Finding myself using my garage more and more (thanks to @Mike-B for helping with my PIR query) and want to install a consumer unit to run the garage doors on a separate fuse to the regular sockets.
Below is an image of what currently have and what I am proposing - can someone please sanity check that what I’m looking to do is correct please ?
Current:
Feed from house → Double socket (TV) → Double socket (garage doors)
Proposed:
Feed from house → Small Consumer Unit (32A MCB Type B) → Double socket (garage doors)
Feed from house → Small Consumer Unit (32A MCB Type B) → Double socket (TV) → Double socket
Notes:
Garage doors are plugged in 24/7 but only used once a day maximum
Regular sockets will only be used for CCTV (24/7), TV, drill charging, radio
Nothing in there drawing a high current e.g. tumble dryer etc…
Basically your suggestion looks good. It largely depends on what size wire feeds the garage, and what fuse is the other end, but I suspect two 16Amp MCBO’s would be better, and plenty for what you want.
The cable coming from the house into the garage is 2.5mm T&E. Everything plugged into the sockets will be 13A fused at the plug e.g. garage door opener x2, TV, CCTV, TV, drill charging, radio
The consumer unit I am looking at (Screwfix #1926G) comes with 1 x 6A & 1 x 32A. Is it best to purchase x2 16A MCB’s or just swap the 6A for a 16A (and keep the original 32A MCB) please ?
2.5mm T&E is rated at 20 or 27 amps, depending on installation method, so you cannot use 32 amp MCB’s
6 amp MCB is good for TV’s, you need to check the garage doors as these vary, my single door is on a 6 amp.
Is there a reason for wanting the garage door on its own circuit? It sounds as though what you have at the moment is fine, assuming you change the 32A mcb in the consumer unit for a 20A to protect the 2.5 cable. I assume the circuit to the garage is RCD protected.
Garage Lighting - this is already on another circuit that runs from the house so this will not be on new garage Consumer Unit @HappyListener
What I have at moment is fine - I suppose it is but (a) I’d like to add some more sockets around the garage and I only have x1 socket currently to spur off (b) I’d feel more comfortable with garage doors on a separate circuit (not that the garage has ever tripped before)
@Mike-B - can’t find anything online but the plugs have 3A fuses in them.
I can see that the CU you are getting already has an RCD, so that’s great. As has already been said, your absolute limit for each circuit is 16amps, but you are allowed to go lower, so you could use the exiting 6Amp and purchase a 16amp MCB, although 2 x 16amps possibly makes more sense.
Remember that a 16amp socket circuit is called a Radial, and as such, you can have many double sockets in a row, so it doesn’t fully make sense why you want two circuits, but nothing wrong with that. For safety reasons as the same sockets are in the same location, it will be a good idea to label each socket with CIRCUIT 1 or 2
Is the feed to the garage coming from the house consumer unit? If so why would you put a consumer unit after a consumer unit,
My garage is a radial off the house consumer unit and I run some high current great off it including welders. It’s never tripped!
Ut
You could also make it into a ring from the house CU if your concerned about the current draw of adding more sockets.
That would work, but that would have to assume there is an RCD on the main CU. Also it’s quite a nice idea to have a CU for the garage so that you can switch off all the sockets from one switch
I meant fused spurs in the garage as well as the CU. Fused spurs replacing the sockets and plugs. The garage doors are fixed appliances so no need for plugs.
Although technically the fused spurs won’t be spurs.
Thanks for all the advice above guys. I wired it all on Saturday and it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be.
Also took the opportunity to replace the black power cable / plugs (from the garage door openers) with white cables / plugs and clipped them so they blend in with the white painted ceiling.
