Charger fitting access issues
Discussion
I need to get a proper home charger fitted, issue is my consumer unit it in the middle of the house under the stairs and my normal electrician didn't really think he could help as it wouldn't be able to route the cable to where it needs to go, I also have solid concrete floor on the ground floor with underfloor heating so cant route under the floor He did mention coming out of the house and using armoured cable but it would be along route 100ft with lots of 90 degree bends to get where it needs and he was saying armoured not really suitable for that. At the moment I do have a plug socket in the garage which is near where I want the charger, I currently use it with a granny charger. Anyone else managed to get a charger fitted when access to main consumer board access an issue ?
thanks
thanks
BumFLuff said:
I need to get a proper home charger fitted, issue is my consumer unit it in the middle of the house under the stairs and my normal electrician didn't really think he could help as it wouldn't be able to route the cable to where it needs to go, I also have solid concrete floor on the ground floor with underfloor heating so cant route under the floor. He did mention coming out of the house and using armoured cable but it would be along route 100ft with lots of 90 degree bends to get where it needs and he was saying armoured not really suitable for that. At the moment I do have a plug socket in the garage which is near where I want the charger, I currently use it with a granny charger. Anyone else managed to get a charger fitted when access to main consumer board access an issue?
Where is the incoming supply & the meter: any chance it's in a meter box somewhere away from the consumer unit? Alternatively how is the socket in the garage wired to the house CU?Mr Pointy said:
Where is the incoming supply & the meter: any chance it's in a meter box somewhere away from the consumer unit? Alternatively how is the socket in the garage wired to the house CU?
Consumer unit, meter and incoming supply are all in the middle of the house unfortunately under the stairs. The socket in the garage backs onto a socket in the dinning room, so I assume the socket in garage comes off that somehow. The electrician who originally re-wired the house 8/9 years ago was the guy I had back to see if I could fit the charger so assumed he knew the best way to route it, may be he just not keen to do it as he knows it will a ball ache to route based on his passed experience. Is the cable that would come out of the consumer unit for a charger extra thick or is it the same as the normal grey type I've seen ?thanks
BumFLuff said:
Consumer unit, meter and incoming supply are all in the middle of the house unfortunately under the stairs. The socket in the garage backs onto a socket in the dinning room, so I assume the socket in garage comes off that somehow. The electrician who originally re-wired the house 8/9 years ago was the guy I had back to see if I could fit the charger so assumed he knew the best way to route it, may be he just not keen to do it as he knows it will a ball ache to route based on his passed experience. Is the cable that would come out of the consumer unit for a charger extra thick or is it the same as the normal grey type I've seen ?
thanks
It will be a 6mm with data so not very easy to thread through narrow spaces.thanks
https://www.toolstation.com/cut-to-length-ev-ultra...
Can it be run upstairs into the loft and then down the side of the house?
Mine was a pain, meters etc towards the middle of the house.
Had to go through wall into lounge, up wall, under the upstairs floor. Through the wall side wall, dropped down adjacent to a rainwater down pipe, so looks fine.
There is always a way, but some disruption..
A bit of redecoration was required.
You can buy the cable with the data cables from eg Screwfix etc.
Could always run the cable yourself & get the electrician to terminate ?
Had to go through wall into lounge, up wall, under the upstairs floor. Through the wall side wall, dropped down adjacent to a rainwater down pipe, so looks fine.
There is always a way, but some disruption..
A bit of redecoration was required.
You can buy the cable with the data cables from eg Screwfix etc.
Could always run the cable yourself & get the electrician to terminate ?
We had a similar problem with the meter etc. in the middle of the house under the stairs. Ours was also being installed by octopus as part of a package with a lease car and they only wanted to do the minimum. In the end we've just had the cable run inside some trunking up in the corner of the hallway, then through a wall into another room (in trunking again) then out through an external wall. It's obviously not the neatest solution but you don't really notice the trunking unless you are looking for it, and the front room it goes through is a study/dumping ground that doesn't really get much use!
