16 amp plugs

[wrought iron designer]

ok so my new mig and mma plants keep blowing my 13 amp fuses when i weld at the top of the range. it says in the manual to get a blue 16amp plug and socket fitted. has anyone had this problem and how much did it cost to get done. cheers lee

 

[bigbadbugga]

I just had some fitted today by my nephew, he took the feed (2.5mm twin+earth) from my cooker socket in the kitchen into a fused switch (with a 16A slow blow fuse in, looks like an immersion heater switch) and then a straight run into the workshop ending with a blue 16A socket.



cost me £50 for the gear in B&Q and paid the lad £40 to fit.

 

[rtbcomp]

It's quite a common job.

In a domestic situation I'd put a new cable in from the consumer unit, taking it off the cooker is OK until you want to cook and weld.

The work has to be done by a qualified person OR certified by same, if something goes wrong there could be insurance/legal problems.

I think you can do the work yourself on business premises, but it still needs to comply with the regs.

 

[brightspark]

not a good idea to take of cooker unit especialy if its being used for electric cooker there wired in 6.0mm cable rated at 30 amp 2.5 rated at 20 amp if cooker isnt being used conect to it and down rate fuse to 16 anp

 

[brightspark]

not being used means cooker isnt conected

 

[Robotstar5]

Get some advice from a local sparky (NICEIC /ELECSA /ECA) regarding cable size / type as it will be determined by load, location, length of run etc. You may be able to do the donkey work and just get sparky to test & make final connections then issue certificate.

 

[wrought iron designer]

cheers was hoping it wasnt a big job cause spent all my cash on the plants

 

[bigbadbugga]

Sorry guys, should have mentioned.

Nephew is qualified and time served sparky,

We cook on gas, so the cooker socket is now solely 16A workshop supply and has its own MCB? on the supply board.

 

[brightspark]

good if mcb trips u can uprate to 20 max mcb on 2.5mm

 

[BChild]

Can I piggy back on this topic?

I have an armoured cable running from main house fusebox to garage

The main house has a modern trip switch fuse box with individual rcb's however the garage has an old fashioned wire type fuse box but it was only to feed 2 sockets (20 amp fuse) and a single florescent light (15 amp fuse)

I now have a ring main of 8 double sockets on once circuit and 6 flo' tubes on the other

If I use my welder SIP 170 on it's highest setting it will pop the fuses in the plug or pop the fuse wire in the fuse box

two questions

1. how can I tell if the cable is up to spec for a dedicated 16 amp socket to be fed from it?

2. Would I be better getting rid of old fuse box and replacing with modern one as well as taking a dedicated 16 amp socket on a separate circuit?

 

[brightspark]

check the armoured cable size 2.5 will will b ok for 20 amp fuse 4.omm will carry up to 30 amp 6.o.mm up to 35 to 40 amp. ********MOD EDIT******** a rewirable fuse will take more punishment than an mcb but one thing do u have rcd fitted in the line ie 25 0r 60 amp double pole with 30 miliamp trip

Mod note:
We'd rather not have potentially dangerous suggestions like that on here please, better to preach safety to those asking for advice even if you don't practice it yourself.

 

[BChild]

check the armoured cable size 2.5 will will b ok for 20 amp fuse 4.omm will carry up to 30 amp 6.o.mm up to 35 to 40 amp. ********MOD EDIT******** a rewirable fuse will take more punishment than an mcb but one thing do u have rcd fitted in the line ie 25 0r 60 amp double pole with 30 miliamp trip

Mod note:
We'd rather not have potentially dangerous suggestions like that on here please, better to preach safety to those asking for advice even if you don't practice it yourself.

Yeah but your edit was after I'd read it So I've redone my post

I'll see what is in the house fusebox supply side

 

[brightspark]

 

[Rick]

check the armoured cable size 2.5 will will b ok for 20 amp fuse 4.omm will carry up to 30 amp 6.o.mm up to 35 to 40 amp. ********MOD EDIT******** a rewirable fuse will take more punishment than an mcb but one thing do u have rcd fitted in the line ie 25 0r 60 amp double pole with 30 miliamp trip

Mod note:
We'd rather not have potentially dangerous suggestions like that on here please, better to preach safety to those asking for advice even if you don't practice it yourself.

You can't really say what current the cable can handle as you don't know its length.

 

[brightspark]

thats the average for a reasonable run using armoured cable not bunched together or set in isulation or buried. the calcs are endless but how far do u go to the average layman. how long is a piece of string without been told all the facts

 

[rtbcomp]

You can't really say what current the cable can handle as you don't know its length.

There are two considerations,

1) The heat produced per cm of cable, use too thin cable and the heat will damage the insulation, over time if not immediately. This determines the minimum cable size for a given current, irrespective of length.

2) Voltage drop. For long runs you may have to specify heavier cable than in (1) so the voltage drop does not become so great that the equipment connected to the cable doesn't function correctly.

 

[BChild]

thats the average for a reasonable run using armoured cable not bunched together or set in isulation or buried. the calcs are endless but how far do u go to the average layman. how long is a piece of string without been told all the facts

My cable is from a consumer unit 5ft up on an the inside of an outside wall of a kitchen and runs or a distance of 10 feet max under 6 inches of concrete before running 4 ft up the inside wall of my garage to the fuse box

If the whole cable length exceeded 20 feet I'd wonder where the hell they routed it!!!!

Technically the garage was detatched from the house and now is attached to the house (well part of it is) It used to be separated by a covered alleyway that was covered by the roof of the garage but I figured that 3 feet of alleyway width was more usefull to me as garage space and bricked it up one ends and put a door in the other

You can get a car in and fully open the doors on one side and still walk round it

 

[brightspark]

if u go to tlc direct they have cable calculators and other charts as well but if u want to know the exact calculations get the 17 th edition regulations book if u have half a year to get through it but how many houses in england fully comply ?