Thread: requirements for a 15a circuit

- 2.5mm twin and earth. A 15A outlet on a 20A C/B

This is only enough for one GPO

To the OP.

How long is a piece of string???? Your post in the above quote equates to the same.

Take SC's advice and ask your BIL. If you are telling the truth and he is in fact wiring up all that you say he is, he will know how many amps are available at the proposed location for your new 15amp GPO.
No good roughing in 4.0mm in shed if 15 amps not available at shed sub main, far away from house, as an example.

Originally Posted by 19brendan81

Thanks for nothing.

For those interested in knowing a helpful sparky on another forum I am a member of told me the minimum requirement is

- 2.5mm twin and earth. A 15A outlet on a 20A C/B

This is only enough for one GPO

Just out of interest what's the other forum? Having lived for decades out in the hills without mains power , now we have it.So I,m a bit ignorant about all the finer points of grid power but do want to learn .Just the theory of course ,so when I contact a licensed sparky to get some work done it doesn't sound like chines to me and can make some informed , intelligent decisions and end up with a system that fits our requirements , and don't pay too much .

Originally Posted by 19brendan81

Thanks for nothing.

For those interested in knowing a helpful sparky on another forum I am a member of told me the minimum requirement is

- 2.5mm twin and earth. A 15A outlet on a 20A C/B

This is only enough for one GPO

What are the installation conditions? Is it partially surrounded in thermal insulation, fully surrounded in thermal insulation? How long is the run? What is the maximum voltage drop, Is it underground, what type of insulation rating on the cable? These can have a huge effect on the cable selection criteria. It's not as simple as (2.5, and 20A C/B) you need to know all this info as well to determine cable and protection sizing. As SilentC said, it will only take your BIL a couple of minutes to tell you the size based on all this. Especially as he is there already doing work for you!

Has anyone got a proper answer?

i am curious to know, as my shed has a 15A out let with a 16A breaker which trips of reguarly when running my TIG at higher amps.

id like to upgrade the breaker, but not sure if the cable is up to the task.

Your electrician will know.

Try the other forum...

http://www.renovateforum.com/showthread.php?t=74726

We have fun over there!

.. and you will find the answers.

I thought that if he sent a quick sms to the busy BIL asking the question about cable size, he would have got a reply back pretty quickly as tradesmen can't survive without a mobile phone, but asking on the internet takes alot more time to post and wait for an answer and that's if ppl give you one.

Amazing stuff that technology thingamejig.

Originally Posted by blonk

What are the installation conditions? Is it partially surrounded in thermal insulation, fully surrounded in thermal insulation? How long is the run? What is the maximum voltage drop, Is it underground, what type of insulation rating on the cable? These can have a huge effect on the cable selection criteria. It's not as simple as (2.5, and 20A C/B) you need to know all this info as well to determine cable and protection sizing. As SilentC said, it will only take your BIL a couple of minutes to tell you the size based on all this. Especially as he is there already doing work for you!

You guys make it sound like rocket surgery. If half of the qualified electricians even thought about some of this stuff it would be amazing. It's not like the guy is designing a 2000sqm welding workshop running off 3 phase power and 40 welding units that is 500m from the street :lol:.

These types of answers and these tactics reminds me of the cheap tricks employed by senior members when they are asked to train young staff and feel their position threatened. They overcomplicate the situation. In the end the young guy gets the job done anyway

For the amount of effort spent telling him to ask his BIL you could of answered him 10x over. :lol: In the end he got his answer and that's what he is going to use. When will you tradies learn that these tactics don't stop anyone. :shakes head:

Originally Posted by RVK 355

H
i am curious to know, as my shed has a 15A out let with a 16A breaker which trips of reguarly when running my TIG at higher amps..

Typically 15A outlets have 20A breakers so something seems weird there from my experience. Check the wiring is at a minimum as stated earlier and make sure that there is only one outlet on that circuit. If you want to know/confirm ring up a few electrical wholesalers and ask them whether they have wire for 15A outlets and what the specs on it are and the price. You'll get the answer quicker than here.

Originally Posted by silentC

. . . . I don't really agree because there are plenty of nongs out there and I wouldn't want to buy a house that had been wired up by someone who got their information off the Internet

Do you really believe regulations stop nongs from doing anything? My experience is that nongs take no notice of regulations. It's ironic that regulations only really help prevent the average law abiding citizen from breaking the law.

19brendan81,
You mentioned that your are getting 3 Phase installed, why not look at running 32 Amp 3 Phase Neutral & Earth in say Orange Circular from your Switchboard to your Workshop and installing a Sub-board with a main Breaker then you can install your Sub-Breakers and Cables to the dedicated outlets you want. Make sure that the Condiut is large enough for the cable and you glue the Elbows Joins and properly support the Conduit. The size of the Breakers will depend on how it is Cascaded from the main Breaker in the main Board. This is what your BIL can tell you, if you as you have said are just running the Cables so he can check the runs and he will be wiring the Breakers and Outlets. Where and how you run the Conduit, place the Distribution Board, Layout of the Distribution Board etc is governed by AS3000 and you need to look at arrangement of the RCD's.
The advice of others here to have an Electrican do it is very good advice, I would have your BIL tell you exactly how he wants the installation done as it is his Licence and you dont want any trouble with your Insurance Company if there was any fires etc in the future.

Regards,
Keith.

Non licensed people can do that sort of work provided it is done under the supervision of an electrician...

I ran the wires in a house we got built when I was only 12..The electrician was near retirement age and he had no intention of getting into the ceiling to run the wires....So I was told to take this wire and pull it through here and over other and under that etc etc..

You guys make it sound like rocket surgery. For the amount of effort spent telling him to ask his BIL you could of answered him 10x over.

Rocket surgery? Rocket science with a bit of brain surgery thrown in?

OK monty, since you popped your head up. There are three issues here:

1. What he is proposing to do is illegal. An unlicensed person can run wires but only under the direct supervision of a person licensed to supervise electrical work. You can't just do it yourself and then call in your sparky BIL to 'hook it up', regardless of how simple the job is. If you are caught, you can be fined and the electricity supplier can disconnect your supply until you have it inspected and rectified. Yes this does happen, I asked one of the inspectors at the Dept. of Fair Trading.

2. This is a public forum and anyone can read it and respond. How do you know that the information you get is correct? Is anonymous advice given over the internet without being on site going to be the right advice? Or will it be too general? What is the situation at this property? What are the existing load conditions? People who assume it doesn't matter (as you appear to) have no idea and certainly shouldn't be telling people it's OK to do it.

3. But for me, the main issue is whether this forum should be encouraging people to break the law, even if we think it is a silly law. When someone asks an electrical question, should we answer it, assuming that we know the answer, even though the person is obviously intending to break the law?

It wont surprise me if you answer yes to that one by the way. Quite a few people do. All I am doing is suggesting the smart approach, which is to consult your electrician. If he still wants to follow the advice of someone such as yourself, clearly not an electrician, who believes that "if half of the qualified electricians even thought about some of this stuff it would be amazing", demonstrating complete ignorance of what's involved in the job, well then that is his problem. More fool him.

Do you really believe regulations stop nongs from doing anything?

Of course not. It just means that when they do, you can throw the book at them.