[Help] Sparky Help

[Hu_Camus]

I can only amplify your post.

I thought I'd blew it, ....a bridge too far.

 

[Hu_Camus]

...don't know what happened there - but I'll just go with the flow.

 

[osgood]

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

would anyone you know be able to recommend a qualified Electrician ?
if not ,

Im sure that there must be quite a few Local Electricians that would appreciate your patronage in these challenging times

 

[Justice]

would anyone you know be able to recommend a qualified Electrician ?
if not ,

Im sure that there must be quite a few Local Electricians that would appreciate your patronage in these challenging times

It’s strange, ever since lockdown No.1 I’ve never been so busy, other tradesman I meet along the way say the same.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Exportation of TN-C-S to the garage

The contractor must consider the potential risks from a break in the supplier’s PEN conductor where the supply is a TN-C-S system. He/she must be fully satisfied, should the garage contain any extraneous-conductive-parts, that the protective bonding conductor is sized in accordance with the incoming neutral of the supply (Regulation 544.1.1 refers). In a domestic dwelling, typically this would mean that the minimum size of bonding conductor would be 10 mm2.



Due to the practicalities for satisfying these requirements, the contractor may decide to convert the earthing arrangement within the garage to a TT system, incorporating an earth electrode (Regulation 542.1.2.3) preferably combined with an RCD (Regulation 411.5.2). If the decision is made to convert the garage into a TT system, care must be taken to ensure that no extraneous-conductive-parts forming part of the main dwelling enters the garage, such as a water pipe as shown in Fig 2. (I take that to include the armouring of the cable hence two core and the gland is made off into a plastic box prior to the P-N conductors entering the garage db)

Where such an arrangement is carried out, the supply cable would still need to be earthed at the dwelling end, but isolated from the TT earthing system within the garage.

The size of the garage earthing conductor to the electrode will need to be determined (Regulation 542.3.1 Table 54.1 refers), and that the connection to the electrode is electrically and mechanically sound (Regulation 542.3.2 refers).

 

[Justice]

View attachment 130080

All you have to worry about is leaky tap

 

[BN9 BHA]

All you have to worry about is leaky tap

I am more than happy with this.

 

[osgood]

It’s strange, ever since lockdown No.1 I’ve never been so busy, other tradesman I meet along the way say the same.

Every Cloud ...!...lol

 

[osgood]

View attachment 130080

Welcome to the IEE world of jargon !

A Degree in Anal English an advantage !

 

[Blue3]

View attachment 130080

Like Electricians Plumbers can put the tube up the differance is Plumbers are only allowed to put water in it

 

[Dorset Seagull]

Ok should be interesting

Here it is. I see that the garage has been excluded. Does that mean its iffy or is there a genuine reason?

 

[Justice]

Here it is. I see that the garage has been excluded. Does that mean its iffy or is there a genuine reason?




View attachment 130096

The garage is noted on circuit 3 why didn’t he say at the time it’s wired incorrectly

 

[Justice]

Here it is. I see that the garage has been excluded. Does that mean its iffy or is there a genuine reason?




View attachment 130096

The garage is noted on circuit 3 why didn’t they say at the time it’s wired incorrectly And then they have left a spare way saying it’s for the garage All very strange

 

[Dorset Seagull]

The garage is noted on circuit 3 why didn’t they say at the time it’s wired incorrectly And then they have left a spare way saying it’s for the garage All very strange

Ok thanks didn't spot that. Do I contact the electrician? I presume the certificate is some form of (legal requirement) so not sure where that leaves things. I realise this may have no relationship to the other issue I have but obviously if things aren't right I need to find the best way to sort it.

Out of interest I do have a different electrician coming at the end of the month to do some other work.

 

[maresfield seagull]

Justice
There is room for confusion
The cert covers the house DB in which there are no spare ways
Hence the doubling up of the garage supply with the sockets upstairs
Why the garage supply cable was omitted seems odd
Especially as the sub ccts have been tested apparently
IF Dorset Seagull posts the pics he sent me
It might make more sense
Overall it does need looking into though
The cert covers both the house zdB and a two way DB in the garage But not the garage supply

 

[Justice]

Justice
There is room for confusion
The cert covers the house DB in which there are no spare ways
Hence the doubling up of the garage supply with the sockets upstairs
Why the garage supply cable was omitted seems odd
Especially as the sub ccts have been tested apparently
IF Dorset Seagull posts the pics he sent me
It might make more sense
Overall it does need looking into though
The cert covers both the house zdB and a two way DB in the garage But not the garage supply

Ah so the DB in the garage is connected to circuit 3 hence the MCB’s noted on the cert and there is no other supply to the garage as yet?

 

[Dorset Seagull]

Justice
There is room for confusion
The cert covers the house DB in which there are no spare ways
Hence the doubling up of the garage supply with the sockets upstairs
Why the garage supply cable was omitted seems odd
Especially as the sub ccts have been tested apparently
IF Dorset Seagull posts the pics he sent me
It might make more sense
Overall it does need looking into though
The cert covers both the house zdB and a two way DB in the garage But not the garage supply

Cheers MS sorry I haven't responded to PM but was a bit unwell yesterday. Pic for [MENTION=24827]Justice[/MENTION]

 

[Dorset Seagull]

Garage pic

 

[maresfield seagull]

Did you manage to trace another cable entering the Garage Distribution Board ?
Ideally it should be black and about as thick as your thumb Ish ?with a brass nut ( cable gland ) on the end
Going into the DB
It definitely needs closer inspection !!!
Reading the cert it’s possible the garage is part of the ring main as opposed to doubled up In the mcb

Back to your original problem of the mcb tripping
Did the 16amp mcb in the garage trip As well as the 32 in the house fuse board ?

 

[Dorset Seagull]

Did you manage to trace another cable entering the Garage Distribution Board ?
Ideally it should be black and about as thick as your thumb Ish ?with a brass nut ( cable gland ) on the end
Going into the DB
It definitely needs closer inspection !!!
Reading the cert it’s possible the garage is part of the ring main as opposed to doubled up In the mcb

Back to your original problem of the mcb tripping
Did the 16amp mcb in the garage trip As well as the 32 in the house fuse board ?

The only thing entering the DB is a very thick plastic tube that presumably encases the flex. Not sure about the tripping as the first time was a few weeks ago when I was replacing one of the garage lights. I am fairly sure I shut down the whole DB rather than just the MCB for the lights but can't be certain. A neighbour who is pretty clued up on electrics came and had a look and said all was ok in the garage so assumed it was a coincidence. The second time when the treadmill was switched on and tripped the house I think it was just the socket MCB in the garage and in the home that tripped