Home DIY

Something about caravans being mobile, and the electrics being self contained? Idk.

I'll bung a few castors on the shed then. I know as much as you, so appreciate hashing it out. I've yet to find anything to say it will immediately burst into flames so will crack on* until I (or anyone else) finds something catastrophic.

Again, it will all be moot when completed by a spark in future, but that could be a couple of years away and I'd like to use the shed without constantly plugging/unplugging lights, battery chargers etc.

I guess the problem is with a lot of these 'temp hacks / bodges' is that they become permanent due to inertia.

Most of it is depressing, but some can be a bit popcorn. Especially when the simplest of questions are asked then the OG go off at each other, in an armour cabled willy waving contest.

4W LED lamps at dawn

Try getting any tradie to turn up at that time. Ayoooooooooo!

You know me so well....

Ha!

Problems like this is why I started wondering if I could make my shed off grid. Solar panels on the roof, box of batteries in the corner, don't need to find an electrician.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Female-Brass-REDUCING-CONNECTORS-Quality/dp/B07QK9V3FF?th=1

Might work, if the isolator valve is 1/2" BSP.

Bought a simple domestic quality Bosch laser level thinking it would happily project onto ceiling to help with strapping locations. Nope, flashes constantly because its not level. Turns out only the £150+ machines do ceilings properly. Piece of string method slower to setup but doesn't flash.

Still useful though, can't believe I've gone this long without one. Would defo invest in a all singing laser if I was on the job all the time

You should be able to press a button that just displays the laser, not levels it. I can do that on my £20 job from amazon.

Even my £20 Lidl job has been fantastic. Mounting the twin rail stuff in the alcoves in the living room, 18 points on one side, 20 on the other (overkill) all on a grid. Bang on plumb and level thanks to setting a laser line then just measuring the hole spacing along the lines.

Hmm all this laser level chat... Kinda want one now. I also think I want a laser measure.

Does anyone have a thermal imaging thing? I've seen some that attach to mobile phone, but no idea how effective they are. Would quite like to see the hot and cold spots.

Laser measure is a must. Again, less than £20 for ones that work perfectly.

Never had a thermal imaging thing - Bosch one is £500+ crazy

Laser measure is a must..... if you want to prevent spousal arguments about how the other half is "holding the tape measure wrong".

Negative, Bosch have made the domestic one super simplistic, one button to turn on + unlock pendulum

Looking to smash out a stud wall currently between our kitchen and dining room as a quasi-temporary experiment to maybe stave off the idea of extending. There are a couple of wall lights and a socket on the dining room that I'm comfortable to make safe (I've decided I'm now a spark, see up thread, don't @ me), but there is a small rad on the kitchen side of the wall. Is there a suitable way to secure this in situ if the wall behind it is going away? Or best to just shut both valves, add blanking nuts and fuck it off?

There's ones like this https://www.flir.co.uk/products/flir-one-gen-3/ but not sure if worth it.

I never leave the house without my laser measure.

oh hang on, i never leave the house.

it's this one - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0744FLYJW/?th=1

also available in green (60m distance) so you can pretend you've ponied up for a bosch (from a distance)

Seen those thermal imaging camera - brand I've seen used the most is FLIR - bit spenny for example - here

There's a lot of information out there but most of the sparks or DIY forums descend into full garage door condescension or outright insults when similar questions are asked.

reaching for the regs

I think the last time we discussed this here it turns out gardens are no longer notifiable. Adding circuits to the CU still are though.

I don't see why you can't have your switches, lamps and sockets properly installed in advance to a different connection/CU being made.

Now you're a sparks you need to remember one handy phrase 'Cable Is King'. That means the cable is protected by the fuse. 2.5T&E is rated for 16amp in open air. Above that it heats up and eventually if it's carrying more than 16amp for too long it combusts. There is the complication of calculating the resistance of the length of type of wire to ensure the breaker will operate but in fairness the shed will likely be ok on that front :) 1.5T&E is usually used for lighting circuits and that's rated (from memory) 10amp in open air (remember insulation etc. will reduce that rating because heat). That's why you could have a 6amp lighting circuit. As your shed is likely quite small you don't save a lot of money on 6amp cable, if you use 2.5T&E cable it's all protected by the 13amp fuse in the plug in the kitchen.

Caravans and mobile homes have their own section in the regs. One of the reasons you have a CU is so you can have lower rated wiring (saves weight and cost) and the ceeform connectors can still carry higher than 13amp. Useful if you're powering more demanding loads like an oven or aircon.

it's this one - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B074­4FLYJW/?th=1

Is it good? Would you recommend?

Thanks again!

The main reason I was going to use the different cabling for the different applications is I still have enough 1.5mm left from refitting the living room light. I would need to buy more for the sockets so was going to go 2.5mm for those. Plus, I would like to avoid someone in future expecting to see those types of cables and seeing something else or making assumptions. Plus, it will be converted to a "proper" installation in time. I won't be insulating before then so any glaring fuckups can be more easily remedied.

Likely load for sockets is going to be minimal, and what I have been using on extension leads anyway. Mitre saw, henry hoover, pillar drill, track saw, radio, battery chargers (and not all at the same time - I am not that dexterous).