Just had a go at wiring me new shed.

[The Artilleryman]

Being picky here, photo's 1 & 6 right hand neutral - exposed conductor, would use heat shrink sleeving rather than insulating tape (personal preference).
I would add a sticker noting mix of wiring colours - just added safety, when some numpty with no knowledge starts to rewire your shed.

Very neat job.

 

[Alan Reynolds]

Being picky here, photo's 1 & 6 right hand neutral - exposed conductor, would use heat shrink sleeving rather than insulating tape (personal preference).
I would add a sticker noting mix of wiring colours - just added safety, when some numpty with no knowledge starts to rewire your shed.

Very neat job.

I am going to sleeve them as I hate tape and it goes slimy. just didn’t want to buy two lots of stuff I wouldn’t need. I’ll nadger some off of my friend.

 

[Alan Reynolds]

Do you have discrimination on your RCD - they both look like they're 30mA and both feed the shed? Also I'd probably put RCBO's in the shed so that you only knock the respective circuit out.

I’m getting an rcbo donated and I’ll pop that in. I think I’m safe at the moment.

 

[brightspark]

I’m getting an rcbo donated and I’ll pop that in. I think I’m safe at the moment.

theres a 30ma rcd at source so no point in putting an rcbo in the shed as it will be 30 ma and both will trip if there is a fault knocking the lot off

 

[daedalusminos]

I’m getting an rcbo donated and I’ll pop that in. I think I’m safe at the moment.

I think it's safe but consider a fault in the shed - that could knock the RCD in the house - meaning you have to go up there to reset. You might consider a 100 or 300mA RCBO in the house feed to the shed and then 30mA in the shed. If you have separate RCBO;s for each circuit in the shed then a fault on the ring main wouldn't trip the lighting circuit meaning you can navigate to the box with light.

EDIT - obviously you'd need a split load box to add the RCBO in the house CU

 

[brightspark]

dont get to obsessed with loosing all the power and lights going out only ever blown my trip 3 times in 30 years and that was during the day

 

[Westfield-builder]

I think it's safe but consider a fault in the shed - that could knock the RCD in the house - meaning you have to go up there to reset. You might consider a 100 or 300mA RCBO in the house feed to the shed and then

EDIT - obviously you'd need a split load box to add the RCBO in the house CU

Why would a split load board be required ?

 

[addjunkie]

dont get to obsessed with loosing all the power and lights going out only ever blown my trip 3 times in 30 years and that was during the day

I find a £1.50 led torch quite a handy addition next to the fuse box for emergencies.

 

[Chris Snow]

Looks generally tidy. Only thing I can see that others haven't mentioned that's absolutely not acceptable is the soldered earth connection onto the banjo. Just needs a crimp and brass bolt.

 

[dan.taylor.1]

Have you just got a radial circuit for sockets, they're on a 32a breaker which isn't right, should be 16a I think, 32a is for a ring or radial to a 32a socket

 

[Chris Snow]

should be 16a I think,

Good spot.
2.5 radial would be 20A so the cable is inadequately protected.

 

[ukracer]

dont get to obsessed with loosing all the power and lights going out only ever blown my trip 3 times in 30 years and that was during the day

And if you have an Huawei watch you can use the flashlight on that to find your way to the house.

Neat job btw.

I keep trying to find time to put some decent circuits in my garage and workshop.

 

[Chris Snow]

Now had a chance to look on my laptop here's my full list of issues

Soldered earth to banjo.
2.5mm radial on a 32A MCB, should be 20A or wired as a ring.
Cores not completely covered with sleeving.
Cores doubled back
Possibly no grommet on the SWA into main DB

 

[droopsnoot]

and wouldn’t use the armoured I already had

Very few people will use stuff that the customer supplies, same with lots of garages, not just because of the missing profit. It's just an argument waiting to happen if a problem manifests itself later on. They'll blame the parts supplied, the customer will blame the work done, can end up messy.

