Radial circuit in garage

[mrcrow]

my garage is 5.5m x 2.8m

There is a radial circuit on the consumer unit for the garage which feeds a twin socket for the freezer and washing machine and then a single socket for the dryer at the rear of the garage, the freezer runs all the time and on wash days the washer and dryer are on together.

The consumer unit is at the front of the garage. The radial runs from there to the rear of garage back wall just above the suspended ceiling.

GE31 by mrcrow_uk, on Flickr

There is a dropped spur to a twin socket just after the consumer unit which is connected to the radial via a junction box. This is used periodically for the lawn mower, to charge my power tools and plug in a cable to a single bulb light in the void above the suspended ceiling where i store my tools and materials and need light to get them.

GE41 by mrcrow_uk, on Flickr

I propose fitting a 2Kw wall fan heater, controlled from a push type timed switch close to the laundry area so my wife can have some warm air when doing washing on cold days, and so it seems i need another twin socket in that area to plug in the heater and her iron, this would need to be further round the back wall and around 2m towards the front of the garage.

Can I extend the existing wiring from the right hand socket further to feed this new socket which will feed the fan heater and can be used at the same time for the ironing.?

GE51 by mrcrow_uk, on Flickr


All advice greatly received.
Cheers
Geof

 

[AndyPRK]

Geez.

How about having a shower and cooker in the garage too ???

 

[mrcrow]

Geez.

How about having a shower and cooker in the garage too ???

@AndyPRK



i knew you fellows were still awake...i appreciate the comment..it seems a lot to me too..but its for a good cause...the wiring was there when i moved in 3 years ago...please just one more socket???


thanks for all the past advice as well...

 

[AndyPRK]

What size fuse Mcb are they on ?

I guess you could convert it to a b25 if you can get one.

Or convert it to a ring

 

[AndyPRK]

Is run off that right fuse box ?
Open the flap and take a close up pic

Edit no it says shower

 

[mrcrow]

What size fuse Mcb are they on ?

I guess you could convert it to a b25 if you can get one.

Or convert it to a ring

i will check that tomorrow...the fuses are cartridge type hence the colours..
the red ones are house ring mains, the white the total house and garage lighting
the blue i expect lies somewhere between...what i would call....as i was born in 1943
5A..15A..30A or so...i have some data on this from 3 years ago on this forum..wait a sec

https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/consumer-unit-mcb-values.448351/

its a proteus consumer unit...so perhaps that thread may throw some light... on the subject
it cant be lower than 15A...

cheers
geof

 

[mrcrow]

Is run off that right fuse box ?
Open the flap and take a close up pic

Edit no it says shower

yes shower..
the main box is the house and the garage stuff...
the middle is the conservatory and the one on the rh end is the shower

the little levers are quite stiff but if its necessary i can try to get the blue cartridge out tomorrow
looking at the wires at the two sockets i guess they must be 2.5..i have just been using 1.0 for some led downlighters and eyeballing the socket cables they look bigger...

cheers

 

[mrcrow]

hi Andy...did a close up...looks like 15A.. does that mean the radial can take the max Kw of the load i expect to use. ?...it may be i can just fit a 1Kw fan heater or a halogen lamp on the wall
this is where i need pro advice backed by regs...my pre-apprenticeship electrics at trade college, only went up to V=IR and A=W/V and that was 1958
as it was i liked to get dirty so went to the shipyards to do marine engineering.
its late old chap and my wife got fed up waiting for me to come to bed and went into the spare room...
talk later
cheers
geof

 

[AndyPRK]

Maybe someone else can advise

A halogen lamp heater would be a good idea, connected onto the lighting circuit, so you don't load the radial any more than required.

Fuses can stand significant over load. So you may get away with your other stuff. But ordering some spare 15A fuses would be a sensible option, if you don't want ear ache on washing day. And checking to see if the blue plastic isn't over heating after ironing completed.

I'm sure she would be better off doing ironing in the house where it is clean!

You could also connect 1 double socket as a spur off the 30A red fuse (or better still conservatory 32A so its RCD protected ) using 2.5mm cable. Doing this for the tumble dryer has to be the best idea.
Put a note on the socket to say feed off 30A fuse, so you don't get a shock when opening it up (thinking its isolated).

 

[mrcrow]

Maybe someone else can advise

A halogen lamp heater would be a good idea, connected onto the lighting circuit, so you don't load the radial any more than required.