BumFLuff said:
I need to get a proper home charger fitted, issue is my consumer unit it in the middle of the house under the stairs and my normal electrician didn't really think he could help as it wouldn't be able to route the cable to where it needs to go, I also have solid concrete floor on the ground floor with underfloor heating so cant route under the floor He did mention coming out of the house and using armoured cable but it would be along route 100ft with lots of 90 degree bends to get where it needs and he was saying armoured not really suitable for that. At the moment I do have a plug socket in the garage which is near where I want the charger, I currently use it with a granny charger. Anyone else managed to get a charger fitted when access to main consumer board access an issue ?
thanks
It sounds hard to wire in a "proper charger". Can you use a bigger granny charger? Most are 8-10A (for good reasons) but you can also get higher power ones e.g. the Tesla granny charger can run at 16A or 32A with the right blue commando sockets, *if* your wiring can handle it.thanks
gmaz said:
It will be a 6mm with data so not very easy to thread through narrow spaces.
https://www.toolstation.com/cut-to-length-ev-ultra...
Can it be run upstairs into the loft and then down the side of the house?
Wish I'd known about that cable a few years ago - when our house was refurbed I asked for the cabling to be put in for a charger and the electrician just ran some 6mm twin and earth - it goes from the meter / CU at the mid-back of the house to the mid-front, easy while the ceilings were down. The only way I can think to run the data cable now is outside then up to the loft, across and down again. https://www.toolstation.com/cut-to-length-ev-ultra...
Can it be run upstairs into the loft and then down the side of the house?
biggiles said:
It sounds hard to wire in a "proper charger". Can you use a bigger granny charger? Most are 8-10A (for good reasons) but you can also get higher power ones e.g. the Tesla granny charger can run at 16A or 32A with the right blue commando sockets, *if* your wiring can handle it.
If the garage socket is on a spur, as it sounds like it is, I’m not sure but I think this would be a no go. Bending radius for SWA is 6 x OD, so it goes fairly right in a small size. Plus the tuff sheathed non armoured stuff should be an option if it’s not buried.
I suspect the issue here is that it’s a two man job and the reinstatement is a PITA or the real price slightly embarrassing.
As others say, I suspect getting to the attic and coming back down near a gutter is probably the answer.
I suspect the issue here is that it’s a two man job and the reinstatement is a PITA or the real price slightly embarrassing.
As others say, I suspect getting to the attic and coming back down near a gutter is probably the answer.
When we had an induction hob fitted in our kitchen I didn't want cable running around the side of the house, so the electrician ran it in the ceiling void.
Several large holes cut into the ceiling along the route for access but easily replaced and skimmed painted over. Could that be an option?
Several large holes cut into the ceiling along the route for access but easily replaced and skimmed painted over. Could that be an option?
Sheepshanks said:
gmaz said:
It will be a 6mm with data so not very easy to thread through narrow spaces.
https://www.toolstation.com/cut-to-length-ev-ultra...
Can it be run upstairs into the loft and then down the side of the house?
Wish I'd known about that cable a few years ago - when our house was refurbed I asked for the cabling to be put in for a charger and the electrician just ran some 6mm twin and earth - it goes from the meter / CU at the mid-back of the house to the mid-front, easy while the ceilings were down. The only way I can think to run the data cable now is outside then up to the loft, across and down again. https://www.toolstation.com/cut-to-length-ev-ultra...
Can it be run upstairs into the loft and then down the side of the house?
biggiles said:
Sheepshanks said:
gmaz said:
It will be a 6mm with data so not very easy to thread through narrow spaces.
https://www.toolstation.com/cut-to-length-ev-ultra...
Can it be run upstairs into the loft and then down the side of the house?
Wish I'd known about that cable a few years ago - when our house was refurbed I asked for the cabling to be put in for a charger and the electrician just ran some 6mm twin and earth - it goes from the meter / CU at the mid-back of the house to the mid-front, easy while the ceilings were down. The only way I can think to run the data cable now is outside then up to the loft, across and down again. https://www.toolstation.com/cut-to-length-ev-ultra...
Can it be run upstairs into the loft and then down the side of the house?
They also use upto two of the twisted pairs in the data cable to connect CT clamps in the panel so the charger knows the house consumption and throttles back if you get close to the main fuse rating.
The second pair is for a CT clamps if you have solar panels.
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