Wiring loft

[RUBEN]

Hi All
I'm new to this so please bear with me.
I am making a play room for my G/children in my loft & wish to wire it up safely for lighting & mains,as there will be a 500w skirting heater & 2x fan heaters both 1/2Kw rating plus some smaller appliances ie Hi-Fi,Radio etc I will install a consumer unit with 2 mcbs 6A for lights & 30A for mains with no RCD as I have that in main con/unit. I think that my first idea of tapping into the 6mm 40A shower supply cable is a no-no.What size cable should I use & which mcb on the main con/unit should I take the feed from,30a cooker,40A shower,32A mains up,32A mains down.
Many Thanks
Regards
Ruben

 

[Adam_151]

You can't just double up a submain with an existing circuit, anyway thats a bit of a moot point anyway, because you can't just create a room in an attic like that, your roof trusses will be sized with the understanding that they will be supporting empty boxes, the christmas decorations, a water tank and perhaps the odd overweight sparky now and again, not a room full of kids who will undoubtedly run and jump around.

Appologies if you are already aware of this and have the building inspector on board already, etc, but I thought it important to point out, the last thing you want are your g/kids crashing through the ceiling

 

[securespark]

You need a new circuit from your CU downstairs. With that load, you cannot tap off another circuit. Well, you could, but I don't believe it would be best practice.

Your load is around 5000W. That's the best part of 22A. Trouble is, if you run a sub-main, you could really do with discrimination between mcb's in the sub-board & the one feeding it.

You may be better off proving heating up there from the CH, thus drastically reducing the electrical load.

 

[RUBEN]

Hi
Many thanks for your reply,I should have mentioned I'm all electric therefore no CH,however I appreciate your advice on wiring.
Regards
Ruben

 

[plugwash]

Appologies if you are already aware of this and have the building inspector on board already, etc, but I thought it important to point out, the last thing you want are your g/kids crashing through the ceiling

have you ever heared of that actually happening, or is it like the broken rings of the sparky world (bad per regs but rarely a problem in practice).

 

[RF Lighting]

Instead of faffing about installing a submain which is not really required, why not wire a new ring final circuit to supply the loft sockets, and also feed an FCU from this ring, which can supply the light.


Are you aware this work will be notifiable to your LABC?

 

[bernardgreen]

Appologies if you are already aware of this and have the building inspector on board already, etc, but I thought it important to point out, the last thing you want are your g/kids crashing through the ceiling

have you ever heared of that actually happening, or is it like the broken rings of the sparky world (bad per regs but rarely a problem in practice).

Plaster board has cracked as the overloaded joists flexed. Flexing joists abrade themselves or the wall where they are supported and eventually fail.

Severe overloading is more dramatic. A water bed on fourth floor of apartment building in Dusseldorf. Owners came home after work to find their bed had moved itself down two floors.

 

[securespark]

Hi
Many thanks for your reply,I should have mentioned I'm all electric therefore no CH,however I appreciate your advice on wiring.
Regards
Ruben

Never heard of electric CH?

Plug - broken rings rarely a problem in practice?