Power / Electric in the Shed ??

[herman]

Get a 'competent' person to do it if you are not confident. It all depends on the loads you are likely to impose on the installation. Most basic would be an RCD protected IP rated socket connected into your ring main, fine if all you want is lights, battery charger and maybe a bench grinder , not forgetting the beer fridge of course. However if you are talking welder, cutters, and kettle going then a dedicated sub board either by your consumer unit or in the shed is needed and so is an electrician (metal boards now too).

[Kinioo]

Here's a temporary way to do it from a handy plug in the house or waterproof external socket.
Loads of capacity & outlets for a small shed.
4 sockets 13A / 3killowatt load & 50m long all for less than 40 quid.
No laws about using this & could be Temporary / permanent.

50mextension.JPG

Probably this is what is going to happen here...

No heavy machinery in the shed; all I need is a light, socket for compressors, soldering kit, charger, radio etc and maybe heater so I can do some 'hand job' during long, wet and cold winter nights )

C.

[Kinioo]

Get a 'competent' person to do it if you are not confident. It all depends on the loads you are likely to impose on the installation. Most basic would be an RCD protected IP rated socket connected into your ring main, fine if all you want is lights, battery charger and maybe a bench grinder , not forgetting the beer fridge of course. However if you are talking welder, cutters, and kettle going then a dedicated sub board either by your consumer unit or in the shed is needed and so is an electrician (metal boards now too).

Well, if I was going to do it I would get a 'professional' to install it surely - this is not a problem, but If it means I need to report to building control / council etc, get them inspect my house / shed + faffing about with the home insurer etc. it might not be worth doing it !

[PaulinBont]

Regulation of electrical installation work has now been brought into line with gas work ie legally not for amateurs/bodgers or you could end up being prosecuted if the authorities deem that your work was incompetent

[lancashirelad]

As I used to say to the sparkies that worked in my building team its only 3 wires how complicated can it be? :whistle:
Joking apart best way is to plan the installation then fix everything & get a sparkie to check it & sign it off plenty of garage RCD units about these days makes the job simpler you can't kill yourself unless you are really intent on doing so!!

Remember you can never have enough sockets in a garage

[picos mestizo]

As I used to say to the sparkies that worked in my building team its only 3 wires how complicated can it be? :whistle:
Joking apart best way is to plan the installation then fix everything & get a sparkie to check it & sign it off plenty of garage RCD units about these days makes the job simpler you can't kill yourself unless you are really intent on doing so!!

Remember you can never have enough sockets in a garage

Whatever happened to the 'garden shed' :dry:

[lancashirelad]

Shed or garage they all need the same installation big sheds can be same size as a small garage
I've never been one for half measures

[AndyB]

I had my wooden workshop wired up by a qualified electrician but there was no paperwork supplied and I didn't notify anyone I'd had it done.

When we decided to move I simply pulled the fuses, check it was registering 0 volts in the workshop and cut the wires where they came out of the concrete base. I removed the strip lights but left the wires still in place, left the plug sockets in place and had the building dismantled and put into storage ready for when I've got a base down and a power supply ready at our new place. I've got other work to do around the back of our garage so I'll pay a qualified electrician to connect a new power supply to the existing RCD and run it underground to the base myself.

Once it's back up I'll just connect the new supply to the original cable going into the workshop, connect up the lights and it's job done. I've no intention of informing anybody regarding it having a mains power supply. As far as I'm concerned I'll have told the guy who does the mains connection what I'll be running off it and he can calculate the correct cable to use then that's it.

It's a bloody timber workshop/shed. If anyone wants to get moody about me putting power to it I'll run a genset outside and that'll do the job

[Earwig]

+ faffing about with the home insurer etc. it might not be worth doing it !

If you don't meet the legal requirements at there is a fire that destroys everything, your insurance could well say that you are not covered and then what do you do?

[Scott_rider]

I kid you not...you can build a monster 'shed' in your garden without planning permission as long as it doesn't take up more than half...yes, half...of the original land around the house when the house was first built.

So if you've got a standard 1000sq.ft 3 bedroom semi that's sitting on a 150ft x 40ft garden (6,000 sq.ft) you could build a 2,500 sq. ft shed! :silly: (6,000 minus 1000, divided by 2).

There are a few other conditions but I've seen some monsters built under this rule... :woohoo: