Hopefully simple non railway electric lights question

voodoopenguin said:
The line into the shed is a sort of extension lead, plugged in the garage with two sockets at the shed end. The cable for it is this.

View attachment 334810

Paul

Paul
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1.5mm2 is, strictly, for lighting. Ideally you need 2.5mm2 for power.

It could get warm if you decide to boil a kettle in the shed, but you'll get away with a modern drill (not an old metal bodied Black and Decker :giggle::giggle: )

Rapid charging might be worth checking how much current will be drawn - you might then have to do some sums :worried::worried:
 
In the USA I found remote controlled led lights (Costco) that allow you to hook 6 together and control all by a single remote unit Each one came with a remote. These have a timer, adjustable brightness and even a motion sensor to lower the brightness when no one is present or turn off and sense the presence of someone when they enter the area, And being led lights, lower power consumption than the floresent versions.
 
To make @Paul M squirm:
Forget all you know about the regulations. - Here comes the 'lies to children'..

As a rule of thumb, 1.5mm cable will carry 15Amps.
As it is fed from a 13A plug in the garage, the installation is protected by the 13A (assumption) fuse in said plug.
Socket(s) in the shed will be a radial circuit, so theory states a maximum of two sockets (I believe) though this is often interpreted as two 'socket-locations', if each is a twin outlet face-plate.

It does not matter what is in the shed, as it is protected by the 13A fuse in the plug in the garage..
You could have a 60A MCB, 30A to a ring, 5A to a lighting circuit..
But you can never draw more than the rupture-current of that 13A fuse in the plug in the garage.

Possibly the weakest point of the installation is the earth connection through that 13A plug?

PhilP
 
PhilP said:
To make @Paul M squirm:
Forget all you know about the regulations. - Here comes the 'lies to children'..

It does not matter what is in the shed, as it is protected by the 13A fuse in the plug in the garage..
You could have a 60A MCB, 30A to a ring, 5A to a lighting circuit..
But you can never draw more than the rupture-current of that 13A fuse in the plug in the garage.

Possibly the weakest point of the installation is the earth connection through that 13A plug?
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That was my original amateur thinking. We are new build less than eight years ago and the garage has its own consumer unit. All that covers is a single fluorescent light and one double socket. It's that double socket that feeds out to the shed. I will be wanting more sockets and lights in the garage as well as an outside light and possible outside socket so at some point an electrician will be called to do the whole lot including the shed.

Paul
 
voodoopenguin said:
That was my original amateur thinking. We are new build less than eight years ago and the garage has its own consumer unit. All that covers is a single fluorescent light and one double socket. It's that double socket that feeds out to the shed. I will be wanting more sockets and lights in the garage as well as an outside light and possible outside socket so at some point an electrician will be called to do the whole lot including the shed.

Paul
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Start saving now!
 
voodoopenguin said:
That was my original amateur thinking. We are new build less than eight years ago and the garage has its own consumer unit. All that covers is a single fluorescent light and one double socket. It's that double socket that feeds out to the shed. I will be wanting more sockets and lights in the garage as well as an outside light and possible outside socket so at some point an electrician will be called to do the whole lot including the shed.

Paul
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Are you feeding the shed off a single GPO (power point) in the garage?
I would be very wary of the load that is put on the power point, the max that could be put on it would be what the breaker is rated at, if it has its own.
 
GAP said:
Are you feeding the shed off a single GPO (power point) in the garage?
I would be very wary of the load that is put on the power point, the max that could be put on it would be what the breaker is rated at, if it has its own.
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As @PhilP said 13A fuse in the plug
 
voodoopenguin said:
The line into the shed is a sort of extension lead, plugged in the garage with two sockets at the shed end. The cable for it is this.

View attachment 334810

Paul

Paul
Click to expand...
That really ought to be be in a duct of some sort, it looked like hose in the first picture. Where does it come from in the house? And at 1.5mm Square is probably on the small side. Having said that , it looks like it's been there for a while with no problems, and if you're getting upgraded, there shouldn't be a problem.
 
Paul, whilst all of the previous are equally valid and I broadly see where this topic has gone down a bit of a rabbit hole.
Getting back to the lights, depending on how dark your shed is inside, I would avoid wiring them in series because it is also know as the union circuit in some parts.
i.e., one out all out.
 
My original question was answered almost immediately but my set up has attracted quite a response. Lots of things to think about, lots of information and advice given for which I am very grateful. A big concern was that my cable from the garage socket to the shed was only 1.5mm which is usually used for lighting so I thought I would do some research to see just what my temporary set up should be capable of. Several factors will determine the amp rating for a cable with the most obvious being the wire diameter however, from all the technical pieces I have been reading, where and how installed can make a big difference as well. My 1.5mm cable is rated at 10A when installed within an insulated wall however that rises to 20A when loose or clipped in the open. I know my current (haha) set up is definitely not ideal and will eventually be upgraded but my initial concern has abated as the biggest draw will be an LGB controller. No power tools, heaters, cooker or even a kettle will be used so I don't think I will get anywhere near 10A let alone 20A as my cable is in the open.

Paul
 
voodoopenguin said:
My original question was answered almost immediately but my set up has attracted quite a response. Lots of things to think about, lots of information and advice given for which I am very grateful. A big concern was that my cable from the garage socket to the shed was only 1.5mm which is usually used for lighting so I thought I would do some research to see just what my temporary set up should be capable of. Several factors will determine the amp rating for a cable with the most obvious being the wire diameter however, from all the technical pieces I have been reading, where and how installed can make a big difference as well. My 1.5mm cable is rated at 10A when installed within an insulated wall however that rises to 20A when loose or clipped in the open. I know my current (haha) set up is definitely not ideal and will eventually be upgraded but my initial concern has abated as the biggest draw will be an LGB controller. No power tools, heaters, cooker or even a kettle will be used so I don't think I will get anywhere near 10A let alone 20A as my cable is in the open.

Paul
Click to expand...
The wiring regs are a nightmare TBH and tend to be over the top. As I said previously, itlooks like it's been fine for some time, so just be careful!
 
Paul M said:
The wiring regs are a nightmare TBH and tend to be over the top. As I said previously, itlooks like it's been fine for some time, so just be careful!
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One of the big changes, which also brought them into the Building Regs was when a resident of a flat in the high end area of London, related to, or friend of an MP (can't now remember which) touched a stainless steel sink splashback that was not bonded to earth and died as a result. Faulty wiring was blamed, (although I suspect there were health issues as I can't see the voltage as being over 240v or the current being excessively high.)

We now have wiring regs that have gone through more changes in thirty years than I've ................................... :lipssealed::lipssealed:

And my knowledge is already well out of date in some areas :nod::nod:
 
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