New House garage supply - advice please

[neallew]

Hi All

just bought new house - garage has electric supply with armored cable - all good i though - built and electrics tested dec 2006. Didnt get eicr as new house - now are these built with 16th or 17th edition regs as a matter of interest - 17th came in 2008?

Now they have tapped off downstairs ring main to supply a 63a breaker CU in the garage, supplying light and power sockets in the garage and seem to have done this on all the houses of the same type basically a ip55/65 box on outside wall behind inside socket with armored cable to garage. Is this even allowed? does it meet the regs as was? ( I think it doesn't). Now will the NHBC laugh at me if i kick up fuss or even persimmon who built it. The inspection was done by an NICEIC firm - will they have records can i challenge them on this - get a copy of the original eic cert to see if they tested it like this? Should i complain to the LBC?

I want to put more sockets and light in garage and dont want to be overloading socket ring main for the house.....

Second part do i just get a spark in to run cable from consumer unit or meter and which would be better? Route from electric box would be round house under front door down side of house small trench to meet original cable and into garage or round to rear of house to meet original cable....

 

[Adam_151]

If its from a fused spur then its alright, if its direct off the ring then its not alright (assuming of course that a ring has been used)

Is the SWA cable 2.5mm or 4mm? even if its 4mm direct off ring its wrong because it could unbalance ring, but its even worse defect if with 2.5 cable

You could have fused spur fitteed, if dot and dab wall, likely to be quite easy to do with very little mess. Or I suppose at push swap the 63A switch disconnector in garage board for double pole 16A MCB

If is built and tested in 2006, has it been stood around empty for years before you bought it, or are you second owner?. if second owner don't think the house builder will entertain you, their contract would have been with the person they sold the house too

 

[ericmark]

I seem to remember having this discussion with my son back in around 2006 with a load of houses built in North Wales with garage supplied from ring. Can't remember if FCU or not.

It would seem little or no thought I would have used a 16A double pole RCBO rather than isolator in garage but I think the idea was power was only for lights really and it all seemed an after thought.

Same houses had a design change half way through building the estate and the beams with knock outs for wiring and plumbing were replaced with plain wood beams. This resulted in more cable being required to comply with 1/3 rule which in turn resulted in the loop impedance being too high and where my son worked a few houses had 25A MCB's on rings until redesigned routing for cables reduced lenght.

The problem was the electrics were done by local firm not the builder and there was a lack of information being passed between two at design level. Many of the houses were wired using semi-skilled labour and just one or two testers flitting between sites the site electrician had no test gear which is why things were missed as designs changed.

My daughter lived in one of their houses as second owner and they did return to do repairs. But only while they were still on site. Think it would be hard to get something done 6 years latter. The firm who wired it may no longer be trading. Their name should be on paperwork you could try but likely more trouble than worth. But before you try I would get a EICR completed in case there are other faults.

 

[neallew]

update

got a couple of sparkies to come and have a look and put a sensible supply in. looks like the original was only in 2.5 armoured and no FCU. No paperwork provided to original householders - didnt get any before when i bought a new house before i knew the regs either, back in 2000. Original firm has apparently gone bust according to 1 of the sparkies.

So due to the CU (MEM) a new rcd will be added next to CU and 10mm armoured run round to garage for supply. Now i just have to avoid tripping over sparky while we try to move in at same time should be fun....he is aware of the conflict...