Replacing consumer unit in garage

[whitestu]

If you are reasonably intelligent and capable of reading you should be able to do the work in accordance with the current regs. Wiring a garage CU isn't exactly complicated. However the two key issues for me are:

1. Is it worth your time to buy and read the relevant books so you do the job according to 17th edition
2. The work is notifiable so do a) Ignore this at your risk or b) Pay for building control to inspect and approve.

If you are going to do 1 and 2b then you would have to ask yourself if might not cheaper to just pay an electrician to do the work for you?

I can see the point of some of the guys on here who are probably struggling to find work so feel a bit sour about telling you how to do stuff yourself.


Stu

 

[somersetsparks]

This forum sometimes reminds me of walking into a grub hut full of grumpy Scaffolders playing cards on your first day on site! lol.

Seriously though the chap seemed to be asking reasonably intelligent questions, and certainly didnt sound like a diy bodge it and scarperer did he?
I get the point about 'sparks have to pay for part p' etc. But at the end of the day its his garage he can do what he likes I think.
I think maybe we need to be a little more friendly

 

[marc_v33]

I've no idea why those people are being so RUDE to you James. Your question is a perfectly reasonable and intelligent one. I am new to this forum and that kind of reaction from people makes me wonder if I actually want to be here!


when i joined this forum years ago that was my first thought and rarely used it more recently i was stuck with a problem and logged back in. For me the knowlege from the guys on here is priceless but when they continually get diyer's etc etc looking to be told HOW to do a job for free thats whens its becomes a problem and folk get p@!?ed off at the same time i now know that if i do enconuter a problem and i prove in the information that i provide to the guys on here that i know what im talking i will be given an answer to my question! i guess you dont provided engineering information for free so why should we?.....

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[sparks1973]

just quickly scrolled through this....
1) no mention of earthing arrangements
2)no mention/enquiry of the C/U upstream feeding this (house C/U)
3)no mention of the supply cable to this garage (MICC, SWA) etc...
4)any extranious in the garage?
are there any spare ways at the upstream end?..if so, how many...

 

[Octopus]

People aren't being "so rude" they are just fed up with DIYer's coming here to sap knowledge and ignore the regs that we hard pressed sparks have to adhere to.

Shame this forum has so many rude DIYer's posting on it - whereas there is another one where sparkies help sparkies.

 

[D80]

Once did work for a retired engineer, most decent DIY'ers would do a lot better:banghead:

 

[marc_v33]

I was quoting from a previous post but didnt " quote " i agree with you murdoch

 

[not clever]

James you don't have to put up with rudeness. As Dan pointed out in other posts not long ago there are plenty of other electrician talk forums for you to visit for advice.

I hope I can go some way to helping with your DIY adventure.
As stated above the house supply earthing type is required as this will have a bearing on the possible requirement to RCD the supply to the garage.
The type of supply cable to the garage again will have possible implications on the requirement of an rcd at the supply end.

In the garage I would go with 30mA rcbo's for each circuit, might seem a little more expensive but will save the potential issue of a main switch rcd tripping, leaving you having a freezer full of food defrosting all because the pond pump gave up the ghost underwater.
Personally I would also go for utilizing a TT system on the garage consumer unit (if you don't know what or how to do this do a search on this or other UK electrician forums)
I would consider putting the freezer on it's own 16amp circuit.
Maybe move the pond pump circuit to the socket circuit via a switched fuse spur.

I have to add there is a fair bit involved with a cu swap (more than I have outlined above), including testing & certification. But lets face it your going to do the job anyway so try to do it right and safe & if that means asking on forums then crack on

 

[dchester]

when i joined this forum years ago that was my first thought and rarely used it more recently i was stuck with a problem and logged back in. For me the knowlege from the guys on here is priceless but when they continually get diyer's etc etc looking to be told HOW to do a job for free thats whens its becomes a problem and folk get p@!?ed off at the same time i now know that if i do enconuter a problem and i prove in the information that i provide to the guys on here that i know what im talking i will be given an answer to my question! i guess you dont provided engineering information for free so why should we?.....

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Does it actually hurt us to give DIYers some tips? This chap isn't taking away our business. He probably lives in a totally different part of the country. It's not like one of the sparks in here is likely to lose this bloke's business on account of being given some friendly advice. Why can't we just "be nice"?

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[steve_morrison]

Sorry if I've upset the grumpy gits & good bye as i may get booted for stating there are other forums out there that Talk about Electrics For all abilities even dare I say the diyers...

Maybe you need to get into Club 3000?

 

[jamesgjatkin]

ok, firstly lets get something straight; I have never asked for any sort of step-by-step how-to on this! If you read the original question I said exactly what hardware I was thinking of replacing the existing stuff with and just wanted opinions as to whether this was sufficient.

Many people here seem to be somewhat opinionated (ummm... quite politely put I think), so I think it is time for me to express my opinion on something; I feel that the idea of wide-spread DIY bodging is somewhat exaggerated (the sceptic may say by the trade!). The majority of people in the world are sensible enough to either only tackle what they are capable of doing, or get someone in that does. Ok, there are some idiots out there, but be realistic, there are more idiotic drivers on the roads endangering the innocent every day than nutters doing dangerous DIY!

I have a family and they are the most important thing in the world to me. I would NEVER do any sort of DIY bodge that would result in putting them in any sort of danger. If I don't feel capable of doing a job I will not attempt it. To be totally honest there are so many dodgy builders, plumbers, electricians etc. around (and before you all jump on your high horses I am NOT implying that any of you are amongst these) I am always very cautious about letting anyone I do not know carry out work on MY home. Reputation is paramount.

Just to also clarify something mentioned in an earlier post, as I have said, professionally I moved into the electronics & software field. I am a long standing member of a number of forums/Q&A services (all free) that I offer my advice to each and every day. So no, I am not in any way secretive about my field of expertise and offer it freely and willingly. I am also a mentor to a number of young engineers. In my business, sharing does nothing more than create innovation... The secretiveness and paranoia of the electrician community has taken me by surprise!

Anyway, this is my last post on this topic. Thanks a lot for those of you who have provided helpful and informative responses. I'm afraid that the rest of you have made me feel like I have not so much asked for some straightforward advice, but stumbled in on some sort of Freemasons meeting! This is however one meeting that I will not be returning to.

Be happy...

 

[ToysoutofPram]

Maybe you need to get into Club 3000?

Is that like the masons ?

I am a mason and the dodgy handshakes and after hours drinking for free is very rewarding i must say

 

[somersetsparks]

James - sorry you feel that way. I freely offer my advice to other 'interested' trades on site, sometimes that advice might be 'get an electrician' depending on-

a) whether there a 'yeah yeah I no what you mean mate, just stick it on the wall an stick the wires' type of bloke
b) someone who is reasonably practical and careful and listens to advice.

From your posts i would put you into Category B
What you have to understand though is that there is a lot of crap going on in this industry at the moment, watering down of skills etc. so much so that in the domestic trade its hard for real time served sparks to make a living, in fact crazy as it might be I would even have to get a 'part P' sparks to do work in my own house as I am not registered and willing to pay into a 'scam'. You can guess how many fingers I stick up to that!
Give it another go mate this forums not to bad!