Garage Sockets

[scottie]

Do you have to use metal clad sockets/switches in in garage or is it ok to use household white surface mounted boxes and sockets/swithes with cables in Pvc trucking.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Due to potential dmage risk in garage i always use metalclad with cables run in 20mm conduit. Looks nice too!

 

[breezer]

what you say is true, but conduit is not really for diy

 

[scottie]

garage is dry and sockets in position where they're unlikely to get damaged - is it against regs to use normal white boxes and encase the cables in Pvc trunking or, according to the varous regs, do you HAVE to use metal clad

 

[GaryMo]

garage is dry and sockets in position where they're unlikely to get damaged - is it against regs to use normal white boxes and encase the cables in Pvc trunking or, according to the varous regs, do you HAVE to use metal clad

No, you don't have to use metalclad.
There's nothing wrong with a good quality white socket mounted onto a PVC backbox which contains a 20mm knockout. From this you can run cables into the roof space using 20mm PVC conduit which you'll find available in most large DIY stores.

 

[breezer]

but then he will have to buy them horrible bends, using a spring is too easy

 

[GaryMo]

but then he will have to buy them horrible bends, using a spring is too easy

Depends if he's only using drops with cables run though open joists.

One of our apprentices didn't approve of me using a rag, my knee and a spring to make a perfect 90 degree bend with PVC conduit. He said that college had been teaching them to use a conduit vice with pipe bender

 

[JohnD]

but in a garage, it's useful to have plenty of sockets spread along the walls at worktop height, so (like a kitchen) it's convenient to take the run horizontally between them, all round the walls. Mini trunking is handy here, but unless you use special square-to-round connectors doesn't look neat where it meets the back boxes.

 

[breezer]

health and saftey i guess

mates son was telling me (he has just turned 16) at school (he went to the same one His father and i did, and its almost the same) that in the "metal work class" they have pillar drills lathes etc (probably the ones that were there when his father and I were) and they are not allowed to use them because of health and saftey (or even a battery operated drill)

soon as he left school he now works with battery operated drills (as a tool) his employer coulndn't believe the poor kid had no idea how to use one

 

[GaryMo]

but in a garage, it's useful to have plenty of sockets spread along the walls at worktop height, so (like a kitchen) it's convenient to take the run horizontally between them, all round the walls. Mini trunking is handy here, but unless you use special square-to-round connectors doesn't look neat where it meets the back boxes.

I've got five twin sockets in my garage, all have been run to the ceiling in 20mm PVC conduit. At no stage did I find this inconvenient.
His needs may be different, he may want two twin sockets, he may want ten twin sockets.
I think more information may be needed to make a proper assessment of how we would do it.

 

[Space cat]

I would use metal clad sockets on metal surface-mount back boxes and run the cables in heavy duty PVC conduit. I do the same for light switches. Here's a useful tip. PVC has a high coefficient of thermal expansion so don't push all your ends hard up against the stops in the junctions. Leave a little expansion space.

 

[scottie]

 

[scottie]

 

[scottie]

but in a garage, it's useful to have plenty of sockets spread along the walls at worktop height, so (like a kitchen) it's convenient to take the run horizontally between them, all round the walls. Mini trunking is handy here, but unless you use special square-to-round connectors doesn't look neat where it meets the back boxes.

I've got five twin sockets in my garage, all have been run to the ceiling in 20mm PVC conduit. At no stage did I find this inconvenient.
His needs may be different, he may want two twin sockets, he may want ten twin sockets.
I think more information may be needed to make a proper assessment of how we would do it.

5 twin sockets and 2 light switches. garage is 10 meters by 5 metres so putting in ring using 2.5mm - have a pitch roof so plan to run cables in roof joists above walls and drop cables through 25mmx16mm pvc to white sockets.