still be required.

 

[awkwood]

Just checked. if you are connecting a new storage heater to an existing connection unit then you can do this yourself. Not notifiable under Part P.

The electrians are a very old well trusted firm,
The problem being
A, I originally tried to buy one from the local wholesale, butr they wont supply a storage heater to a retail buyer only to the trade
B, the houses on our lane are built with only two core cable rather than twin and earth,so the eathing isnt up to spec, he even noticed the earth to the gas main was too smaller diameter
Its hard to know what is correct and what is making un neccasary work

 

[wobblycogs]

Oh please lets see the back of the HIPs. The house we are currently doing up needed a HIPs but fortunately for us we sold our place a few days before they became mandatory.

The place we bought needed a complete rewire and rather than pay a sparky to do it I took myself off and did a Part P course. It only takes a week or so and doesn't cost much (£<1k which makes for a great saving if you need to rewire a whole house). At the end you get a certificate that lets you sign off your own work. It's a bit of hassle as the council typically don't like this route to sign-off because it's not common so they have to look up what to do. The only other down side to self cert is you need to have a meter capable of performing the various tests e.g. insulation and RCD trip time but you can pick them up on the bay. Something to consider if you are planning on doing a fair bit of wiring.

 

[RogerS]

Oh please lets see the back of the HIPs. The house we are currently doing up needed a HIPs but fortunately for us we sold our place a few days before they became mandatory.

The place we bought needed a complete rewire and rather than pay a sparky to do it I took myself off and did a Part P course. It only takes a week or so and doesn't cost much (£<1k which makes for a great saving if you need to rewire a whole house). At the end you get a certificate that lets you sign off your own work. It's a bit of hassle as the council typically don't like this route to sign-off because it's not common so they have to look up what to do. The only other down side to self cert is you need to have a meter capable of performing the various tests e.g. insulation and RCD trip time but you can pick them up on the bay. Something to consider if you are planning on doing a fair bit of wiring.

It's even cheaper to inform Building Control and pay the fee!

 

[RogerS]

Just checked. if you are connecting a new storage heater to an existing connection unit then you can do this yourself. Not notifiable under Part P.

The electrians are a very old well trusted firm,

That's as may be but I still can't see why your lighting should get involved at this stage.

The problem being
A, I originally tried to buy one from the local wholesale, butr they wont supply a storage heater to a retail buyer only to the trade
B, the houses on our lane are built with only two core cable rather than twin and earth,so the eathing isnt up to spec, he even noticed the earth to the gas main was too smaller diameter
Its hard to know what is correct and what is making un neccasary work

Sounds like you might be on overhead wires? In an ideal world, you;d have the place completley rewired. Still reckon its' worth you posting on askthetrades.