[Help] Sparky Help

[Dorset Seagull]

Anyone able to help with this. I have a double garage about 10m from the house. The electricity to the garage is fed from the home but has its own fusebox with a separate fuse for both the switches and the lighting. Recently I have had a few instances of the electricity blowing in the garage with the result that the fuse in the house for the upstairs plug points has blown. I recently changed the 2 standard bulb lights in the garage to florescent but assume that cant be responsible for it knocking out the wall switches??

Today after I had put the running machine on in the garage there was a loud bang and the garage fused and again in the house the upstairs plug points fuse had blown. The only things plugged into the double socket in the garage are a fridge freezer and an extension lead I use to plug in 2 golf cart batteries. I thought perhaps all along it could have been the extension lead that might be the problem so changed it to a different one today and all is working ok again including the treadmill which is plugged into the extension as I have removed golf cart batteries. Didn't have the bottle to try the original one again in case it was a problem.

I will be getting a professional to check it out but in the meantime here are a few questions:

Is the electricity from the house to garage coming from the circuit that controls the upstairs plug points as this is the one that blows?

Is there any chance that my changing of the lights in the garage (The types of fitting or a possible electricity bodge by me! ) could be responsible even though it is the plug point circuit in the house that fuses?

Am I right in thinking that it may not be a faulty extension lead as presumably when everything blew a few weeks ago that extension lead fuse would have blown so wouldn't have worked after that?

Any assistance would be appreciated

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

He was a Welsh international striker for Man Utd, Bayern Munich and Chelsea amongst others, last seen managing Southampton.

What else did you need to know?

 

[zefarelly]

My workshop has its own supply from the house, on its own RCD. Theres a separate box in the workshop wirth a selection of RCD's for different circuits. Your's 'should' be the same, but it may be fed from a socket circuit?

If my old milling machine is having a bad day it can tri[p its RCD under load starting up . . . . . occaisionally that takkes the house RCD out too. what causes the priority of trip I don't know, I'd guess its specific load from different points at the specific time . . . .

 

[Hu_Camus]

Riddle me this, Batman - how long is the piece of string in my pocket?

You can't know, can you?

Get an experienced spark in, and take his advice - give him the fault list, but don't go telling what is causing it, he'll just tell you to fix it yourself

And bear this in mind. The biggest cause of fires is botched electrics, and insurance companies don't like to pay out then, ....for some reason.

https://youtu.be/wmin5WkOuPw

 

[moggy]

Anyone able to help with this. I have a double garage about 10m from the house. The electricity to the garage is fed from the home but has its own fusebox with a separate fuse for both the switches and the lighting. Recently I have had a few instances of the electricity blowing in the garage with the result that the fuse in the house for the upstairs plug points has blown. I recently changed the 2 standard bulb lights in the garage to florescent but assume that cant be responsible for it knocking out the wall switches??

Today after I had put the running machine on in the garage there was a loud bang and the garage fused and again in the house the upstairs plug points fuse had blown. The only things plugged into the double socket in the garage are a fridge freezer and an extension lead I use to plug in 2 golf cart batteries. I thought perhaps all along it could have been the extension lead that might be the problem so changed it to a different one today and all is working ok again including the treadmill which is plugged into the extension as I have removed golf cart batteries. Didn't have the bottle to try the original one again in case it was a problem.

I will be getting a professional to check it out but in the meantime here are a few questions:

Is the electricity from the house to garage coming from the circuit that controls the upstairs plug points as this is the one that blows?

Is there any chance that my changing of the lights in the garage (The types of fitting or a possible electricity bodge by me! ) could be responsible even though it is the plug point circuit in the house that fuses?

Am I right in thinking that it may not be a faulty extension lead as presumably when everything blew a few weeks ago that extension lead fuse would have blown so wouldn't have worked after that?

Any assistance would be appreciated

The board in the garage should be fed directly into its own breaker in your fuseboard in the house.
It will be an armoured cable, probably 4mm so you should see that coming into your board indoors.
Outside in the garage should be fed for a 30mA RCD and a separate breaker for the lights and power.
A 16A or 20A for the power and a 6A for the lights

 

[swindonseagull]

The board in the garage should be fed directly into its own breaker in your fuseboard in the house.
It will be an armoured cable, probably 4mm so you should see that coming into your board indoors.
Outside in the garage should be fed for a 30mA RCD and a separate breaker for the lights and power.
A 16A or 20A for the power and a 6A for the lights

All of that depends on if it was installed by a pro or by a DIY bodger.

