"Get an electrician" - Wiring Questions :) CU, Outdoor Cable, etc.

Will probably go for one of these:
www.screwfix.com

British General Fortress 6-Module 4-Way Part-Populated Main Switch Consumer Unit - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Ready for MCB or RCBO circuits. Features integrated spirit level, all internal cables, terminals, busbar, labels and blanks. Modern, stylish design and profile with flexible circuit combinations. Fast, easy installation with backed-out, retained terminal screws and...
www.screwfix.com www.screwfix.com

Gives me a 6A for lighting, 16A sockets, 16A outdoor and 16A split AC unit. I'll wire that into workshop with new SWA 6mm given it's such a short run. It's all on a 13amp spur at the moment anyway, but then when I come to upgrade the SWA to the workshop, I can put in a proper CU that allows solar/batteries etc. Means I don't need to touch the house CU which I was worried about - I had just upgraded it and then learnt solar may need 2 or even 3 extras (I only allowed 1) and potentially need one for an EV in the future.
 
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dlockers said:
Will probably go for one of these:
www.screwfix.com

British General Fortress 6-Module 4-Way Part-Populated Main Switch Consumer Unit - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Ready for MCB or RCBO circuits. Features integrated spirit level, all internal cables, terminals, busbar, labels and blanks. Modern, stylish design and profile with flexible circuit combinations. Fast, easy installation with backed-out, retained terminal screws and...
www.screwfix.com www.screwfix.com

Gives me a 6A for lighting, 16A sockets, 16A outdoor and 16A split AC unit. I'll wire that into workshop with new SWA 6mm given it's such a short run. It's all on a 13amp spur at the moment anyway, but then when I come to upgrade the SWA to the workshop, I can put in a proper CU that allows solar/batteries etc. Means I don't need to touch the house CU which I was worried about - I had just upgraded it and then learnt solar may need 2 or even 3 extras (I only allowed 1) and potentially need one for an EV in the future.
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Bear in mind with solar you may want to consider going whole home EPS. As such you divert the incoming to the solar system and then back to the CU. (there are some slightly more dodgy ways to enable some sockets or one circuit)
Means you dont need to touch anything in the CU.

Considering your workshop and you plant to solar it, if it was me, I would 100% go for a system that gives whole house EPS and the workshop would be the ideal place to put the inverters, batteries etc.
What would need to happen to enable this is move the incoming tails to go to the workshop and a return to the house CU.

Sure its work, but you then have a system that keeps you running offgrid in the event of a power cut.

I would seriously recommend taking a look at the solar thread. Ronski has in effect done this although he did his with stuff he built himself.

My system was plug and play which achieves the same effect but is less flexible. I am not sure on Rons ability to power the house but mine for example will supply 5.5kw max. Unless your going silly, more than enough.
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
Bear in mind with solar you may want to consider going whole home EPS. As such you divert the incoming to the solar system and then back to the CU. (there are some slightly more dodgy ways to enable some sockets or one circuit)
Means you dont need to touch anything in the CU.

Considering your workshop and you plant to solar it, if it was me, I would 100% go for a system that gives whole house EPS and the workshop would be the ideal place to put the inverters, batteries etc.
What would need to happen to enable this is move the incoming tails to go to the workshop and a return to the house CU.

Sure its work, but you then have a system that keeps you running offgrid in the event of a power cut.

I would seriously recommend taking a look at the solar thread. Ronski has in effect done this although he did his with stuff he built himself.

My system was plug and play which achieves the same effect but is less flexible. I am not sure on Rons ability to power the house but mine for example will supply 5.5kw max. Unless your going silly, more than enough.
Click to expand...
Super helpful thank you. The solar is one 0% credit card "ticking over" away, so POTENTIALLY a next year thing. I feel my first major job is sorting the cement fibre roof, so it'll be a long pol. The main line-in isn't far from the house so doesn't seem too difficult logistically.
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
Bear in mind with solar you may want to consider going whole home EPS. As such you divert the incoming to the solar system and then back to the CU. (there are some slightly more dodgy ways to enable some sockets or one circuit)
Means you dont need to touch anything in the CU.

Considering your workshop and you plant to solar it, if it was me, I would 100% go for a system that gives whole house EPS and the workshop would be the ideal place to put the inverters, batteries etc.
What would need to happen to enable this is move the incoming tails to go to the workshop and a return to the house CU.

Sure its work, but you then have a system that keeps you running offgrid in the event of a power cut.

I would seriously recommend taking a look at the solar thread. Ronski has in effect done this although he did his with stuff he built himself.

My system was plug and play which achieves the same effect but is less flexible. I am not sure on Rons ability to power the house but mine for example will supply 5.5kw max. Unless your going silly, more than enough.
Click to expand...

Just as @dlockers gets a plan together, people in here keep coming up with sensible ideas and sending him back a stage or 2.... You lot just dont want him to see a job finished you monsters! :mad: :cry:
 
dlockers said:
Super helpful thank you. The solar is one 0% credit card "ticking over" away, so POTENTIALLY a next year thing. I feel my first major job is sorting the cement fibre roof, so it'll be a long pol. The main line-in isn't far from the house so doesn't seem too difficult logistically.
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You wouldn’t have to get the meter tails out to the workshop to get this to work.

