Hello all
I have the EPS installed into a double socket in my garage, that's where all my GE equipment is.
Last night we had a lengthy powercut during the storm, so I got out the 50m extension cable and plugged it in. The annoying part was leaving doors or windows part open (during the storm!) to get the cable into the house. Which made me wonder, is there any other option for the EPS? It worked great, just convenience factor wasn't really there...
Really need a rough line diagram like this of how everything is connected.
Not as neat or coloured up. Just showing the boards, where mains power comes into your premises and how the garage is connected. Does not need to show metering
Thanks I'll have to attempt to draw my own. My installer provided one but it doesn't reflect the actual setup. I gave up with them, totally useless. Massive regrets... anyway - I'll see what I can do
To keep things simple, you could arrange a permanent extension cable from a plug in the garage (which you then plug into the EPS socket as required) to a dedicated socket inside the house. Ideally done properly with suitable protections but it does depend on the route between garage and house.
Fantastic.
As SimonP says the issue is getting the cable from the EPS output of the inverter back into the house in a permanent way.
Is the house attached to the garage? If so just run some T&E and fix/clip it all.
If the house is not attached, do you know the route of the cable from house to garage and can you get another cable in? I would suggest an SWA (Steel Wire Armoured).
In both scenarios fit suitably rated double pole RCD on inverter output close to inverter as GivEnergy installation notes. This will protect the cable and your sockets.
SteveCook If the house is not attached, do you know the route of the cable from house to garage and can you get another cable in? I would suggest an SWA (Steel Wire Armoured).
Yeah it's detached. The route is under a garden path which is OK and accessible, but unfortunately leads into a toilet where my CU is, and where I can't have a socket. I suppose though that I could extend that new cable to the internal wall the toilet is behind and put it facing the utility room?
SteveCook In both scenarios fit suitably rated double pole RCD on inverter output close to inverter as GivEnergy installation notes. This will protect the cable and your sockets.
Yeah I noticed in the link provided above that there was no RCD between inverter and socket, though it looks like they installed an RCD socket with a 30mA trip - is that OK instead?
pacemaker
Yes put a longer cable into the utility room, but really should be SWA if outside and buried all the way to the utility room socket. If the existing cable is SWA already, I think you can put some sort of junction box and extend from that in T&E, but it needs to be the right size T&E. (2.5mm2?)
I really cant answer your question about the protection. I have just done what GE installation manual shows.
What's stopping you from running a more permanent extension cable with an RCD at the garage end, drilling holes in walls as needed.
Edit. Whoops got beaten to it.
yeah I think that is the solution, to basically move my EPS socket to the house. Just involves a little digging and drilling, and avoiding the toilet.
pacemaker and avoiding the toilet.
Just remember that ending up with a socket in the toilet is a definite no no!!
LOL, we live nearly half the year in Tenerife and there is no such rule in Spain. Both of our bathrooms have two pin sockets close to the sink. They are not the transformer isolated type for razors, they are on the normal socket circuit.
I don't know if more people get electrocuted in Spain or if the UK is over safe.
SilverArt a standard socket isn't permitted within 3m of a bath or shower, but can still be in the same room.
nophead We have ring mains circuits whereas nearly all of the rest of the world has spur circuits.
Ring mains is inherently more dangerous, simply because there's a lot more opportunities for DIYers/sparkies to screw things up - swapping L & N in light fittings/switches is the classic DIY screwup and generally only becomes apparent when LED lighting is fitted (it glows when "off").
Also when part P regs came in the vast majority of consumer units didn't have anything other than metallic time-delay fuses (ie bits of wire) and there were pretty much no regs at all to stop amateurs doing whatever the hell they wanted regarding electrical work in a domestic property. Part P is probably overkill now (RCDs/RCBOs/etc) but it was certainly justified at the time - still is for outside work.
You also need an earth rod for the EPS backup circuit.
