Okay to install power socket near fuse box, gas & electric meter?

[JohnW2]

And shortening the tails considerably given how much there appears to be in the loop. Maybe at the time that RCD was installed there was some other panel being fed from the Henley blocks as well which was then just removed later?

Is that not probably the ghost of an old CU immediately below the Henley (to which the short tails might well have reached (particularly before the RCD was installed)?

Kind Regards, John

 

[PBC_1966]

Is that not probably the ghost of an old CU immediately below the Henley

Is certainly looks like it, along with the ghost of an old electricity board mounting board (or something similar) to the left of the meter, and possibly the ghost of a couple of separate switch fuses above that, on the upper edge of the picture.

Either way, those tails could certainly be tidied up now and shortened by rerouting out of the top of the CU and across directly to the output of the RCD.

 

[Sprogginz]

When I bought the house the sellers had rewired it hence the ghosts!
They left the cable that leads to the garage disconnected.
I got an electrician round last year to test and connect it to the CU.
He thinks that the reason why the sellers didn't connect it to the new CU in the first place was just in case it caused problems with the certification.
I can't remember exactly what the electrician said but whilst testing it he did say that something was a bit low (amps perhaps?) but shouldn't cause problems as long as I don't connect everything at once in the garage.
To date, I've only used the electrics in the garage to switch a light on and charge the car battery.

I guess one of the most important questions I want to know at this point, is it perfectly legal to feed off this cable using a junction box? I can do that right away having to research anything.

I can certainly still take a photo of the CU in the garage if it would help.

Thanks again.

 

[PBC_1966]

What size is the cable and what is the rating of the MCB which feeds it? If both suitable then yes, you could add the socket to it quite safely, although personally I would prefer to keep the garage feed entirely separate.

By the time you tap into that cable you could just as easily drop your new cable into the consumer unit and connect to an existing suitable MCB, subject - as John mentioned earlier - to you being comfortable doing that.

 

[Chrisg88]

I love how discussions on most thread end up with everyone discussing the OP$s existing install amd getting further way from the orininal question

 

[JohnW2]

I love how discussions on most thread end up with everyone discussing the OP$s existing install amd getting further way from the orininal question

Yes, it happens - but I hope I gave you the answer to your original question in the second reply in this thread.

Yes, quite often threads do go off at a complete tangent, probably of no interest or relevance to the OP - altjoigh hopefully after the OP's question has been answered. However, it also quite often the case that we notice other questions which an OP probably should be asking, but hasn't realised the need to ask (one often doesn't know what one doesn't know!), so these tangents can sometimes be important and valuable to an OP.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

You did - to Scroggins.

I was going to post that but noticed Chris g88 is not OP.

 

[JohnW2]

You did - to Scroggins. .... I was going to post that but noticed Chris g88 is not OP.

Ahhhh

Kind Regards, John

 

[Sprogginz]

...However, it also quite often the case that we notice other questions which an OP probably should be asking, but hasn't realised the need to ask (one often doesn't know what one doesn't know!), so these tangents can sometimes be important and valuable to an OP.Kind Regards, John

Absolutely! Many a times I've been steered onto a better path and made to consider things that I would've never realised. It's also interesting reading about the points not directly related - Mind you I still have to go on Google to find out what the hell you're all on about at times

Anyways, it would seem the best option for me would be to create a new feed from the CU. I will have to look into that a bit more - would I simply be able to connect to the same points as the garage feed or would that defeat the object of avoiding the garage?

The lazy git in me though might just take the feed from the garage cable itself - BTW, it says 2 x 2.5 & 1.5 H.

Thanks again, this has really helped me. Now off to create another thread about connecting a masthead amplifier

Hopefully, I can do both of them tomorrow.

 

[PBC_1966]

would I simply be able to connect to the same points as the garage feed or would that defeat the object of avoiding the garage?

Yes. If you're fine with going into the consumer unit to make the connection, you could just as easily connect it to an existing socket circuit.

 

[kai]

Remember the OP could simply switch off the mains RCD, before opening his consumer unit in order to make the connection in 2.5.sq.mm cable.

 

[PBC_1966]

Yes, as I said earlier in response to John's comment about whether he might not be comfortable doing so:

True, although if the concern were about working in it because of something still being live even with the main CU switch off, I do spy a separate main RCD on the supply.

 

[Sprogginz]

Just to let you know, I'm still planning this project! For the past month I've been feeding data cables around the house among other things but now is almost the time to install the double wall socket.

I've found this wall socket that is no longer in use but I'm wondering if I'm supposed to use both earth terminals? It's going to be a spur connection (would it be still known as one if running off the CU without connecting to any other points?) so I'm assuming I can still use this unit and one earth terminal will be left redundant?

Thanks very much

 

[EFLImpudence]

The earth terminals will be connected so it doesn't matter whether you use one or both.

 

[Sprogginz]

The earth terminals will be connected so it doesn't matter whether you use one or both.

Thank you very much.