Most systems the gateway is a separate device to the battery/inverter (e.g. Tesla power wall and GivEnergy all in one).

You can put the battery any inverter remote to the gateway, you’ll just need to run a cable of an appropriate size and a data cable to where you want the battery and inverter from the gateway.

That would be a A LOT cheaper than running 2 25mm SWA’s out to the workshop and back again. 25mm SWA is very expensive.
 
25mm SWA is about £12 a metre and its about 20m there and back from his measurements, thats hardly expensive.

But for sure its an option to go for a system with a sep gateway box.

The fact that the Tesla or GE systems are more expensive in the first place would probably defeat the argument in regards saving money ;)

Anyway, better left for the PV thread if/when dlockers gets to that point.
 
Does the shed have the right aspect for solar, and not in the shadow of the house.

Ability to isolate yourself from the grid isn't really a UK careabout (not exactly at the levels of the texas floods say with main infrastructure down / preppping)
video I'd linked running armour to shed had CU config, with solar & batteries in house and feed-in, with tails by door.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
You wouldn’t have to get the meter tails out to the workshop to get this to work.

Most systems the gateway is a separate device to the battery/inverter (e.g. Tesla power wall and GivEnergy all in one).

You can put the battery any inverter remote to the gateway, you’ll just need to run a cable of an appropriate size and a data cable to where you want the battery and inverter from the gateway.

That would be a A LOT cheaper than running 2 25mm SWA’s out to the workshop and back again. 25mm SWA is very expensive.
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Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
25mm SWA is about £12 a metre and its about 20m there and back from his measurements, thats hardly expensive.

But for sure its an option to go for a system with a sep gateway box.

The fact that the Tesla or GE systems are more expensive in the first place would probably defeat the argument in regards saving money ;)

Anyway, better left for the PV thread if/when dlockers gets to that point.
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Yeah cheers chaps. You've given me some words to Google and start pulling at. I am hoping to con Artisan Electrics into a feature video where he covers some of the cost :D

jpaul said:
Does the shed have the right aspect for solar, and not in the shadow of the house.

Ability to isolate yourself from the grid isn't really a UK careabout (not exactly at the levels of the texas floods say with main infrastructure down / preppping)
video I'd linked running armour to shed had CU config, with solar & batteries in house and feed-in, with tails by door.
Click to expand...
Yeah - well, kind of. It is 13m long and N/W S/E. No shading as the gardens here are so long, so it gets almost constant sun.
 
dlockers said:
Yeah cheers chaps. You've given me some words to Google and start pulling at. I am hoping to con Artisan Electrics into a feature video where he covers some of the cost :D
Click to expand...

I can’t help but imagine the opposite is true in that you are probably paying for the sparks to shoot the video. :D
 
I heard (but haven't seen proof) artisan are silly expensive.

My last comment on the solar, whilst Born and I got into a some details in regards whole house you would want to consider if you want it or not before fixating on the best option to take in regards positioning.
On all systems its pretty much an option, if the system can do it, and it costs extra.
For me it was about 3% extra cost, on a multi year investment it seemed worth it.
Many people with solar just assume it will work in a power cut but UK legislation is it must either isolate itself, or shut down. Most don't purchase the hardware to allow it to isolate.
As I said there are some dodgier approaches people can take, such as a live socket but IMO if its worth it for you just do it properly.

Expect to be very popular if power cuts actually happen ;)
 
Did a quick measure of what was going into the old shed (Phase 2 wiring) - 2.2mm on the callipers. Looks like I am best off getting a 50M drum of 6mm and running a new feed. What's the trick with terminating into a CU - do I just use a gland kit?

The current wire has no earth, I guess that's because it uses the shielding?
 
You can’t use the armouring as an earth so you’ll need to run 3 core. You’ll also need to glad it at each end and earth the armouring at one end.

Are you sure there isn’t an earth rod somewhere?

My garage is only fed by 2 core but it has a separate earth rod for the garage.
 
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b0rn2sk8 said:
You can’t use the armouring as an earth so you’ll need to run 3 core. You’ll also need to glad it at each end and earth the armouring at one end.

Are you sure there isn’t an earth rod somewhere?

My garage is only fed by 2 core but it has a separate earth rod for the garage.
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I'm not sure tbh -- this feed came out of the workshop (probably spurred off of a socket, TBC - going to tidy the space up to do a bit of discovery tomorrow) to an old shed, feeding a 1930s lamp. Going to rip the lot out anyway by the looks of it.

Going to grab 50m of 4mm and re-wire the lot I think. I doubt I'll need anywhere near 32a.

How come they have black, brown and grey? :S
 
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Standard colours for SWA, they’ll need to be sleeved at each end too with the reticent colour. I believe there is a convention for which you’d use for live neutral and earth.
 
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