power point wiring

Hi!
It seems easy for some, but I have a problem with wire size for a power point.
The story is that I would like to attach to the roof frame (new home) a power point where I would connect lights and appliances if necessary.

I can see that near by, existing power points are wired together and caped in a box.

My understanding is that I can get power to the socket from those bundles in the box by connecting the appropriate size cable.

The closest of the boxes has the wiring to the wall oven and the microwave sockets.

I know the safety procedure that I should follow, and I am not worry about that, but I am concerned on which size of wire should I use for a 10amp power point and if another wire added to the "bundle" does not affect the power supply of the rest.

I have in store two flat cables with three wires (Black, Red and Green/Yellow) one with 1.1mm thick wires, and another that (I was told) did come from a 15Amp power point and has wires entwined.

Thanking you in advance for advice on how to go about it.

Ariel, It is pretty easy to do but take note:

1. Run the wire from the correct circuit. If you want to supply lights us the light circuit, you may legally also connect anything less than 150W to a light circuit as long as the socket (power point) is not close to the ground. I think this is the situation you describe. This allows the connection of fans and plug in lights. This does not allow IXL tastics etc. Light circuits use 1mm2 or now more commonly 1.5mm2

2. Use new cable, it is cheap so don't recycle. If you want to connect over 150W then you need 2.5mm2 twin and earth. A 100m roll costs $70 or so.

3. Leave the oven circuit alone. Legally lights and sockets are required to be RCD protected, the oven is not and one day someone will switch of the light circuit, play with the oven-powered light you've conected and get zapped.



If you want more advice let me know

Pulse

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pulse

3. Leave the oven circuit alone.

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Hear, hear!

Seriously, please listen to that. ;)

If you are having difficulty in understanding what cable size to use I suggest that you get the local licensed electrician to install it for you.

1. Peace of mind that it is installed correctly
2. You would not void your insurance if your additrion were to cause a fire
3. Any future owners of the house would have a correctly wired house

As you allready have the cable and outlet then the electrician will probably only be 1 hours charge.

Electricity usually does not gives second chances so err on the side of safety

The only safety procedure you need to worry about is how to safely pick up the phone and call a licenced electrician. It is unsafe for you to do this yourself.

Dan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DanP

The only safety procedure you need to worry about is how to safely pick up the phone and call a licenced electrician. It is unsafe for you to do this yourself.

Dan

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Hear bloody Hear!
A sparky once said to me an electicians M.O. would be like telling a plumber he's not allowed to get wet - ever. :eek:

Cheers
Michael

I agree with Dan P get an electrician do it. I spent 15 years in the UK as a sparky and come here and i cant get licenced unless i go back to scghool for 4 years.
That sucks, but if i go to NSW no probs at all i get licenced straight away.

BTW i do my own electrical works, as i know what im doing and im licenced in the UK. The adverts on TV say use a licenced electricain( doesnt say it has to be in Aus)

Don't mess with it. Its one thing to know the regs but another thing completely to competently install wiring etc.

Thanks to everyone's reply, however this is a reply to Pulse.

I will not be extracting power for a powersocket from any light cabling. I would not like to do that.

My idea is to take up power from a power supply cable, where the oven and the microwave are connected to in an entwined bundle having the wires ends with caps tucked in a covered box . My home has its electrical circuit board with RCDs.

The question is if the supply of power to other appliances is reduced by entwining another wire to the bundle.

Using 2.5 mm2 will allow me to get above 150W of power. But will that be fine to use on items of less wattage demand? As I understand, that much is available if need to be used. Am I correct?

Cheers to everyone!

I know that legally there is a limit to how mant points you can take off a circuit , or a mixed circuit how many lights / points are allowed and on a pure lighting circuit you are not allowed to have a power point.
After you reach the max you need to run another circuit,
How many points , lights etc are already comming off the circuit you are going to tap into ? , is it a lighting circuit or a mixed circuit, there is also rules as to how close to the roof you can have a power point or fixed light.

I am not trying to rain on your parade, I know it looks so easy to just wire in another power point, and I would think that a lot of forum members have done so , its just that if there was ever a fire and the investergation team found abnomalities with your wireing then any insurance you have may be void, even if it did not cause the fire.

Rgds

PLEASE listen to all the good advice here. You do NOT know a thing about power wiring. That is obvious. Don't play with it 'cos it CAN kill you. Or worse, some poor innocent some time in the future.

I am not a fan of government regulation, but in the case of power electrics it makes very good sense.

I'm sorry to have to say this but I think its foolhardy in the extreme for anyone to be giving advice to unqualified people on matters that could pose a risk of death or injury to anyone. If I was a qualified and licensed tradesperson in electrical, gasfitting or plumbing the only advice I would be giving on a forum such as this is to get a qualified tradesman to do the work. Other than that I'd say nothing.
Ubeaut and its principals would be liable under Autralian law if the advice given here to someone unqualified was to result in death or injury or if public safety were to be put at risk.
Its one thing to put up a stud wall or build a cupboard but tapping into public infrastructure is regulated for a reason and qualifications and licensing are required.
My two bobs worth.

Watch it Neil. ;)

Cheers
Mike

Once again please follow all the good advice that fellow forumites are giving you.

Call a licensed electrician and get the job done.

It should be less than $100 what price do you put on a life.

Ariel, you appear to have little understanding of electrical theory....

It is therefore potentially lethal for you to work with it.... you may also be responsible for the death of an electrician or a homeowner in the future, let alone fire etc.

Wiring is not just about physically twisting the wires together, or for that fact knowing the regulations. It is about safely providing electricity to the end user, and the rules and training are there from experience.

I think all people take responsibilty for what they do. You need enough insight to know your limits.

you are not an electrician, and don't appear to have the understanding of electrical theory to become one.


Call an electrician!!!!

Uhm, changing the topic slightly....Acknowledging of course that it is potentially lethal for the unqualified to do their own electrical wiring, and also acknowledging that there are plenty of unqualified people who do just that...

I find it interesting that people often state don't do it yourself because your insurance could be void....

Well I'd like to test that theory...I've been in my current home for three years. There were three previous owners before me....Anyone of them could have put in some illegal wiring (I know I certainly haven't).

If god forbid my home was to burnt down how would the insurance company go about proving that it was me or any of the previous owners...or perhaps negligence from a licensed electrician, who may of been hired by a previous owner and be completely unknown to me. An apprentice incorrectly supervised???

You see, when I bought this house I got a building and pest inspection, it says stuff like we don't inspect electricals, plumbing etc etc....But all seemed to be in workable order....

I would therefore propose that it would be extremely hard for an insurance company to prove who or who didn't install electrical wiring.

If we are going to say don't install electrical components yourself then say it because it is a dangerous thing to do if you don't know what you are doing. I do accept that many(all?) insurance companies will take up any excuse not to pay a claim. But they must act reasonably and within the law.

But them not paying because of illegal wiring does not stand up to one of the basic tenant of law - the reasonable person test. Would a reasonable person say that it was possible that any of the previous owners could be responsible for the illegal wiring - yes.

Is it reasonable that a home owner could be aware of any illegal wiring - no, afterall their not qualified, they had a house inspection, and lot's of the wiring is hidden from view.....