 

[mikeyjh]

Riddle me this, Batman - how long is the piece of string in my pocket?

You can't know, can you?

Get an experienced spark in, and take his advice - give him the fault list, but don't go telling what is causing it, he'll just tell you to fix it yourself

And bear this in mind. The biggest cause of fires is botched electrics, and insurance companies don't like to pay out then, ....for some reason.

100% this - I'm a willing amateur will change a socket or a switch but when I removed a ceiling rose to swap for spots last Sunday and found 4 (four) sets of cables there was a deep sigh as I realised I needed to call the spark.... Then it dawned on me that, obviously, the lighting circuit was knackered until my man helped me out!

All of that depends on if it was installed by a pro or by a DIY bodger.

Reading the story, I think we know the answer to that!

 

[BN9 BHA]

Any assistance would be appreciated

Give up golf and using the treadmill

 

[Dorset Seagull]

The board in the garage should be fed directly into its own breaker in your fuseboard in the house.
It will be an armoured cable, probably 4mm so you should see that coming into your board indoors.
Outside in the garage should be fed for a 30mA RCD and a separate breaker for the lights and power.
A 16A or 20A for the power and a 6A for the lights

Garage doesn't have its own breaker on the house fusebox which was fitted professionally about 5 years ago. Cant see any cables coming into the house fusebox as they enter through the ceiling. The garage box is 25 years old and the house was a new build so would Have been professionally fitted. The outside box does have separate breakers for lights and power.

 

[jackanada]

Well it does sound like someone (or two) has managed to run power to the shed from the upstairs socket circuits, then oddly made part of it a kosher job by putting a consumer unit there.
Going to need a bit of sorting that.
I went to change a socket at a friend's last week and there were 5 (five) cables in the back. Screwed it back up and said I haven't seen it and that it could soon add up if it was seen.

 

[Justice]

Garage doesn't have its own breaker on the house fusebox which was fitted professionally about 5 years ago. Cant see any cables coming into the house fusebox as they enter through the ceiling. The garage box is 25 years old and the house was a new build so would Have been professionally fitted. The outside box does have separate breakers for lights and power.

Professionally installed fuse board yet the garage is connected to the upstairs ring main unprofessionally installed in my book.

 

[Dorset Seagull]

Professionally installed fuse board yet the garage is connected to the upstairs ring main unprofessionally installed in my book.

I have a certificate for the work so presume the electrician was qualified

 

[swindonseagull]

I have a certificate for the work so presume the electrician was qualified

It looks OK to me.....

 

[Weststander]

Riddle me this, Batman - how long is the piece of string in my pocket?

You can't know, can you?

Get an experienced spark in, and take his advice - give him the fault list, but don't go telling what is causing it, he'll just tell you to fix it yourself

And bear this in mind. The biggest cause of fires is botched electrics, and insurance companies don't like to pay out then, ....for some reason.

https://youtu.be/wmin5WkOuPw

This.

Just buy a professional’s time.

 

[Weststander]

View attachment 130047

It looks OK to me.....

Reminds me of when my nephew, who’s an electrician, looked at the electrics in our garage. All Heath Robinson arrangement left by the previous owners. He literally couldn’t stop laughing.

 

[Dorset Seagull]

View attachment 130047

It looks OK to me.....

Mine doesn't look anywhere that good

 

[Dorset Seagull]

This.

Just buy a professional’s time.

Happy to if I could get one

 

[Weststander]

Happy to if I could get one

Shame you’re not round here. I and probably others could recommend firms who have currently have capacity.

 

[maresfield seagull]

Garage doesn't have its own breaker on the house fusebox which was fitted professionally about 5 years ago. Cant see any cables coming into the house fusebox as they enter through the ceiling. The garage box is 25 years old and the house was a new build so would Have been professionally fitted. The outside box does have separate breakers for lights and power.

Does it look like there is room in the house fuse board to fit more mcb / fuses ?
If not I’d reckon they ve just doubled the ccts up From what you ve described
Rather than fit either a biggerDB or an expansion chamber to fit its own fuse for the garage DB
Upstairs sockets are likely to be minimal load probably why they picked that mcb/ fuse

 

[BN9 BHA]

Happy to if I could get one

Not sure how far you are from Swanage, this van went past me when I was there last week.