Double Socket and light in Shed......

Discussion in 'Electricians' Talk' started by hillster, May 26, 2004.

  1. hillster

    hillster New Member

    Hey folks,

    I have a shed that I want to put a double socket in. The shed is actually part of the house in that it's attached and made of brick with a slate roof, but it has a seperate door from outside. It already has a light in it with a fused switch (3amp) and upon investigation this is running from a 30 amp spur off the main ring.

    Is it possible to just put in a 30 amp junction box with one feed to the exitsing light switch and one feed to the new double socket? I assume that it's ok to have this fused light switch running off a 30 amp spur in the first place. We just moved in and it was already there.

    Advice appreciated, thanks.
     
  2. Yeh the spur is fine, but it should be in 2.5mm cable to the FCU, from where is can be 1.0mm cable.

    You can taken another spur from the ring, I'd fit another JB and take it from that, then run 2.5mm to the double socket, which should be the metalclad type in a garage.

    There just has to be more things on the ring, than spur off it, but I assume you have more than two sockets!

    This sound ok sparks?

    Good luck!
     
  3. ban-all-sheds

    ban-all-sheds New Member

    For the socket, try to extend the ring if you can, rather than make it a spur.

    Also, what RCD protection does that ring have?
     
  4. hillster

    hillster New Member

    Thanks for the tips.

    I'm not sure what RCD protection the ring has (if any). It's not a garage that I'm fitting the socket in, it's a shed made of brick attached to the house that I want to keep a freezer in. It already has the boiler in one corner. It is totally weather proofed, does this still require RCD protection? Appologies if this is a silly question (I'm still learning).
    Thanks.
     
  5. ban-all-sheds

    ban-all-sheds New Member

    The latest regulations require all sockets that might reasonably be expected to supply equipment out of doors have RCD protection.

    "Reasonably expected" is usually interpreted to mean "downstairs", particularly in the case of a room with a door to the outside.

    The regs are not mandatory, so you do not have to have it, but it is a very <u>very</u> good idea.

    If your CU does not have an RCD in it (have a look), then you should consider fitting an RCD socket in this "shed".

    But if the CU doesn't have RCD, that might mean it's quite old, which might mean that more of your wiring needs attention.

    Have a furtle about - tell us about the CU - whether it has an RCD, whether it has fuses or circuit breakers. Have a look near where the main cable comes in for a label talking about PME, have a look to see if you have an earth rod, and how the incoming gas and water pipes are earthed. Have a look to see if there is any supplementary bonding on pipes and radiators etc in the bathroom. If you're sure you don't have old rubber insulated wiring, take a few sockets off to see if the cables are solid or stranded. Take a few light switches and fittings off to see if there's an earth on the lighting circuit.
     
  6. nala rekab

    nala rekab New Member

    The socket must not be fed from the spur connected to the light only one spur is allowed from a socket. the best idea is as suggested make the light spur part of the ring. Alternatively you will have to spur your socket from another source. your new socket must be protected by a 30Ma RCD, you could use a 30mA protected socket this would probably be easier and quicker.
    Nala
     
  7. plugwash

    plugwash New Member

    provided you have 2.5mm cable from the ring to the current fused spur (which you are using as a lightswitch) you could do the following (earths not shown but should be persent in all cables and connected at all boxes) the 3A fuse and switch could be a swtiched fcu or you could put both fuses and the switch in a grid plus unit

     
  8. ban-all-sheds

    ban-all-sheds New Member

    your new socket must be protected by a 30Ma RCD,

    Why "must"??
     
  9. hillster

    hillster New Member

    Thanks for all the tips. I have now fitted a 30 amp RCD socket and everything is working fine. So the setup is as follows:

    There is a 2.5mm spur running through the wall from the house into this attached shed which I have put a 30 amp junction box on with one 2.5mm cable running to the rcd socket and another cable going to a 3amp fused switch which controls a light. I can't get access to simply extend the ring for the socket and then use the spur for the light. I have read all of your replies and it seems that some of you think this is ok and others don't. If it's not ok then what is the problem/danger? I suppose I could just disconnect the light and keep the socket it that's the problem. Thanks (hillster).
     
  10. plugwash

    plugwash New Member

    you are only supposed to have one thing on an unfused spur

    the soloution is to replace the 30A junction box with a unswitched fused connection unit [​IMG] conenct the cable from the ring to the supply side and the cables to the light (via the 3a switched fused connection unit) and socket to the load side and fit a 13A fuse
     
  11. unphased

    unphased Screwfix Select

    Hi hillster

    Plugwash is correct about the number of unfused spurs. The correct way to wire your shed would be to change the 30A jct box to a fused connection unit fitted with a 13A fuse (as plugwash said) then connect your socket to a cable connected to the load side of the fcu. Then take the lighting cable <u>from the socket</u> to the switched fcu (fitted with the 3A fuse). The rest of it sounds okay. Just out of interest how is your boiler fed? Is it on a separate circuit? This will comply with regs, your current arrangement is non-compliant.

    Roy
     
  12. hillster

    hillster New Member

    Ok, I'll fit a 13A fused connection unit as suggested and take the light cable (via 3A fcu) from the socket rather than the 13A fcu. My boiler is fed from a separate curcuit/unit (I didn't wan't to touch this).

    Final question: I am at work now and busy this eve so I won't be able to do this until tomorrow after work. Is it safe to leave the setup I have at the moment until then? Thanks.
     
  13. plugwash

    plugwash New Member

  14. hillster

    hillster New Member

    Thanks to everyone for all the help! :)
     

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