Garden Office Electrics

Forgot to ask actually.

Working off a 2kw heater taking around 9A at full wack. Would it be worth going for a smaller heater?

As I said the room is only going to be 7m2 and there are quite a few 1kw heaters that can heat a bigger room than that?

siross85 said:

Thanks for all that, that's really helpful. I've just been out looking again and it would be a pain in the backside so it might be worth trying the fused spur first. I can always upgrade.

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Fair enough, and you're welcome.

siross85 said:

I didn't realise that the fuse would only blow with 22A. Is that continuous or a surge of 22A? Doesn't sound very safe lol

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'Continuous', I'm afraid. See the graph below. For it to even blow within 10,000 seconds (nearly 3 hours) (and probably 'ever) would require a continuous current of at least 20A. You have to understand that the purpose of fuses is to protect cables, not to 'limit consumption'.

siross85 said:

Forgot to ask actually. Working off a 2kw heater taking around 9A at full wack. Would it be worth going for a smaller heater? As I said the room is only going to be 7m2 and there are quite a few 1kw heaters that can heat a bigger room than that?

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A smaller heater would obviously help to minimise electricity requirements, but only you can tell how big a heater you need. If you're talking of fan heaters, most of the 2kW ones have both 1 kW and 2 kW 'settings'.

Kind Regards, John

@JohnW2

Thanks again for all of that information. I've done a few calcs and it's throwing out between 0.7 and 0.9kw with a few variables. A 2kw with a lower setting is a great idea. It can run at full whack when it's really cold for a little while and revert back to the lower setting throughout the day.

I really appreciate your help

Hi all, @JohnW2 I hope you don't mind me tagging you again.

I'm going to be installing some low power external soffit lights as well as internal downlights. My plan was to install a 2 gang switch as per my original diagram with the common of both bridged with a small piece of brown wire.

However, I'd like these lights to be "smart" and come on and turn off with a timer. The easiest way to do this given I'll have a neutral at the switch is to install a smart switch as smart bulbs are fairly expensive for what they are.

Looking at this as an example it needs a neutral (to keep WiFi active I believe). However there are no common terminals, just L1, L2 etc which is assume here are just carrying a feed to the lights and the switching is controlled by the "smartness" of the lights.

Is this as simple as terminating feed live and neutral in to the light switch and then taking feed from L1 and L2 to lights. The spare neutrals at switch would be terminated together in wagos and all 3 earths at switch terminated in wagos?

Thanks,

Simon

siross85 said:

Hi all, @JohnW2 I hope you don't mind me tagging you again.

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No problem.

siross85 said:

I'm going to be installing some low power external soffit lights as well as internal downlights. My plan was to install a 2 gang switch as per my original diagram with the common of both bridged with a small piece of brown wire.

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OK. That would have been fine.

siross85 said:

However, I'd like these lights to be "smart" and come on and turn off with a timer. The easiest way to do this given I'll have a neutral at the switch is to install a smart switch as smart bulbs are fairly expensive for what they are.

Click to expand...

Well, unless you want other 'smart' features, I would have thought that the simplest/easiest way would be just to use a timer, but I guess that a 'smart switch' is a new-fangled (and perhaps no more expensive) way of achieving the same

siross85 said:

Looking at this as an example it needs a neutral (to keep WiFi active I believe). However there are no common terminals, just L1, L2 etc which is assume here are just carrying a feed to the lights and the switching is controlled by the "smartness" of the lights.

Click to expand...

Yes, I assume so.

siross85 said:

Is this as simple as terminating feed live and neutral in to the light switch and then taking feed from L1 and L2 to lights. The spare neutrals at switch would be terminated together in wagos and all 3 earths at switch terminated in wagos?

Click to expand...

More-or-less - I'm not sure if this is what you mean, but the neutrals from each of the lights would have to be joined not only to one another but also (with a piece of wire) to the neutral supply to the switch - i.e. 3 wires into a Wago. Similarly, all earths from all wires should be joined together in a (I presume again 3-way) Wago.

Kind Regards, John

JohnW2 said:

No problem.
OK. That would have been fine.
Well, unless you want other 'smart' features, I would have thought that the simplest/easiest way would be just to use a timer, but I guess that a 'smart switch' is a new-fangled (and perhaps no more expensive) way of achieving the same
Yes, I assume so.
More-or-less - I'm not sure if this is what you mean, but the neutrals from each of the lights would have to be joined not only to one another but also (with a piece of wire) to the neutral supply to the switch - i.e. 3 wires into a Wago. Similarly, all earths from all wires should be joined together in a (I presume again 3-way) Wago.

Kind Regards, John

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Brilliant thanks John!

Ideally I'd like it to be easier to change than the old school timers, our front lights are on a timer and it takes me months to change it! I'd also like it to change itself according to sunrise/sunset.

What you just explained is different to my initial understanding so thank you. I initially thought the only live going to the switch would be from the feed. However I know understand the 3 wires need terminating together with a bridging neutral to the switch? Or try to terminate all 3 neutrals in the same neutral in the switch?

siross85 said:

Brilliant thanks John! Ideally I'd like it to be easier to change than the old school timers, our front lights are on a timer and it takes me months to change it! I'd also like it to change itself according to sunrise/sunset.

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Fair enough. Some of the 'advancements/improvements' do make me wonder : - ) - like you, I often struggle to change the times on 'new-fangled' (electronic) timers, but I still tend to use old-fashioned electro-mechanical ones, and even I can push pins into holes at the selected times without having to do much thinking!

siross85 said:

What you just explained is different to my initial understanding so thank you. I initially thought the only live going to the switch would be from the feed. However I know understand the 3 wires need terminating together with a bridging neutral to the switch? Or try to terminate all 3 neutrals in the same neutral in the switch?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure from what you say whether you have got this right or not - should the word I've highlighted in red above perhaps actually be "neutral"? if so, I think you've got it right - and, as you say, if you could get all three neutrals into the switches 'neutral terminal, that would be fine (and would avoid the need for one of the Wagos.

The point is that "only one neutral (from the feed) goes 'to the switch' ", but the 'neutral feed' also needs to be connected to each of the light's neutral, since a light needs both a neutral and a ('switched') live to work.

Is that noe clear?

Kind Regards, John

JohnW2 said:

Fair enough. Some of the 'advancements/improvements' do make me wonder : - ) - like you, I often struggle to change the times on 'new-fangled' (electronic) timers, but I still tend to use old-fashioned electro-mechanical ones, and even I can push pins into holes at the selected times without having to do much thinking!
I'm not sure from what you say whether you have got this right or not - should the word I've highlighted in red above perhaps actually be "neutral"? if so, I think you've got it right - and, as you say, if you could get all three neutrals into the switches 'neutral terminal, that would be fine (and would avoid the need for one of the Wagos.

The point is that "only one neutral (from the feed) goes 'to the switch' ", but the 'neutral feed' also needs to be connected to each of the light's neutral, since a light needs both a neutral and a ('switched') live to work.

Is that noe clear?

Kind Regards, John

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Hi John,

Yes, sorry I meant neutral! It's clear now thank you again!

Kind regards,

Simon

siross85 said:

Hi John, Yes, sorry I meant neutral! It's clear now thank you again!

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You're welcome, and I'm pleased that all is now clear.

Kind Regards, John