I have started to review and consider the wiring in my late sixties built house that I have lived in for a few years. The wiring is pvc and not rubber and appears pretty sound but has had various additions before my time ( and a couple since) and no doubt before the 2003 regs as some wires are red and black. There are no issues in terms of functionality and I can see no glaring safety issues but I doubt looking at it some of the practices then are up to scratch now. My intention is to get an electrician in (who recently did a good job on some lighting wiring in my lounge refurbishment) to do some testing to highlight any important improvements which hopefully won't involve a complete rewire as the existing cables appear sound. (I'm more concerned about disruption than cost, to be honest, as it has a concrete floor)
I've given the above information because I really don't want the answer to my question below to be " you shouldn't be doing it mate, get an electrician in" since I will be!
So the power to the garage is taken from a fused ring main circuit that has just two double sockets on it indoors. (Underground for just a metre or so via a metal conduit.) It is connected to a small consumer unit with 32A and 6A for the lights and a 30ma RCD, you know the sort of thing, and the supply to two double sockets and the lights come from that with a further socket and light in an adjoining brick workshop come shed.
So the question is this. The house has what I think is not a brilliant TT earth spike at the front. At least it is in fairly wet clay most of the time but looks like one of the basic 4ft copper plated rods. So I was wondering if it is ok in the meantime to add a further earth rod next to the garage and take that straight to the earth of the garage consumer unit to improve things and know that the garage will have a good earth? (A plug in socket tester shows earth ok on all sockets but I don't know what the resistance is yet).
I've given the above information because I really don't want the answer to my question below to be " you shouldn't be doing it mate, get an electrician in" since I will be!
So the power to the garage is taken from a fused ring main circuit that has just two double sockets on it indoors. (Underground for just a metre or so via a metal conduit.) It is connected to a small consumer unit with 32A and 6A for the lights and a 30ma RCD, you know the sort of thing, and the supply to two double sockets and the lights come from that with a further socket and light in an adjoining brick workshop come shed.
So the question is this. The house has what I think is not a brilliant TT earth spike at the front. At least it is in fairly wet clay most of the time but looks like one of the basic 4ft copper plated rods. So I was wondering if it is ok in the meantime to add a further earth rod next to the garage and take that straight to the earth of the garage consumer unit to improve things and know that the garage will have a good earth? (A plug in socket tester shows earth ok on all sockets but I don't know what the resistance is yet).