electrics..?

[storeysinfrance]

A few electrical questions – that I hope that someone on here will be able to answer in words of one syllable. First, though, apologies if the terminologies used aren’t precise.

All the re-wiring in the downstairs of our cottage (very simple because it comprises four runs of either two or three power points as well as two seperate lighting circuits) has been 75% completed.  We’ve used conventional 3-core brico-depot sourced cable – exactly the same as the people who totally re-wired the main house before us did and which passed the relevant inspections – as opposed to single strands bound together in gaine.

Questions:

Any wiring that’s being chased into walls will obviously need to be encased in gaine but… with some of the wiring to be hidden in the ceiling void – ie above where we’re about to plasterboard – can someone clarify whether that, too, has to be in gaine or not – given that this is simply replacing / renovating what was (more or less) there in the first instance.

Next… we’re a bit confused as to precisely which box we’ll need to get when we link back to the mains. Single rangee or double… can someone help out here? Pretty sure it’ll be single rangee and from under the selection marked renovee in the brico-depot handbook but… clarity / advice would assist here!

And… lastly… the incoming main has been tested and it’s a live inward feed & entirely separate from the main house. Thus, (besides the inevitable meter which EDF would supply / fit etc) what else is required twixt live inward feed and the box of tricks into which the cabling runs? If this last is a really daft question – apologies but we’d rather ask the gurus on here instead of being blinded by science or confused by gobbledygook & paying artisan rates when the vast majority of renovation work here has been & can be done by ourselves!

Thanks

N & N (24).

[Alcazar]

[quote user="storeysinfrance"]

 

Questions:

Any wiring that’s being chased into walls will obviously need to be encased in gaine but… with some of the wiring to be hidden in the ceiling void – ie above where we’re about to plasterboard – can someone clarify whether that, too, has to be in gaine or not – given that this is simply replacing / renovating what was (more or less) there in the first instance.[/quote]

 

It's my understanding that ANY wiring that isn't surface mounted, should be in a gaine. That also includes wherever cables pass through walls, and, I believe, voids.

 

 

[quote user="storeysinfrance"]Next… we’re a bit confused as to precisely which box we’ll need to get when we link back to the mains. Single rangee or double… can someone help out here? Pretty sure it’ll be single rangee and from under the selection marked renovee in the brico-depot handbook but… clarity / advice would assist here![/quote]

 

Box? As in "Fusebox", which is a misnomer, as I assume you'll be using circuit breakers, (mcb's)?

If that's what we are talking about, simply work out how many circuit brakers, and RCD's you need. A circuit breaker uses one "way" in a box, an RCD uses two. Buy whichever box fits best. Don't forget there are TWO types of RCD, type A and type AC. You MAY need both. Also, there are guidelines as to how many mcb's to put on each RCD. If it's only a small property, you could get away with ONE row of RCD's and mcb's, but you might be better with two rows, one for the type A RCD and another for the type AC. Blank off any unused ways, they may be of use later.

 

 

[quote user="storesysinfrance"]And… lastly… the incoming main has been tested and it’s a live inward feed & entirely separate from the main house. Thus, (besides the inevitable meter which EDF would supply / fit etc) what else is required twixt live inward feed and the box of tricks into which the cabling runs? If this last is a really daft question – apologies but we’d rather ask the gurus on here instead of being blinded by science or confused by gobbledygook & paying artisan rates when the vast majority of renovation work here has been & can be done by ourselves!

Thanks

N & N (24).

[/quote]

On my installation we have the meter, and another large white box which I have NO idea what it does, it doesn't feature in any publication I've ever seen. After that we have the EDF Disjoncteur differentielle, a 500mA RCD belonging to EDF, to which you connect YOUR live and neutral feeds to the "fusebox".

Hope this is of help.

Alcazar