Discuss Using a priority unit in garage with ev charging in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

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Gavin John Hyde

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I have an install coming up where there is a 40 amp supply to a garage via 2 core 4mm swa buried. due to a rather expensive patio and other works its not possible to run a new swa to garage.
Customer wants ideally to keep the sockets/lights in garage and have an ev charger.
Charger will be used maybe once or twice per week.
Has asked me about the possibility of having a priority unit in the garage. so that if the EV charger is working at 32 amps the sockets/lights wont function. if charger is not charging the sockets and lights work.
Used shower priority units a few times but never for a ev charger.
EV charger will be on a 40 amp type a RCBO. sockets are on a 20 amp radial, lights 6 amp. often uses jetwash, power tools etc in garage when working on vehicles and motorbikes.
Anybody else used one for this purpose or got any thoughts?
From my view it solves a problem due to being unable to increase or replace the supply cable.
I have seen something online about Garo recommending them for properties with high kw showers and ev chargers but not fitted one for this purpose yet.
 
Well the lights count for damn-all power so no need to worry about them.

You could use something like a "shower priority unit" to stop the sockets being used as one possibility.

However, some fancier charges allow you to limit the house power to the DNO fuse rating so probably that could simply be set to monitor the garage feed and told it is 40A, then if someone should use, say, 10A off the sockets it would limit the charger to 30A draw to respect the total.
 
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Well the lights count for damn-all power so no need to worry about them.

You could use something like a "shower priority unit" to stop the sockets being used as one possibility.

However, some fancier charges allow you to limit the house power to the DNO fuse rating so probably that could simply be set to monitor the garage feed and told it is 40A, then if someone should use, say, 10A off the sockets it would limit the charger to 30A draw to respect the total.
I often use ct clamps and load balancing but the charger he wants to have installed doesn't allow for that feature. I may try to convert him to to a zappi install but he has already been given the charger by lease company and told get an electrician to fit it
 
I think getting the lease company to swap it for one that does allow for load balancing may be a better/neater/easier/cheaper solution ? What about if they provide some sort of 'cash equivalent' that can be used towards the cost of a decent one ?
 
If the lease company insist on fitting that unit... the customer needs to insist on his patio being dug up and re-laid ?
 
I am really not keen on using a priority system for workshop sockets.
The dangers are that an appliance in plugged in and switched on but no power at socket, then at some unknown time, the charger finishes and the sockets come on again automatically.
There is a risk of injury or fire in my opinion.
 
That is a good point. Safer might simply be a manual change-over switch, that way someone has to be there and do the swap.

Or put no-volt release on the sockets so even the priorty system automatically disconnects the sockets when tyhe car is plugged in, someone has to manually re-enable them when the supply comes back.
 

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