Electrics for Marquee wedding

[robbie77]

Hello All,

I am having a Marquee wedding and am going to need several outputs for various parities that are helping to host the event.

I have a bar that will need electricity to run two chillers (I don't know the spec on the power consumption but not huge apparently).
Marquee lights need lighting- again not huge.

The DJ requested two separate 13 amp power outlets so as not to overload with his PA and lights etc. Does this mean I can run two extensions from two different sockets on the same ring.

I have an upstairs Ring, downstairs ring, Kitchen ring on 32amp MCB and a radial circuit that just has an alarm on it at present 6amp MCB

Lights + alarm and rings on separate RCD's.

Various extension leads will provide the outputs.

Obviously I am looking to minimise the risk of things cutting out and what I can get away with?

Shall I try and use as many circuits as possible to do this ?!

Thanks!

note: Probably worth noting that the extension cables will be in the range of 20-30metres.

If possible I could add an extra socket on the alarm radial as a power source?

 

[jj4091]

If you are that distance from the house then it is feasible to use a hired generator & if you do that the hire company have the equipment & experience to supply everthing you need for the occasion & will deliver supply & instal everything for you. It is often a much safer, reliable & cost effective way to do this sort of thing.

 

[ninjacat]

quick answer - ignore the lighting circuit and the alarm circuit.

Use the Ring final circuits as your power source. Will your kitchen be in use for the caterers?

Get the power consumption from everybody so you can spread the load properly. (Good luck in this one, nobody ever seems to be able to work this out)

Possibly put DJ on two seperate rings so if his lights trip the MCB you at least get sound. I would be suprised if he will be fully loading the ring on the sound side but lighting can really eat power quickly - 3 x 1k Parcans will eat up 13amps. He may well be using LED fixtures so that will be far better re power.

Feed catering of another ring away from the DJ - catering can sometimes have extremly low opinion on electrical saftey and usually have no idea what they require with reference to power. They normally rock up and say they only need 13a then proceed to plug in industrial urns into 13a 4way sockets on a manky extrension lead.

Decide carefully where you want to plug your Marquee lighting in - remember that if you lose this then it will get dark in that Marquee. Consider hiring some maintaned emergency lights.
(Thats your three ring finals taken then )

Are your ring finals protected by RCDs?

Use decent extension leads pref. 2.5mm square so as to avoid voltage drop (though probably not a problem for this distance)

If using extension on drums, unwind them fully - they overheat and melt when loaded and wound up.

Try not to have cables going across walk ways - best bet is to get them up in the air or covered with rubber matting.

Try to keep plugs and sockets under cover, not in the open, not in grass or undergrowth.

I am sure others will inform you on whether you should be exporting the earth or not and guidelines for safety.

Be less worried about things cutting out and be more aware that you are taking electricity into a marquee full of people who should be quite drunk by the end of the event and that moisture gets everywhere. Unplug it all when it is finished.

Most impoortantly, have a good wedding.

 

[robbie77]

Thanks ninjacat. Really appreciate that informative and positive repsonse!
Catering should not need any power as its a hog roast on barbecue and rest is cold buffet type of thing. Tea and coffee is from a gas heater so the demand should not be too excessive- fingers crossed.

My sister got married in a Marquee at my parents house many moons ago and it worked out fine (same company doing the marquee on mine) although at the time they did not have an RCD protected electrics like mine. Everything is RCD protected basically split from sockets to lights.

Use decent extension leads pref. 2.5mm square so as to avoid voltage drop (though probably not a problem for this distance)

If using extension on drums, unwind them fully - they overheat and melt when loaded and wound up.

Noted. Thanks.

Also noted about the safety aspects - The Marquee company seemed to be aware of all the regulations on this.
Planning to get most things set up and tested before the day!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

TBH the whole basic idea of running a bunch of extension leads plugged into sockets all over the house sounds like a nasty, tacky, flaky bodge.

 

[robbie77]

Ahhhhhhhh! but you would love the Bouncy Castle and the Ice cream van that will be on site..

 

[ricicle]

Section 711 anyone ?????

 

[LiamPope]

Think of the following as a horizontal bar chart...

Total cost of wedding:
£££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

Consequences of electrical failure ruining wedding:


Cost of hiring proper genny or providing proper supply:
£££


No brainer to me!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Ahhhhhhhh! but you would love the Bouncy Castle and the Ice cream van that will be on site..

Hmmmm....

 

[ninjacat]

TBH the whole basic idea of running a bunch of extension leads plugged into sockets all over the house sounds like a nasty, tacky, flaky bodge.

As a rule I would agree with you, but this will only involve 4 x circuits and can be done neatly for a private party if enough forethought is used.

As for the genny - in an ideal world a nice silent genny set (or two with switchover and synched) would be ideal. With an engineer on standby to sort out problems and get the distro in. Depends what the new Wifes' anger is like if it all goes dark. Me, I'd need a substation put in


1 quick caveat to add to my earlier post - I am presuming that you have a single phase supply.

 

[Steve]

A generator can work out very expensive to hire (though in relation to the cost of the wedding, I agree it'd probably be a small portion of it.

A possibly cheaper solution might be to hire a big (10mm) extension lead and a distro kit for the end, and have an electrician provide a socket near your mains board for it. Certainly better than using tatty extension leads on RCDs at the house.

 

[robbie77]

What about using the plug on my cooker socket (cooker will not be used and it's a 12kw cooker)?

 

[Taylortwocities]

What about using the plug on my cooker socket (cooker will not be used and it's a 12kw cooker)?

If you have a socket on your cooker switch then the only thing that you can plug in there is a BS1363 plug.

The maximum sized fuse you can have in that plug is

13A


So you ain't going to get any more than plugging your extension lead into the socket in the hall.

 

[Steve]

What about using the plug on my cooker socket (cooker will not be used and it's a 12kw cooker)?

You mean the socket adjacent to the cooker switch? No. Its limited to 13 amps via the fuse in the plugtop


Though for the day you could remove the cooker, install a ceeform socket and use a big ceeform extension and distro. But the cooker circuit is probably only 32 amps. And probably RCD protected. (dj equipment and fridges are notorious for earth leaks, you need LOCAL RCD protection t the marquee, for individual circuits).

You seem intent on doing this on the cheap. Dont. I would have a 50 amp non-rcd circuit fitted with a 63 amp ceeform socket. Hire a 63 amp lead, to a distro with a few single phase circuits to provide seperate sockets to the caterers and dj and lights.

 

[ColJack]

still only 13A at the socket though..
but yes as a different circuit to spread the load..