How to power the garage

When you first purchased a garage, one of the issues that needs to be addressed is garage power supply. If the garage was originally connected to the electric network and disconnected due to violation of the contract for the provision of services to the energy supplying company, the process of powering the garage comes down to resolving the issue with the same company regarding reconnecting the garage to the electric network.

Otherwise, that is, if the acquired garage was not connected to electric networks and there is no electrical wiring, then it is necessary to supply the garage with electricity from scratch. In this article, we consider the features of the design and installation of garage wiring, as well as ways to connect the garage to the electrical network.

Garage wiring diagrams and other preparatory work

First you need to make a list of electrical receivers that are planned to be used in the garage. The first is lighting equipment. It is necessary to consider the number and place of installation of lighting devices in order to ensure optimal illumination of the garage space.

Perform lighting calculation in accordance with applicable regulations is inappropriate. The main task in this case is to ensure optimal and convenient placement of lighting devices. For example, it is necessary to install lamps to illuminate the desktop, a viewing hole, street lighting, etc. For each group of luminaires (luminaire), it is necessary to provide a separate switch so that if necessary, only those luminaires that need to be used in a particular case can be turned on.

It is also necessary to make a list of household electrical appliances, power tools, electrified machines and other electrical appliances that are planned to be included in the network. Then it is necessary to record the power consumption of each of the electrical appliances and consider the number and place of installation of the plug sockets to include them in the network. In this case, one should be guided not only by the load of power consumers, but also by the convenience of their further use.

It may be necessary to install separate circuit breakers to connect some power consumers. For example, for a grinder it is most advisable to install a separate circuit breakerby which voltage will be supplied to this power receiver.

Next, you need to determine the power supply circuit of sockets (circuit breakers) and lighting equipment. To connect several sockets that supply a relatively small load, you can use an intermediate junction box or connect the sockets with a cable. In this case, the amount of wire used is significantly saved, which is especially important if you need to lay electrical lines in a large garage. To supply the most powerful consumers, it is recommended to conduct a separate wiring line from the main distribution panel of the garage.

After that, we depict the wiring diagram of the garage, where we depict the wiring lines, sockets, protective devices.

More on the topic - Wiring diagram in the garage

What protective devices should be used to protect the garage wiring? Firstly, it is a circuit breaker that will protect the structural elements of the wiring from damage due to overload or short circuit. Secondly, this is a protective shutdown device that will protect a person from electric shock and protect against fire.

One of the most important stages is the choice of the rated parameters of protective devices, as well as the cross-section of all the electrical wiring lines of the garage.

When the wiring diagram is drawn up, it is necessary to mark the installation locations of the main switchboard, lighting devices, sockets, junction boxes, as well as routes for laying electrical wiring lines. The latter should be measured and recorded values ​​on the corresponding wiring lines shown in the diagram.

When acquiring structural elements of electrical wiring, a number of factors should be considered. For example, if there is a grounding conductor in the wiring diagram, then respectively the plug sockets are selected with grounding contacts. When purchasing a cable (wire) for wiring, you should pay attention to the compliance of the actual cross-section of the cable cores with the declared cross-section by the manufacturer.

As for residual current circuit breakers, its selection should be made on the basis of considerations of maximum protection of a person from electric shock. It is not recommended to choose an RCD with a differential trip current of more than 10 mA. You should also pay attention to the rated current of the RCD, which must correspond to the actual load current of a particular garage electrical wiring line. Otherwise, if a current leak occurs, the residual current circuit breaker may not work.

The method of laying garage wiring

The electrical wiring in the garage can be laid, both open and hidden. If when laying wiring in an apartment or a house, a bet was made on aesthetics, then in our case it is necessary to pay attention to practicality. Therefore, for the garage the most optimal option is to lay open wiring.

Among the advantages of open wiring, it is possible to note significantly less labor costs during installation compared to the process of installing hidden wiring, as well as the convenience of further maintenance, in particular diagnostics and repair.

For external wiring, as a rule, cable trays, ducts, corrugated pipes are used. It is also possible to install wiring on insulators pre-mounted on the walls of the garage. The latter method is outdated and in our time is practically not used, preference is given to the installation of electrical wiring in plastic boxes.

Installation of electrical wiring using plastic boxes is not difficult, and the wiring installed in this way is convenient to maintain.

Ways to connect the garage to the mains

Drawing up a wiring diagram is half the battle. The next question is how to connect the garage directly to the mains. So, how can I power the garage distribution panel?

If you live in the immediate vicinity of the garage, you can stretch the wire from the garage to the apartment and power it from the main distribution apartment panel. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the power limit defined for the apartment. If the power limit for your apartment is small, then you will not be able to fully use at the same time household electrical appliances of the apartment and garage.

In this case, there are two options for solving the problem. If possible, you can increase the limit of the power consumption of the apartment. If the energy supply company for one reason or another cannot increase the load limit, then the only option is to connect the garage directly to the electric networks.

The procedure for connecting the garage to electrical networks is more expensive and not always feasible. In accordance with the established procedure, an application is submitted to which a list of necessary documents is attached. Further, the energy supplying company gives an answer about the possibility and conditions of connecting the garage to electric networks.

If the garage is located on the territory of a private house, then it is connected to the electric network, as a rule, from the main distribution panel of a private house. In this case, as in the case of connecting the garage to the electrical panel of the apartment, it is necessary to be guided by the load limit defined for the house.

See also:Schemes for connecting sockets in the apartment and house