Running Mains Power to the Garage

Jon Frost

Jon Frost

Jon Frost

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9 Apr 2006
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Hello, Morning all.

I want to run mains power to my garage (without killing myself).

I want to be able to run a couple of stip lights off one switch and maybe a double socket for use with a welder/grinder.

In my conservatior', I have a 13amp spur I could run some cable from, to the garage. This is currently being used to run off to two lights and an external security light.

Would it be viable to use this fused spur, to run in to the garage, then plubm it into a fused switch unit, then on to the lights and plug sockets?

Would the 13 amp blow if everything was being used at the same time :S

Any kits anyone recommends using for this kind of DIY job?

Thanks!

Jon
 
unclebob123 said:
I thought It was the law to have any electrical work done by a qualified electrician?
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Only if you want to sell the house or comply with health and safety and insurance I think.

But...OP, you should get this done by a professional. Really want to risk your life over a grinder and some strip lights?
 
OzyOly said:
Only if you want to sell the house or comply with health and safety and insurance I think.
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Really, ffs. It can not be that hard.

But...OP, you should get this done by a professional. Really want to risk your life over a grinder and some strip lights?
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If it saves me a few hundred quid, its worth taking the risk :D

Can I not do this myself then. I am qualified in common sense. :D
 
This was done in my last rental property.

I watched the electrician do it. Added another breaker in the electrical box, then ran a wire from it.

Can't beleive he was paid so much to do something so simple. But I guess its one of those things. If you know how - its simple.
 
You can do the work yourself, even re-wire your whole house - but it needs to be checked and signed off by a qualified electrician.

This usually costs almost as much as just getting them to do the work anyway! Especially on smaller jobs.
 
If i'm reading your post correctly, you are thinking of running a spur from a spur which is a no-no. Illegal and potentially dangerous. Is there not any main you can run the spur from?
 
Just make sure you do it right, you can obtain copies of guildelines etc if you want to - if you do it in accordance to the guidelines, then all you'd have to do later to get it to comply would be to have it checked and certified by a qualified electrician.

The other thing to watch is the type of cable you use. I don't know the layout of your garage/conservatory, but if you're running the cable outside, you'd be strongly advised to use proper armoured cable. Don't just run interior stuff, it's not good enough.
 
JoeMama said:
If i'm reading your post correctly, you are thinking of running a spur from a spur which is a no-no. Illegal and potentially dangerous. Is there not any main you can run the spur from?
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Hi :)

There is a double socket in the sun lounge (god im sounding like a old person now) which is very near to the external wall.

May i note that the garage is a seperate concrete prefab building.

Would running a cable from this double socket be ample?
 
Providing that double socket it on the ring main and doesn't already have a spur coming off it, then you should be OK. If you're not sure, take the double socket off and if there are only 2 wires coming into it, then it's not been spurred. Also make sure that the wire that you're using for the spur is the same type as the wire used in the ring main that you're spurring from.

You'll have to protect the cable with a conduit. Also If you're running burying cables into walls, make sure the cables run vertically.

If you do a google, you'll find various websites which give you regs and guides for doing this kind of work.

:)
JM
 
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Are you guys all sure about this? I was pretty sure you couldn't do any electrical work now unless you were qualified.

ED: well this seems pretty conclusive.

Bug One said:
Can't beleive he was paid so much to do something so simple. But I guess its one of those things. If you know how - its simple.
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Exactly. That's why they're qualified - they know how. Plenty of people have set fire to their houses trying, because they don't know how.
 
therealnerd2 said:
Are you guys all sure about this? I was pretty sure you couldn't do any electrical work now unless you were qualified.

ED: well this seems pretty conclusive.



Exactly. That's why they're qualified - they know how. Plenty of people have set fire to their houses trying, because they don't know how.
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So the plug I wired in the other day, I should have got an electrician to do it?

EDIT: Actually red it.

A socket is fine. So is Adding sockets or fused spurs to existing ring or radial circuits which is what you need to do right?
 
Makhaira said:
Just make sure you do it right, you can obtain copies of guildelines etc if you want to - if you do it in accordance to the guidelines, then all you'd have to do later to get it to comply would be to have it checked and certified by a qualified electrician.

The other thing to watch is the type of cable you use. I don't know the layout of your garage/conservatory, but if you're running the cable outside, you'd be strongly advised to use proper armoured cable. Don't just run interior stuff, it's not good enough.
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Interesting.

Im renting at the mo and the shed and pond are both power by what looks like normal household power cable, to the shed it drops into a plastic tube then runs under the soil. Also then some rather agricultural use of insulation tape inplaces. After the heavy rain the other day one of the pond pump motors has stopped (the only one running at the time) working so Im not sure if the water has got in somewhere thanks to the DIY landlord and theres also a outside mains plug near the deckin(in some sort of waterproof cover/box but im not sure what IP rating it is?)

Anywhere I can check what the standards should be?
 
If it is a seperate building from the house, then I am pretty sure you need to run armoured cable from your main consumer unit to the another smaller consumer unit in the garage. Either the armoured cable or the garage consumer unit needs to have an RCD in it.
The cable needs to be buried at a depth of 2 feet I think.

Been a while since I read the regs for this, so I probably have some/all of the details wrong, but you can buy the regs quite cheap.
 
You can do it yourself, but you are supposed to get it checked by an electrician.
I would recommend buying the wiring regs book. Just go into an electrical wholesalers and they will have them for about £15-£20.
There is also a guide book which is pretty useful.
 
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If you know what you are doing, then do it. If you dont, then get someone in.

There is no point paying someone hundreds of pounds if you are capable of doing it yourself.
 
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