Charging with an extension cable

[aab203]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

It is a long shot, but if the council won't make any progress with a charging point, would they allow you to erect a pole on the grass verge and then you could run an overhead cable from the house? I'm guessing this might be just as problematic as getting a charge point installed, but maybe not...

As for getting a supply cable from the inside for an external plug, have you got a standard socket anywhere inside fitted on an outside front facing wall? If so then it is relatively easy to extend the ring, connect in an FCU (Fused Connection Unit) and then run some armoured cable through the wall and under the garden outside. Any decent electrician will be able to do this without disrupting the inside of the house.

There is a socket as you come in the front door on the left party wall, so I can probably cut out a channel from that socket to the outside wall and then feed a cable through the exterior wall (I have solid wall insulation so its quite thick overall).

EDIT: Actually, come to think of it, there are a couple of sockets around the bay window in the living room which I could probably draw from. Will explore this option more.

Are there any risks associated to creating a spur from a socket, in relation to be able to isolate the power supply should any problems occur? How would an RCD switch be incorporated here? I wouldn't plan on doing any of this work myself, but always curious as to how things work / should be done

Originally Posted by IainG

Hi
Can you get a drive access and park on your own property. Then all issues would be solved?
Looks like someone further up has done that.
Possibly need planning permission for the kerb drop down and access.
Iain

We did consider this even before we had thought about the car. However in addition to the cost of doing the front up to support a car it is a few grand extra just to have the curb dropped. Plus my wife doesn't like the idea of a big car parked right in front of the living room window - not sure it would even fit when you consider having gate doors to close.

I will push as hard as I can for some sort of drainage tunnel where I can lay a cable, as I have no expectation that a charge point would be installed.

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by aab203

How would an RCD switch be incorporated here? I wouldn't plan on doing any of this work myself, but always curious as to how things work / should be done

You'd fit something like this: https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/BRH92.html

Tell your electrician what you're going to use it for so everything is rated accordingly.

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by aab203

EDIT: Actually, come to think of it, there are a couple of sockets around the bay window in the living room which I could probably draw from. Will explore this option more.

Are there any risks associated to creating a spur from a socket, in relation to be able to isolate the power supply should any problems occur? How would an RCD switch be incorporated here?

Provided the sockets in the bay window are on the ring then you are in business. Your electrician can check, but if you have a ring main (not radial circuits) and there are 2 cables in the back of the socket (ie one in and one out) then it is most likely it is on the ring.

In this case you simply take a spur off this, through a 1G fused connection unit (a switch with a fuse in it) or through a RCD as suggested above and then the cable goes on to serve the socket outside.

Provided that you don't spur off a spur, and that you only spur off the ring then you are compliant with the regs. The RCD and FCU are both nice extras. Being able to switch off the outside plug via the FCU is also useful incase of water ingress or going on holiday to find the neighbours using your electricity to mow their lawn....

Final thought is to check for capacity on the ring. A ring is rated at 32amps. If the sockets in the lounge bay are also on the same circuit as say the kettle, or a 3kw fan heater, and the oven, or anything else of high draw then it might be wise to tot up the total draw to make sure you don't exceed 32amps. If you do it will just trip the fuse but that will be a bit of a pain the backside....

[aab203]

Thanks very much for the follow up.

The switches under the bay window are all on a ring for the ground floor. I can't remember if the builders/electrician separated out the living room from anywhere else but I suspect all the sockets are on the same ring. The cooker is wired up independently however. Good to know about the kettle etc.

I think that is a nice suggestion r.e. the FCU - I would want to retain the ability to turn off the outside switch from within the property.

Originally Posted by Lexman8

You'd fit something like this: https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/BRH92.html

Tell your electrician what you're going to use it for so everything is rated accordingly.

Can I be dumb and ask what exactly the RCD unit does and how / where it would be wired in if I was to go with an FCU inside the house, leading to an external IP rated socket?

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by aab203

Can I be dumb and ask what exactly the RCD unit does and how / where it would be wired in if I was to go with an FCU inside the house, leading to an external IP rated socket?

In laymans terms an RCD matches the current in the live and the neutral to make sure that are the same. So, lets say 5amps is sent off down the live wire. It makes sure that 5amps comes back up the neutral. If only 4.8amps comes back then the other 0.2amps must have leaked to earth (potentially giving someone a shock in the process). The RCD then shuts off the power. Most RCD's work on tripping in fractions of a second if more than 0.03 of an amp leaks to earth. RCD protection is good for anywhere in the house, but more important where the risk of cable or appliance damage is higher and the risk to the individual is higher. Such areas typically could be outside, or in rooms with water present.

A re-setable fuse however, just trips if too much current is drawn, so your ring will not trip until over 32amps is drawn. An RCD will happily let you draw over 32 amps, provided it sees it all coming back again.

So the fuse and the RCD look for different things.

If you already have an RCD on the circuit I would advise against fitting a second one for the socket only, as everytime you test the socket one it will trip the main one also.

It will be worth checking what you have on your fuse board already. Some installations will have no RCD, then about 25 years ago RCDs came in to fuse boards and had one for the entire board, so a trip plunges the house into darkness and takes out everything. More recent installations have a "split board" with 2 RCDs to cover different circuits so a trip does not knock everything out.

The absolute best (but most expensive) is to have each circuit with it's own combined fuse and RCD (called MCBOs I think). Installs like this are very rare as the MCBOs are about £30 a piece.

[aab203]

Explained perfectly, thanks

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

It will be worth checking what you have on your fuse board already. Some installations will have no RCD, then about 25 years ago RCDs came in to fuse boards and had one for the entire board, so a trip plunges the house into darkness and takes out everything. More recent installations have a "split board" with 2 RCDs to cover different circuits so a trip does not knock everything out.

I will double check when I get back home, but the house was fully re-wired about 9 months ago and there are two groups of fuses with their own trip switches and a master trip switch. Hopefully that means each group has an RCD

Thanks again.