Fuses can stand significant over load. So you may get away with your other stuff. But ordering some spare 15A fuses would be a sensible option, if you don't want ear ache on washing day. And checking to see if the blue plastic isn't over heating after ironing completed.

I'm sure she would be better off doing ironing in the house where it is clean!
i
You could also connect 1 double socket as a spur off the 30A red fuse (or better still conservatory 32A so its RCD protected ) using 2.5mm cable. Doing this for the tumble dryer has to be the best idea.
Put a note on the socket to say feed off 30A fuse, so you don't get a shock when opening it up (thinking its isolated).

thanks Andy
that is a plan and i will need to think again inside the box...as they say
i checked today and the fuse is 15A and i also checked out the appliance ratings...
dryer 11.5A/2800W?
washer 2200W
freezer 70W..i realise start up could be more

sounds like a bridge too far...its so easy to have too many add on's without knowing where its leading
the garage is clean enough as it happens now that i have just tiled it with neoprene interlocking floor tiles and put in a suspended ceiling...spiders can stay in the loft area...as you can see the garage is attached to the bungalow..so all the wiring comes through the cavity wall to the garage and is quite accessible

thanks again
cheers
geof

 

[flameport]

Options:
20A fuseholders were available for that consumer unit, yellow in colour.
MCBs are also available in 20A or 25A versions, both of which would be suitable if using 2.5mm² cable.
Or one socket could be connected to the 32A MCB in the 'conservatory' consumer unit using 2.5mm² cable.
Or the existing 32A ring could be extended to have several extra sockets.
The shower unit appears to have a spare way for an additional circuit, depending on the rating of the RCD in it.
Remove the entire lot and fit a single new consumer unit for everything.

 

[AndyPRK]

well done FP.

Hadn't spotted that spare way! See if you can get a 25A mcb for it. (may not be easy!)

This MAY fit
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-X-CRAB...194784?hash=item19f320ca20:g:0YUAAOSwVFlUB4xD


That is also an idea to extend the current ring, but
1) ppl don't like putting all that load on one end of a ring
2) little advantage when compared to having 1 spur socket off it for the tumble dryer. A lot more effort for little gain. Well no gain.

 

[mrcrow]

Options:
20A fuseholders were available for that consumer unit, yellow in colour.
MCBs are also available in 20A or 25A versions, both of which would be suitable if using 2.5mm² cable.
Or one socket could be connected to the 32A MCB in the 'conservatory' consumer unit using 2.5mm² cable.
Or the existing 32A ring could be extended to have several extra sockets.
The shower unit appears to have a spare way for an additional circuit, depending on the rating of the RCD in it.
Remove the entire lot and fit a single new consumer unit for everything.

your idea of a total combination of circuits in one consumer unit really appeals

my last house which was built 2007 had one and it was a luxury to have so many ways to use.
it was a 4 bed detached with garage all powered up...this bungalow is 2 bed and the garage in question.

my cooker is all gas, as is the lounge fire...the only in house power requirement are kitchen items..cold larder, microwave, food mixer etc. The shower has its own CU
the conservatory has 4 sockets and 2 wall lights and its own CU
all my lighting are LED's, with the bathroom extraction fan operated from the pull cord light switch.

i am going to do as you say though and get a mcb fitted in the shower CU..thanks for spotting that

i have done a summary and think to use the new 25A mcb to its full capacity to making resetting easy

dryer and washing machine on a dedicated radial from the "shower" CU..18A load with new 25A mcb
present rcd 63A

leave the freezer on the present radial along with a double socket for a 2Kw fan heater and iron.. 10A load

this leaves the double socket spur near the door which is for lawn mower/ vacuum cleaner say 2A if used consecutively

leave the 15A cartridge fuse in the old CU...that would cater for the 12A load from the freezer+ spur load

all the cable runs are in open in the garage loft.. i understand it can handle 24A

i have seen now the yellow 20A cartridge fuse...may consider putting that in the old CU for some headroom

cheers
geof

 

[AndyPRK]

hardly worth the trouble changing blue to yellow for that items you intend to run off it. Less than you currently have?!


I guess you could splash out on some 6mm cable and use a genuine 32A sector MCB.

A bit of effort to terminate 6mm cable into sockets. But if you aren't having many...

I think 4mm can also be used with 32A ?

 

[EFLImpudence]

I think 4mm can also be used with 32A ?

Yes, no need for 6mm².