Getting lighting & power into a garage w/no elec connect

[markwithey]

Hi

Just bought a house - 1st time buyer. Have yet to move in. I have a garage, but the garage is not attached to the house and has no lighting or power and i'd very much like to have both. How can I supply power for, say, two flourescent tubes, and a plug socket? Is there some form of battery that I can charge in the house and then use to power the lights and socket? Any ideas welcome. Oh and I live in the UK so anything i'd need would have to be available from over here.

Thanks in advance,

Mark Withey

 

[Steve]

We live in the UK too

There is no such battery available. You will need to use armoured cable from the house, buried 18 inches. Due to part p of the building regulations, this work is notifiable, so will need installing by an electrician who is registered with one of the certification schemes (most are).

You CAN do it yourself, but it must be up to standards, as building control will need to know and will be round to test it. There is a fee to pay BC too.

 

[JohnD]

You can get rechargeable fluorescent lamps that will be handy if you need to go into the garage after dark to find something, but after a while you will probably forget to charge it regularly. I think there might also be a battery operated PIR lamp available to help your family feel secure when they open the door.

I'd keep a battery lantern or torch just inside the door if I were you until you can get it expertly wired.

In the meantime you can use an extension cable legally and safely when you are using tools in the garage, or the lawnmower, but roll it up and put it away when you finish work for the day. Make absolutely sure that it has an RCD at the plug end. A modern house will have all the downstairs sockets (at least) protected at the Consumer Unit.

Having just bought a house I dare say the expense will be a thing you can do without at the moment (no offence).

 

[markwithey]

Hey

Thanks so much for the response. Ok, given that I own the freehold between the garage and the house, BUT it is a right of way...is it still possible to do it...and would you have an idea of an overall cost?

Very many thanks,

Mark

 

[breezer]

are you now saying that between the garage and your house there os a right of way to some where else, but that you own the land between the house and garage?

if this is the case extension lead is out of the question, but bureid swa is not, (you dont want to be sued for some one tripping over a lead do you)

cost? get several quotes, as it depends on too many what if factors

 

[JohnD]

Hey
... it is a right of way

best not to use the extension cable then. Someone like me will come along and claim to have tripped over it.

An underground cable will be fine. If you offer to dig the trench yourself you will save money. I would be inclined to put a duct, at least under the right of way, to avoid ever having to dig it up again.

While you're at it, lay one for the phone cable.

And the TV

And the Broadband

And the alarm

And the water pipe.

And the draught lager.


edited to say, Breezer is quicker than me

 

[Steve]

He could hang the extension lead out of an upstairs window into the top of the garage window. But thats getting a bit too permenant for my liking.

 

[breezer]

you dont want to do that, some one may decapitate them sleves, or hang washing on it

 

[markwithey]

are you now saying that between the garage and your house there os a right of way to some where else, but that you own the land between the house and garage?

if this is the case extension lead is out of the question, but bureid swa is not, (you dont want to be sued for some one tripping over a lead do you)

cost? get several quotes, as it depends on too many what if factors

There is a big courtyard outside and apparently that's mine, but people have right of way to dirive over it to their own garages if you see what I mean.

 

[markwithey]

What about having an extension lead running overground BUT fixing with some heavy duty covering, like the stuff they use wth motorways and roads.

Any ideas?

Thanks guys.

 

[breezer]

i figured thats what you meant (but size is not important in this case)

but as its your ground you can have it dug up to lay swa, (but you must also put the ground back to allow access.

OR install a toll gate

 

[markwithey]

Toll Gate sounds cool...but prob annoy my new neighbours!! Seems like it would be cheap to lay a cable covered with that heavy duty stuff. Is that do-able? Digging holes in roads is expensive and would also annoy the neighbours. Even more than I would anyway!!

 

[JohnD]

You can get a Mole device that tunnels through the ground towing the cable behind it.

An easy job but the contractors prices are set to be about the same as digging up and reinstating the road, since that's what people are willing to pay.

You can have a look at the land registry documents to make sure you really do own the land and see what rights are registered against it.

 

[breezer]

dont even think about an extension lead.

you only have one real option, underground

have you never seen at temp ttrafic lights the "strip" half way up the road, they use it because it is tempoary, you want a permanent job, not a temp bodge

 

[markwithey]

Ok...you dudes have kinda pointed me away from the cabling thing then. What about solar panelling? Or is that just crazy?