Lights and power in the workshop

[Pete.]

Getting into the wiring now. I've decided to wire 3 zones like this:



I've done what's suggested above (mimicking the original wiring) and run the permanent live through each one via a WAGO. So far I have zones 2 and 3 wired up but I have run out of wire for zone 1. I had found a roll of white 1.5mm and ran that out but didn't check the colours so when I stripped an end it turned out to be black and red.

 

[Neilj]

A full roll of black & red? You could probably sell that on ebay for 3 times the price of replacing it with blue & brown. Very popular with the 'it was wired years ago mate prior to the new colours and Part P coming in' brigade

 

[Pete.]

Nah it was just 20 foot on the end. I did get offered a complete roll of 2.5mm at the boot fair this year though for 25 quid. If I was still in the old place I would have taken it.

 

[brightspark]

A full roll of black & red? You could probably sell that on ebay for 3 times the price of replacing it with blue & brown. Very popular with the 'it was wired years ago mate prior to the new colours and Part P coming in' brigade

the new colours came in a year before part p so it makes no odds i had a stack of cable the old colours and just used it all in on punters houses a bit cheaper. i paid peanuts for it and flogged it all on win win

 

[Pete.]

Doing power in the second half of the workshop now. This used to be 2 separate timber structures with a gap but the PO joined them together as one. Before that, the power to the second one was fes by 4mm SWA through a below ground duct and the sockets and lights all off one radial circuit.

I dont like that so I'm putting in a second 2-way CU with a 32a MCB for the sockets and a 16a MCB for a blue wall socket, for the compressor.

Is there anything fundamentally wrong with the below setup? Do I need 4mm for the 16a spur or can I use 2.5mm?

 

[ukracer]

I have to re-wire the workshop because:

1. The sockets are randomly placed at random heights which must have suited the original owner but don't make any sense at all for my layout.
2. I'm fully re-boarding the workshop with insulation so I can get rid of the plastic surface mount boxes and replace them with flush mount metal sockets
3. I'm not entirelty happy with the way it's been done. For instance one half of the workshop has an armour coming from the CU though an underfloor duct into a junction box, with a single T&E coming out of that into a fused switch, which acts as an isolator for not only the lighting circuit but also seven double sockets on a radial circuit one of which has a further spur off it

View attachment 474955

So my workshop is essentially two timber garages end to end with a 6 foot gap that's been bridged to make one continuous workshop inside. There is a consumer unit in one end near the house serviced by an armour through a cable duct under the slab. The workshop is split into 2 sections with a roller shutter between them. One section holds all the equipment lathe, mill, grinders, gear hobbers etc, the other will be work benches, welding, storage etc.

I want to have 3 lighting circuits. One for minimal lighting so I can just light up the entire workshop if I pop in there to get something. I have the original twin mini-fluorescents for that because they will reflect off the silver foil roof insulation and spread the light. Then I want to light each half of the workshop separately so that if I have no machining work to do I can just light up the bench area. I have some LED 600x600 ceiling panels which will offer a more diffused light, but downwards only so they will be local lighting. I'll have to see what sort of coverage they offer

For power I want to put in two circuits feeding separate wall sockets in each section of workshop. I favour ring circuits for no other reason than I've never lived in a place that didn't have them. Is this still acceptable these days? If so I will put one ring circuit in the machine shop (fed from the above junction box, but not through that switch) to power all of my machines and another ring curcuit directly out of the CU in the welding/bench workshop with a load of wall sockets for power tools and charging station etc. I also want to put in a couple of 16a radial circuits for the compressor and welder.

am in a very similar situation . But my current logistics are far less robust than yours and consist of lot of multi sockets and a single lighting circuit.
SO watching with interest

 

[ukracer]

I went for trunking, put the lot in one place and spur off that. Makes adding/moving points a lot easier.

View attachment 474956

what the hell is that in your workshop??

 

[Erie Fred]

what the hell is that in your workshop??

I believe it's a "Clean Floor" rarely seen in these parts....

 

[ukracer]

I believe it's a "Clean Floor" rarely seen in these parts....

No not that...

 

[Erie Fred]

No not that...

The missile launcher ?
Is there a sliding moonroof in the bunker roof ?

 

[brightspark]

Doing power in the second half of the workshop now. This used to be 2 separate timber structures with a gap but the PO joined them together as one. Before that, the power to the second one was fes by 4mm SWA through a below ground duct and the sockets and lights all off one radial circuit.

I dont like that so I'm putting in a second 2-way CU with a 32a MCB for the sockets and a 16a MCB for a blue wall socket, for the compressor.

Is there anything fundamentally wrong with the below setup? Do I need 4mm for the 16a spur or can I use 2.5mm?View attachment 477159

wire 16 amp spur radial in 2.5mm

 

[ukracer]

The missile launcher ?
Is there a sliding moonroof in the bunker roof ?

No... space....