Sockets for Workshop

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Ali

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Hi everyone, First time posting here. Hope to become a regular over the next few years.

I am turning my garage into a workshop. I am going to call an electrician to put some new sockets in, maybe a new circuit if he sees fit. I would appreciate any advice on what I need for the workshop.

I plan to buy a pillar drill press and use some normal power tools in the workshop (track saw, router, jigsaw, vacuum extraction).

The consumer unit currently was installed in 2004/2005 and I think it may have some circuits on an RCD (there is an RCD in there but I don't know what circuits it is protecting). As far as I understand a new circuit would need RCD protection but would I be better off getting RCD sockets for each outlet?

Any tips and advice greatly appreciated.
 
Ali

Welcome to the forum.

I had the dilemma years ago and the advice I got was this:

Make all your sockets doubles.
Think of how many sockets you need, then double it.
Whether you need it or nor put in a 16 amp socket, you might not need it now, but in the future it could come in handy, so while the electrician is there, have it done.
Ensure that your lighting is adequate, I use strip lights and find them OK.

I'm sure others will be along with additional bits and bobs.
 
Hi,

I am not an electrician so you would need to check this is OK with the latest regs...

I would not bother having each socket on a separate RCD. When I worked on electrical stuff at work we had 10mA RCD sockets but that was an exception. Agree with have as many sockets as you can. I have 4 doubles over my bench alone and still run out of one in the right place. (All this cordless stuff needs chargers). I would have a small separate distro in the garage on a separate RCD because I would not want any workshop activities inadvertently pulling out the other circuits in the house. (You can make yourself quite unpopular quite quickly!!) I would also endorse putting a 16A socket in if you can. I did this and it came in handy later (big mig welder).

I also have small children so I have a double pole switch mounted quite high where I can isolate the entire workshop. There are some very tempting buttons in there for a five year old.
 
It is a good idea to have a master off-switch so that everything is killled when you are out and nothing is left on, but depends on how you work i suppose, in much the same way some do a gas contriol in commercial kitchens. I always have a light on via socket so that if the lights trip I am not left in total darkness. One RCD is al that is necessary. Best wishes.

Forgot .. yes to more sockets than you first think off. Cost per socket is not too much. Also have them on different walls. I wish I had put some on the wall 'I will never use'. You want to avoid trailing leads if you can specially if you are on your own.......ie router, saw, sander, etc, all being used on same task.
 
As above a bit of planning now will save a load of grief later. When i built my shop at the end of the garden years ago, i made sure i had plenty of sockets and lights. My tiny place 2.5m x 3.5m has 8 double sockets inc 1 high level for the wall mounted extractor. A loop in the ceiling ( yet to be fitted with a socket) for a ceiling mounted air filter thingy. 16 amp socket. 3 600mm x 600mm light fittings. Also because i'm a chippie by trade a lot of my hand tools are 110v. So i wired in 2 110v sockets ( not connected to the mains) one by the door, then run a cable through to a 2nd one the far end of the shop by my bench. That way i can have the transformer away from the bench so i'm not either cluttering up the bench or tripping over it by the bench :)

Also think about heights. I set mine to about 1100/1200mm from the floor for ease of use, due to a bad back. However now due to wanting to build and hang cabinets etc in there. They are a tad too high and in the way #-o
 
I use metal sockets, switches etc to prevent damaging them when moving long lengths of timber etc around. They are much more robust than the normal plastic ones and worth the small extra cost.
 
+1 to the above
definitely Metal sockets and switches,
If you have low ceilings consider a couple of sockets in the middle of the ceiling, it saves on trailing leads when using power tools in the middle of the room.
 
How many sockets you have out there will depend on the size of the cable supplying the Garage, you may need two ring mains because you are allowed only so many sockets per ring main, your electrician will tell you the minimum size cable you will need to supply the garage and if you are going to have machinery out there I would hazard a guess that it needs upgrading to something like 4mm/6mm. It will have to have a breaker in the house and a separate consumer unit in the garage, you will find that regulations states that steel sockets and switches must be used.

Many people fit plastic but that is a diy job and another reason why I think the sheds should not be allowed to sell this stuff to people who know not what they are doing, if you have an electrician do it he will have to stick to regulations.

Andy
 
There's another issue here - the cable to the workshop needs to be considered, and the distance is important. You may need to upgrade the size from 4 to 6mm, or 6 to 10 depending on distance. Your electrician will know what size is needed. If you are thinking of burying the cable then it will need to be armoured (SWA), and the depth of trench is generally accepted as 18" - sand on the bottom, and over the cable to protect the sheath from sharp stones. You could save some pennies by digging the trench yourself.

