Hello... and... SHED Questions.

[ban-all-sheds]

BAS - Having read quite a number of your threads on here I've learned not to be offended by your replies.

Good-oh! I very rarely intend to actually offend, but I am sometimes sarcastic. The Q above though was genuine - I wasn't sure what needed explaining...

The questions I had in my head were how I identify a suitable lighting cable to connect to,

If your loft isn't boarded or full of old copies of Health & Efficiency, the lighting cables should all be fairly accessible - look for a single cable running between one ceiling rose and the next - that will be the circuit cable. I guess we should rule out the possibility that your circuit loops through the switches - if you remove a single-gang, 1-way switch do you just see 1 cable, or 2 or 3 with the neutrals joined in choc-block?

and how I actuallly connect, e.g. in-line, via a junction box, via FCU, etc. Map suggested via FCU (thanks Map),

Junction box or FCU. Definitely FCU with 3A fuse if you're going to be putting a regular 3-pin "13A" socket on. Does your amplifier have a plug on a lead, or a wall-wart power supply? If the latter, then you'll have no choice but to use a normal socket, or throw the PSU away and buy one with a flying lead. If it dose have just a plug, putting an FCU on the lighting circuit would be the easiest.

Turn off the power, check that it really is off (easiest way is to turn on a light, and turn the MCB off - on - off and see that the light does the same. This rules out the tiny possibility that you picked the wrong MCB at precisely the same time the bulb you were watching decided to fail.. If you have 2 lighting circuits it's best to turn them all off in case there are any incorrect links between them.

Cut the cable, strip off sheathing and sleeving etc, sleeve the earths with green/yellow and put both ends into the SUPPLY terminals of the FCU.

Connect the amplifier supply cable to the LOAD terminals.

Ideally use a switched FCU mounted just below the ceiling so that you can turn it off when thunderstorms are nearby....

but if I connect via JB or FCU do I use heavier cable than the lighting circuit is using (e.g. 2.5mm) or use the same as the lighting circuit?

The same.

 

[Moody Toad]

Is this the kind of round pin stuff you guys spoke of?

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp;jsessionid=LPHY2STOMGQZFCJO2C3CIIQ?ts=82782&id=11412

 

[plugwash]

yeah thats the stuff

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I love the way that Screwfix, when showing you a 5A round-pin socket say that you might also be interested in a 5A round-pin plug and a 5A fuse...

 

[Spark123]

I love the way that Screwfix, when showing you a 5A round-pin socket say that you might also be interested in a 5A round-pin plug and a 5A fuse...

But where does the 5A fuse go?

 

[securespark]

exactomundo, oh numerical one.....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

But where does the 5A fuse go?

Into the old biscuit tin full of spare pins and cord grips from broken plugs, fluorescent starters which may or may not work, a variety of old nuts and bolts with strange threads, none of which match......

 

[Adam_151]

But where does the 5A fuse go?

Into the old biscuit tin full of spare pins and cord grips from broken plugs, fluorescent starters which may or may not work, a variety of old nuts and bolts with strange threads, none of which match......

Oh you have one of those as well do you

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Doesn't everyone?

 

[Moody Toad]

Bad news...

The CU at the bungalow is NOT a split load one. This means that I cannot connect the feed for the shed power to the non-RCD side. It's only a convenience thing though, isn't it? I can still connect the shed to it but will have to reset in the house it the shed trips for any reason?

It's still safe to do though - isn't it?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yup - still safe, just a PITA if you're in the shed and the house CU trips.

If the house CU isn't split load, it does have an RCD incomer, does it? What's the rating?