 

[Morrisman]

I did a very similar thing last year, but at the last minute I was lucky enough to find a local electrician who sorted out a better way to hook it up, without a new consumer unit, did the final hook up, checked the system and gave me the certification, for just £200

I had been told it would be £500 + just to put a bigger consumer unit in, not counting any extra problems that may have been found and needed correcting. And hooking up the shed would have been added on top of that.

 

[Alan Reynolds]

Looks generally tidy. Only thing I can see that others haven't mentioned that's absolutely not acceptable is the soldered earth connection onto the banjo. Just needs a crimp and brass bolt.

I wondered if anyone would pick that up. But why would a mechanical joint be superior to a fused metal joint? That’s like hoping you’ll get your car through an MOT with a bolted on plate over a rust hole instead of welding. I even question using ferrules as it’s an additional element in the connection that can cause resistance. I accept that soldering wires that could be subject to high current and cause the solder to melt, would be a problem but there isn’t a high current constantly running in the earth wire. I realise that any mechanical resistance in a joint would probably be overcome by he high voltage in a domestic supply but not in a low voltage environment like a 12volt circuit in a car where high resistance mechanical joints will cause problems. In my two cases the earth is under no mechanical movement strain, just passively sitting ina couple of boxes. In the case of the plastic box on the shed, using a mechanical fixing, unless it was the new SWA gland nut system, would be subject to the plastic deformation by any bolt fixing if I bolted through the casework and would loosen. I think Australia allow soldered joints in their meter boxes. Having been an electronics engineer for 45 years, one of the things I came across frequently was soldered wires in screw fixings having ‘sagged’ and caused loose connections. Is there a circumstance where there would be a high current flowing in the soldered earth connection without something tripping? I’m always up for learning something every day so welcome any input please. I had to have a new main fuse installed by the electric company as the lights occasionally flickered and one day the whole house went off. The screws in ;the sealed main fuse had loosened over the years and got hot. It burnt a 3 inch square hole int he board. I will buy a couple of the new style SWA earth nuts and install them, just to comply with the regs.

 

[Dave-sparks]

Have you just got a radial circuit for sockets, they're on a 32a breaker which isn't right, should be 16a I think, 32a is for a ring or radial to a 32a socket

A 13A socket radial can technically have any size protective device that the designer feels is appropriate.

'standard circuits' for socket radials as per BS7671 are 20A or 32A

 

[Dave-sparks]

Now had a chance to look on my laptop here's my full list of issues

Soldered earth to banjo.
2.5mm radial on a 32A MCB, should be 20A or wired as a ring.
Cores not completely covered with sleeving.
Cores doubled back
Possibly no grommet on the SWA into main DB

What's wrong with a soldered connection? They are permitted by BS7671.

Why do cores (other than a bare cpc) need to be completely covered with sleeving?

Doubling over of cores is considered good practice if it better fills the terminal and makes a batter connection, especially if it is a solid conductor.

 

[Dave-sparks]

You might consider a 100 or 300mA RCBO in the house feed to the shed and then 30mA in the shed.

Why in a TNS system with the EFLI values stated?

 

[Dave-sparks]

In the case of the plastic box on the shed, using a mechanical fixing, unless it was the new SWA gland nut system, would be subject to the plastic deformation by any bolt fixing if I bolted through the casework and would loosen.

This is correct, and due to plastic deformation it is best practice to secure the banjo between two locknuts and not secure it against the plastic box in this situation.

I think Australia allow soldered joints in their meter boxes.

BS7671 allows soldered connections such as the one you have made here. Before crimping became widespread it was normal to solder lugs for higher current connections using 60/40 solder.

one of the things I came across frequently was soldered wires in screw fixings having ‘sagged’ and caused loose connections. Is there a circumstance where there would be a high current flowing in the soldered earth connection without something tripping?

Tinning of conductors which are terminated into screw terminals is specifically prohibited by BS7671 for this reason, the solder 'cold flows' and creates a loose connection.

will buy a couple of the new style SWA earth nuts and install them, just to comply with the regs.

What you have done complies with the regs, although I do agree that the earthing nuts are a better alternative to the traditional banjo.
Earthing nuts do get around the plastic deformation issue with insulated enclosures as the are locked onto the gland by a set screw.