You can get garage consumer units for about £45, these have an RCD plus 2 outlets (lighting plus ring main), and you may not need another RCD at the house end - again your electrician will know the latest regulations.

As to the number of sockets, get as many as you can (and then some), and as has been suggested, get your electrician to install a 16A socket so that you can run a 3HP machine (eg a serious table saw or air compressor) without blowing fuses nearly every time you start it up.

K
 
Hi

I have just had my garage turned into a workshop and have had it completly rewired. I have a large 3 core armoured cable running from the house to the garage (i think it was either 6 or 10mm, I will know when I get the Part P sheet back). This feeds into a 8 way consumer unit (MK Sentry with RCD). This in turn feed 6 five foot double tubes on one breaker. 2 high level double sockets on another breaker that can also be isolated by a single dule pole 20amp switch. Then there is a single circut for the shed and a single circut for two dry heaters.. Then the final circut feeds 12 double sockets and 2 single. These are the metal clad sockets from screwfix and in total was around £40 fo all the sockets, £350 for the wiring, fixing and testing, £100 for the tubes and lights. Please ensure that you get it part P tested as it may invlidate your household insurance if you dont and there is a fire. And consider having the circuts tested evey five years. Although there are loads of sockets, I doubt very uch if they will all be working at the same time, the most I think I will be using is 5 maybe?


Hope this helps
 
I looked into this a few years ago when I too converted my garage into a workshop.

A sparky had a look and basically said as I'm working on my own there is only going to ever be 1 machine running at any 1 time. So, 1 machine plus a radio and possibly a vacuum/extractor so not too much of a drain or surge on a standard household fuse. I have 6 gang power strips mounted on the wall and I plug everything into these. then I switch my bandsaw on to use it, then off. then move to the next machine etc etc etc

just how I work though
 
Thanks a lot for all your advice, just double checking the power requirements on a few things and will be getting someone in to do the work in the next couple of weeks. Will be going down the route of metal sockets, as many as possible and probably a 16amp socket because I will want to use an air compressor at some point. Just got to paint the walls and ceiling first and getting an isolation switch in before the consumer unit so an electrician can come and go as he pleases in the future.

I wanted to ask what you guys have as a workfloor? I did look at resin flooring but probably won't go down that route. Got some rather coarse aggregated concrete. Will smooth it off and probably paint too.
 
Ali":3moqmw7n said:
I am turning my garage into a workshop. I am going to call an electrician to put some new sockets in, maybe a new circuit if he sees fit. I would appreciate any advice on what I need for the workshop.
Click to expand...
Get a proper distribution box with at least 2 circuits, lights and sockets. Put an emergency stop button on the sockets circuit, by the door, so you can disable all the potentially dangerous machinery when you're not there whilst still allowing access. If you have kids, get a stop-button that can't be reset without a key.
 
Ali":3srnaf3z said:
Thanks a lot for all your advice, just double checking the power requirements on a few things and will be getting someone in to do the work in the next couple of weeks. Will be going down the route of metal sockets, as many as possible and probably a 16amp socket because I will want to use an air compressor at some point. Just got to paint the walls and ceiling first and getting an isolation switch in before the consumer unit so an electrician can come and go as he pleases in the future.

I wanted to ask what you guys have as a workfloor? I did look at resin flooring but probably won't go down that route. Got some rather coarse aggregated concrete. Will smooth it off and probably paint too.
Click to expand...


I have a box standard concrete floor. I have painted this with several layers for warehouse floor paint....nearly 15lts to be excact and it is grey in colour. It is a little warmer (well it feels it to me anyway), and that is a boon in the winter. I know some have a floating floor rescreeded and all that, but I could not justify that kind of expense at this moment in time.
 
I would leave the roughness as is on concrete. Just paint it with a good quality floor paint. If budget allows an epoxy type from somewhere like the dulux centres. Smooth painted floors and saw dust don't mix ;)
 
Just a quick tip if you are surface mounting cables ie in conduit have the vertical drops in the corner of the room and then run horizontally to each socket this will allow you more wall space for cupboards etc.
 
i would agree with having drop in the corner then run horizontal through as many sockets as you will need (plus one more!) then back up in the next corner.

I got my consumer unit for my shed from e-bay and my 8' light fittings from a shop that was being modernised
 

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