Charging/hook up point in garage, converting light switch to socket

[Robert_S]

Looking for some electrical advice please. I have a lighting switch in my garage that isn't used. It is however in a handy position for electrical hookup/charging whilst the Cali is garaged and I'd like to get it converted to a socket for that sole purpose. The wiring for the light switch has an earth and goes back to a fuse board where it is protected by a C6 breaker. Other sockets in the garage go to their own dedicated breaker on the board. According to my Cali supplement, the leisure batteries take 12.5 amps on charge. What I'd like know is, does the C6 breaker act solely on the current or the power (volts x amps) it sees when charging at the 12.5 amp level? If the latter, would the C6 provide adequate protection. Many thanks, Robert

 

[capt kirk]

c6 is generally a 6 amp breaker and only for ligthing circuits. For your van you need min 13 amps from a socket fed from a 16 amp breaker. Also the cable may be to small 1 or 1.5mm is not generally used for power exept when backed up by the correct breaker.

 

[WelshGas]

Looking for some electrical advice please. I have a lighting switch in my garage that isn't used. It is however in a handy position for electrical hookup/charging whilst the Cali is garaged and I'd like to get it converted to a socket for that sole purpose. The wiring for the light switch has an earth and goes back to a fuse board where it is protected by a C6 breaker. Other sockets in the garage go to their own dedicated breaker on the board. According to my Cali supplement, the leisure batteries take 12.5 amps on charge. What I'd like know is, does the C6 breaker act solely on the current or the power (volts x amps) it sees when charging at the 12.5 amp level? If the latter, would the C6 provide adequate protection. Many thanks, Robert

The easiest way, without having to rewire that light switch would be to make up a dedicated lead with a House Plug on one end and the blue plug on the other and use one of the other mains sockets which will be properly wired and protected.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

As per Welshgas, thats exactly what we have. But drilled a hole thru the garage wall (easy for us as oak featherboard) and wired a surface mounted hookup socket on the outside / driveway. So can just plug the trailing lead into a conventional 3 pin socket as and when required . Super easy to do, easy as wiring a household plug.

Don’t come off the lighting circuit even if this is the only light wired to it as you don’t know the diameter of the existing wire from fuseboard to light fitting. If you overload it you could melt the wiring before the fuseboard trips, worst case cause a fire.

 

[flying banana]

I wired up my whole garage from scratch. As you can see the lighting circuit is a 6a breaker. I wired this socket into the ring main circuit. You could just tap off the ring main using a junction box and drop a lead down like this. As said don't connect to the lighting circuit. I regularly see over 14 amps on the display when I first plug in the van. The easiest way is just to make a convertor lead and plug into the socket

 

[Wrongford]

The easiest way, without having to rewire that light switch would be to make up a dedicated lead with a House Plug on one end and the blue plug on the other and use one of the other mains sockets which will be properly wired and protected.

Or use one of these?

 

[WelshGas]

Or use one of these?

View attachment 93300

True, but making up your own lead to the length required obviates the need to use the lead you use when camping.

 

[Robert_S]

c6 is generally a 6 amp breaker and only for ligthing circuits. For your van you need min 13 amps from a socket fed from a 16 amp breaker. Also the cable may be to small 1 or 1.5mm is not generally used for power exept when backed up by the correct breaker.

Thanks capt kirk

 

[Robert_S]

The easiest way, without having to rewire that light switch would be to make up a dedicated lead with a House Plug on one end and the blue plug on the other and use one of the other mains sockets which will be properly wired and protected.

Thanks WelshGas, am using such right now but it leaves a mess of trailing wire in all the wrong places - hence wanting to plug in close to the van. I'll bite the bullet and run dedicated power socket cable and use 16amp breaker system per capt kirk

 

[Robert_S]

I wired up my whole garage from scratch. As you can see the lighting circuit is a 6a breaker. I wired this socket into the ring main circuit. You could just tap off the ring main using a junction box and drop a lead down like this. As said don't connect to the lighting circuit. I regularly see over 14 amps on the display when I first plug in the van. The easiest way is just to make a convertor lead and plug into the socket

View attachment 93296

View attachment 93297

Look like the way to go, thanks flying banana

 

[Rololux]

It is quite correct that the C6 breaker is designed for lighting circuits, with max 6A at 240v, which is maximum 6A*240v = 1440W. But what you see on the control panel is the current charging your batteries at 12v. So even if you see 20A, that is 20A*12v = 240W, which will draw 1A from your mains feed, plus a small overhead for the inefficiency of the charging circuit. So I think you will be ok using the lighting circuit as it stands for charging the battery. Be careful using the 240 socket in the van though when on this hookup.

The good news is that it is on it's own breaker, so even if you exceed the max current, the breaker will trip.

All this is assuming that the wiring is adequate, but drawing 1A should never be a problem.

 

[Keith Smith]

I too can’t see a problem wiring an industrial socket to a lighting circuit as long as it is clearly labelled and only used for charging the batteries. However there is a problem wiring an industrial socket directly into a ring main as ring mains are normally fused at 30A and standard industrial sockets are rated at 16A max. If you want to fit an industrial socket to a ring main it should be run off a fused spur so that you can fuse it down to 5 or 13A.

 

[capt kirk]

I too can’t see a problem wiring an industrial socket to a lighting circuit as long as it is clearly labelled and only used for charging the batteries. However there is a problem wiring an industrial socket directly into a ring main as ring mains are normally fused at 30A and standard industrial sockets are rated at 16A max. If you want to fit an industrial socket to a ring main it should be run off a fused spur so that you can fuse it down to 5 or 13A.

Just to clarify 13 amp plug has a 13 amp fuse for protection and therefore can be used on a 30 amp breaker wheras a 16 plug has no fuse and relies on the cicuit breaker in the board protection

 

[Wildcamper]

You might want to check electrical building regulations before undertaking what you propose. While it may well be possible, even safe, to do what you suggest if the building regulations say you can't or should not then if you subsequently have a problem you may find that your house insurance is void. These days it is all about having the right paperwork. Just a suggestion.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Don’t stick a commando socket on a lighting circuit…!!!

Are your circuits RCD protected?
All S/O must be RCD protected to comply with the latest regs.

Check that first.

 

[Robert_S]

You might want to check electrical building regulations before undertaking what you propose. While it may well be possible, even safe, to do what you suggest if the building regulations say you can't or should not then if you subsequently have a problem you may find that your house insurance is void. These days it is all about having the right paperwork. Just a suggestion.

Good point, thanks Wildcamper

 

[Robert_S]

It is quite correct that the C6 breaker is designed for lighting circuits, with max 6A at 240v, which is maximum 6A*240v = 1440W. But what you see on the control panel is the current charging your batteries at 12v. So even if you see 20A, that is 20A*12v = 240W, which will draw 1A from your mains feed, plus a small overhead for the inefficiency of the charging circuit. So I think you will be ok using the lighting circuit as it stands for charging the battery. Be careful using the 240 socket in the van though when on this hookup.

The good news is that it is on it's own breaker, so even if you exceed the max current, the breaker will trip.

All this is assuming that the wiring is adequate, but drawing 1A should never be a problem.

Thanks Rololux, that's what I was clumsily trying to get at with my question. As has been pointed out by others, there's building regs and electrical regs that'll determine how the qualified electrician determines the work needs doing.