are there any sparkies out there who can tell me if i have a 30 amp supply to my garage??
this probably sounds really basic!!
i have pulled the fuses out of my consumer unit and the plug sockets in the garage run through a 30 Amp fuse?? does this mean its a 30 amp supply??
do you need to hard wire the welder to the ring?? as a plug has a 13 amp fuse??
The welder will be fine with it's 13 amp plug. Or it wouldn't have one! Yes, the plugs in your garage are a 30 A supply for the whole ring.
As a topic recently said just make sure you plug straight into the socket or if using an extension lead make sure it's a short, meaty one(!).
Can't believe how much better my Mig welding is now I've found an old industrial vacuum cleaner lead to use as an extension lead. You
won't find that in the instructions so well done whoever posted it and thanks. Cheers , Pewe
cheers guys!
dont assume that just because its a 30A fuse it is ok for the full 30A though. You need a 6mm wire (ie visably bigger than normal ring wires), though
its possible (but unlikely) that the garage will have a ring comprising of two 2.5mm wires.
The commonest error i find at work is people who have broken a ring into two radial circuits (probably without realising it), leaving a roughly 20A
wire 'protected' by a 30A fuse.
Having said that, your welder will probably work fine given that average draw will be less than 13A anyway.
As its 30A i'd guess its a rewireable fuse, in which case it would be a lovely upgrade to put a modern board in - but i always say that 
quote:
in which case it would be a lovely upgrade to put a modern board in - but i always say that
lol 
far be it from me to push for extra work (in fact i cant, as my qualification doesnt cover mains boards!)
gee whizz thats 9000 posts 
[Edited on 11/10/06 by JoelP]
oohh hec...
have got a modern board i think??
how many notes to have a 30 A ring put in my garage then from the board??? approx???
depends on a lot really, specifically distance from house, is there space in your existing board to add another breaker, do you have an RCD fitted (do
you want one?!), and would you want it testing and certifying to be legal? With the right choice of answers its maybe a £30 DIY job, but it could run
into hundreds to do it properly if the board isnt right. Technically you need an RCD, but then, they are great devices. 
youre a salesman too!!! guess the petrol from leeds would be prohibative
looks like theres space for one more cartridge - and theres a RCD on both sections
one section has 3 x 30A cartridges the other has several 5/ 10/ 15A - thats where the spare space is...
what do ya recon?
the board is in two sections, one side is RCD protected and will include downstairs circuits at least, and the garage and probably other socket
circuits too. The other side will be lights and imersion heaters etc, stuff that doesnt really need the RCD.
Provided you have a big wire going to the garage you are ok. It will almost certainly be on the rcd side. I believe the regs word it as 'any
socket that might be used to power a device being used outdoors must be rcd protected', and this is usually interpreted as downstairs sockets and
the garage.
If you want to replace the wire to your garage, there are a few regs about where you can route it and what it must be. One extreme is full armoured
wire buried, the other is just pvc wire in a sheath (earthed or not).