DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

I have recently move into a house with a substantial outbuilding and garage and want to use the outbuilding as an office. The electrics are fairly new and are rcd protected. The ring main in the outhouse has 7 double sockets on approx 60 metres of 2.5mm2 cable and is protected by a 32 amp mcb. I want to run a heater/air condition unit that draws 11.8 amps (manifacturers handbook) ,3 computers and fax/printer. As the cable is in run through insulated stud walls I believe that the cable can only support about 18 amps.

Am i in danger of overheating the cable as these items coud be running for 9-10 per day?

Am i better splitting the ring main into 2 seperate ring mains

I would be grateful for any advice

My guess is you may be overloading the circuits particularly due to the length of run. You may get a better response if this topic is posted to the electrics forum.

Last year 64% of the questions asked in our forum were answered within our DIY project pages at www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects.htm The project pages are now separated alphabetically and your answers are accompanied by diagrams and the ability to see, and buy, the tools and/or required to complete your project. Use our search box to look for your answer and save a great deal of time and money!