When I had the house rewired a couple of years ago, sparks put me in a dedicated circuit for integral garage/workshop. This is a radial featuring 2 twin sockets on a 10A MCB. Don't know why he used a 10A breaker. Cable is 2.5mm TE, surface mounted (just pre-17th edition!)
Anyway, most equipment runs fine on the current setup. However my 2kW mitre saw trips this (not unexpectedly) so I tried it with a 16A which also trips. No problem running off the ring main sockets (no problem on previous 13A spur from ring main either) so I suspect startup inrush current is the problem. Would the best move be to up the breaker to 20A or is this likely also to be a problem? Or would a lower rated type C breaker be a better overall bet for workshop use. What about completing circuit as a ring main on a 32A MCB? 10A has been reinstated for now.
I will get a sparks in if necessary, although I am capable of safely swapping MCBs and extending simple circuits (yes I do know about Part P). Even so, I do not want to make changes I don't understand, so any advice would be gratefully received.
Anyway, most equipment runs fine on the current setup. However my 2kW mitre saw trips this (not unexpectedly) so I tried it with a 16A which also trips. No problem running off the ring main sockets (no problem on previous 13A spur from ring main either) so I suspect startup inrush current is the problem. Would the best move be to up the breaker to 20A or is this likely also to be a problem? Or would a lower rated type C breaker be a better overall bet for workshop use. What about completing circuit as a ring main on a 32A MCB? 10A has been reinstated for now.
I will get a sparks in if necessary, although I am capable of safely swapping MCBs and extending simple circuits (yes I do know about Part P). Even so, I do not want to make changes I don't understand, so any advice would be gratefully received.
