Garage Wiring From Existing RCD and Splitting Light and Socket Circuits Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[chrisb3333]

Hello, I am looking to put some wiring into the workshop end of the garage.
Currently the garage has lighting taken from a fused spur off the sockets but I want to separate the lighting and sockets in the workshop and wire in an external light.

I have a consumer unit in the garage aready that I am hoping to use but I am not sure if i can or not as i have not seen the below setup before. The current setup is as follows.

The cable comes from a 40A fuse on the main consumer unit through the wall and into the garage where it is routed into a small enclosure unit with 1 PFIM-80/2/01 RCD, this then used to have an armoured cable coming out of it that ran outside the house to an outbuilding being used as an office, in the office the armoured cable fed into an electricity meter that then went to another consumer unit that then fed the sockets and lighting in the office. whether this was the correct way to do it or not I am not sure it was the previous owners that had it done.it was being used for a home business so I beleive that is why the extra meter was in there

I have now removed the outbuilding and disconnected the armoured cable for now. Can I wire directly into the,
PFIM-80/2/01 for my lighting and sockets or would it be best to run a new ring main from the main consumer unit in the house?
I have no extra terminals in the consumer unit it would be directly connected into the PFIM-80/2/01.

[Mr White]

Anything electrical requires overload and short circuit protection. If a fault was to occur the protective device would operate switching off the supply, preventing any further damage / fire.
An RCD is NOT an overload or short circuit device. You could, however, have it replaced with a smaller consumers unit and use this to add sockets and lighting circuits.

[chrisb3333]

Could I not just wire the sockets using the cable that's already coming from the main consumer unit for the house. should that cable not already be properly protected.

[Mr White]

I would suggest that you get an electrician in to do the job properly and safely for you.