Power and Lighting in Garage Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[mickc]

Reading through some of the posts on here I was a bit concerned to discover that someone had a spur off their cooker circuit to their garage.
Having a check of my own garage I found that the circuit is fed from the 30amp household spur socket. The cable comes into the garage and runs straight to a socket, then to a further socket with two lighting spurs.
Is this safe? I would have thaught that there should be two cables coming into the garage, one from the ring main 30amp and a separate one for the lighting?? Both with fused connection units?? Would aappreciate any advice.

[Jeffmo]

This isn't correct , from your info it sounds like you have a spur running another spur.. Not allowed , one spur per socket , so if your first socket is coming of one in the house , then that is a spur in itself . Question is it a integral garage or seperate?.sparks with more experience might know different but i am sure i am right . It is possible to spur off a socket to a light if the socket is not a spur . got it ..good

[sparx]

If your garage is spurred of a socket on the house ring, then you may either have one double 13a skt. only,OR if you take the spur to a fused connection unit(fused spur) in garage then you can have an unlimited number of sockets on a radial from it because the largest fuse you can fit is 13A and so cable can't be overloaded.
yes it would be better if lights fed from house lighting circuit BUT you can fuse down from power via another fused connection unit, bearing in mind the lights will be adding to the 13A total load
regardsSparx

[mickc]

sparx and jeffmo...thanks for your replies....
The garage is detatched and we have lived here for over ten years, so the work was done pre-1997.
I cannot locate where the garage supply is actually fed from, all I know is that when a light in the garage is not wired correctly then the 30amp spur circuit goes bang... Also I was thinking, the fuse box is of an old fashioned type, should there not be an RCD protecting this lot??

[sparx]

recommended any socket likely to be used to power equipment outside the house 'equipotential zone' should have RCD protection
which means downstairs sockets and most definitely a detached garage
regards SPARX