Summerhouse

Hazzo · 25 Jan 2021

Hi,

I am getting a summer house built in the garden. I want electrics installed and just wanted to check this is OK.

I will have a 32amp MCB in consumer unit in my house with 10m 6mm 3 core SWA into the summer house.

In the summerhouse I have another small consumer unit with a 20amp MCB for the sockets and a 6 amp for the lighting.

Does this seem ok?

Thanks in advance

Taylortwocities · 25 Jan 2021

It’s new circuits, it’s notifiable work. Ask the registered electrician that you will need. They will need to design, install, test, certify snd notify the whole thing.

soloheadbeg · 26 Jan 2021

Your registered electrician might also suggest that the 32 A mcb be on the non-rcd side of your house cu and that the armour is glanded into a metal adaptable box at the house end and earthed back to the earth bar in the cu. At the summerhouse end the armour should be glanded into a plastic box or a plastic cu. The summerhouse cu would have rcd protection. This would be for TNCS system. It also assumes you won’t have extraneous metal parts (copper pipes etc.) in the summerhouse. There’s loads of interesting threads on here about this and many different views. There is no disputing it is notifiable work.

SUNRAY · 26 Jan 2021

soloheadbeg said:
Your registered electrician might also suggest that the 32 A mcb be on the non-rcd side of your house cu and that the armour is glanded into a metal adaptable box at the house end and earthed back to the earth bar in the cu. At the summerhouse end the armour should be glanded into a plastic box or a plastic cu. The summerhouse cu would have rcd protection. This would be for TNCS system. It also assumes you won’t have extraneous metal parts (copper pipes etc.) in the summerhouse. There’s loads of interesting threads on here about this and many different views. There is no disputing it is notifiable work.

Why do you specify a metal box at the hose end, are you one of those who wants to make a job more difficult?
Wouldn't the summer house require a metal CU?

soloheadbeg · 26 Jan 2021

Hello Suray

I’m referring to a my own situation where the house had a plastic rather than a metal house cu. I presume you’re saying that the armour would ideally be earthed via the metal cu if present?

SUNRAY · 26 Jan 2021

soloheadbeg said:
Hello Suray

I’m referring to a my own situation where the house had a plastic rather than a metal house cu. I presume you’re saying that the armour would ideally be earthed via the metal cu if present?

The only times I have ever installed an additional box between SWA and its destination have been for access reasons or to convert to another cable [joint box], I've seen so many of these ugly add-on boxes and the majority of times I have to ask "Why?"

soloheadbeg · 26 Jan 2021

Fair point. My metal box is in the loft and to be honest I haven’t seen it in the nine years since I installed it so I am not reminded of its ugliness. How do you earth the armour as a matter of interest?

soloheadbeg · 26 Jan 2021

Is it as I suggested by glanding into the metal cu.

SUNRAY · 26 Jan 2021

There are several standard products; Banjo rings & piranha nuts are the first 2 to spring to mind but there is nothing [apart from the difficulty of fighting it] preventing one terminating the steel wire directly into an earth bar/terminal.

Even if glanding it into a metal enclosure, an earth wire should still be fitted.

Taylortwocities · 26 Jan 2021

soloheadbeg said:
Is it as I suggested by glanding into the metal cu.

For the metal CU, that's part of it, but never trust something bolted on to a painted surface as a certain earth. I'll always use a banjo or a piranha plus an earth lead as well.

SUNRAY · 26 Jan 2021

One I pulled out last year:

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Summerhouse

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