Mounting new points in colorbond shed- ideas?

[JDub]

Hi all,

Just after some ideas on how to best mount new powerpoints in a colorbond shed (all steel including framing).

I dont plan to line the inside of the walls.

Obviously you would use the standard plastic mounting blocks but what is the best way to mount them to the walls etc?

Run timbers on top of the side wall girts and mount to that?

How have you done it? Ideas (pics even) would be appreciated......

(BTW I am running the wires and conduit and my sparkie is wiring )

Cheers
Joel

[silentC]

I got the sparky to run his cables in the girts and I cut some sheet metal plates the right size to mount a PP block and screwed them to the flanges on the girts.

You could run conduit for the cable in the girts. What I did was just ran bare wires and then cut some zinc sheet into cover strips. Helps that my BIL runs a sheet metal business. You could use MDF or something.

Are your girts hat section, or is it rectangular bar?

[DJ’s Timber]

My sparky screws the mounting box directly onto the girts and puts a blob of silicone over the head of the screw to insulate it. The conduit then runs inside the channel section of the girt with the wires coming in thru the back of the box.

[JDub]

Are your girts hat section, or is it rectangular bar?

Havnt got em yet but I believe they will be 'top hat' style......

[custos]

For my colourbond shed I framed the inside using cheap F7 KD hardwood -- 80 x 55 I think from memory, the standard house framing stuff that's dirt cheap from Bunnies. It made the shed rock solid for a start but also gave lots of places to attach hooks, tool boards, power points etc. I ran framing along the bottom and top of the walls, uprights every 2-3 feet, and batons between them. I used self tapping screws to put it together in about one day, but if you have access to a framing gun that would be quicker and cheaper.

[silentC]

Same as mine. So you already have three sides of a conduit. I reckon some light guage zincalume sheet will be cheaper per metre than PVC conduit.

I got him to run a cable along the roof as well and hung three points from a chain to about 1900mm from the floor. Very handy.

[JDub]

Thanks Custos but......

I dont plan to line the inside of the walls.

[Jacksin]

I like you JDub did as much prep work when having my garage/workshop wired.

Yes I used the spacer blocks behind the power points. Its regulation here (I think) that sheds/garages have cables in conduit should they ever be lined, but as I will never line the walls the sparky didnt bother.

On the wall girts (light-steel C section) I drilled a 4mm hole, 10mm up from the bottom edge of the girt every 350mm along for him to fix the cables, tucked inside the C section, with cable ties. Same where he wired the lights along the purlins. I also used a 20mm hole saw and fitted a short piece of flex conduit where the cables entered or turned corners in the girts and purlins, and fitted a board near the door between middle and top girts for circuit breakers, light switches and telephone.

Good luck.

[Dan]

Whoever did my shed used weatherproof outlets (clipsal wsc227/2) mounted on the girt at chest height, then a bit of conduit bent in towards the wall sheeting so it sits in \_/ shaped section, the conduit goes up the wall behind the top girt where the cable emerges and is laid on top of the top girt until the next conduit.

The weatherproof outlets aren't really required but they have a better shed feel to them.

[silentC]

Its regulation here (I think) that sheds/garages have cables in conduit should they ever be lined, but as I will never line the walls the sparky didnt bother

Hang on, that doesn't make sense. If the shed is lined, ie. the cables are behind the lining, you don't need conduit but if the shed is never to be lined, all cables should be in conduit.

[Bleedin Thumb]

What I did was just ran bare wires ........
Are your girts hat section, or is it rectangular bar?

Boys and girls Silent actually means insulated wires not encassed in conduit.

[Doughboy]

JDub

In my shed I ran the wire in the channel of the 100mm top hat purlins and then simply cut 100 mm strips of peg board sheeting and tek screwed it on. Put the power points in and secured with regular screws.

I did put the wires for the hanging points in conduit but that is all.

Pete

[woodcutta]

JDub

I ran mine in conduit and into mounting brackets which were attached with pop rivets

Woodcutta

[Jacksin]

Hang on, that doesn't make sense. If the shed is lined, ie. the cables are behind the lining, you don't need conduit but if the shed is never to be lined, all cables should be in conduit.

Thats what I thought at the time silentC. But unless I am horribly mistaken my sparky explained the conduit was to protect the cables (should the shed be lined) from screws etc.

[silentC]

I'll ask my sparky when he comes to wire up my new office but that sounds counter-intuitive and it's the exact opposite of what he did. I've lined one bay of the shed for the office and all the wires are bare, just as they would be in the walls of a house, but anywhere that the wires run along the shed wall or ceiling with no lining, they are in conduit. He also made me fix my cover plates over the purlins where there were bare cables before we had the inspection done.