A modern garage cannot be imagined without electricity.
This is the part of the infrastructure that many car enthusiasts think about even at the stage of designing or building a garage. After all, most tools operate on an alternating voltage of 220 V.
How to officially install electricity in a garage?
Methods for connecting a garage to electricity
There are several ways to conduct electricity into the garage . This can be done legally or illegally. But we will tell you how to legally install electricity into the garage.
Today, even experienced car enthusiasts have abandoned dangerous experiments with illegal taps and connections. In addition, power engineers have learned to easily identify unauthorized burglars. Therefore, we act according to the law.
If the garage is cooperative, then the easiest way to solve the problem is to write a statement addressed to the chairman of the GSK and resolve the issue with the cooperative electrician.
If you connect to electricity bypassing the cooperative, for example, by running a cable from a neighbor in the garage, then sooner or later this fact will come to light and the offender will not have any trouble.
Owners of individual garages need to privately conclude an agreement to connect to electrical networks, issue a personal account, a book and pay for the electricity consumed.
Connecting the garage to the electrical network and installing an electrical panel
Electrical wiring in garages should begin at the distribution panel to which the main line will be connected. It is most often laid over the air, but installing the cable underground is also possible. The shield must be securely fastened to the wall with dowels or self-tapping screws, depending on the wall material. Automation is already installed in the fixed panel and DIN rails are mounted.
If the current in this area is three-phase, then the circuit breakers should have three phases. For single-phase current, a single-phase circuit breaker is installed. 40 A is quite sufficient current for a car garage. A terminal block with a zero line is then mounted on the DIN rail and a grounding block is connected. For sockets, 25 A packages are recommended, and for light bulbs you can choose a slightly lower power option. 16 A is quite enough here.
How to connect to electricity in GSK?
Installing lighting on the terms of a garage cooperative is as easy as shelling pears . You need to contact the chairman of the cooperative and coordinate the issue with the GSK electrician.
A specialist will come to your garage, check the garage connection and wiring for the presence of illegal sockets, and if everything is in order, he will simply connect the cable contacts in the distribution box from the common line to the input breaker or meter.
After sealing the input and the electric meter, a payment book and registration card will be issued at GSK . Next, the garage owner pays monthly receipts for consumed electricity.
If you are thinking about how to connect a garage to electrical networks without a power grid, then this method cannot be called legal. It is possible to join the power grid without going through the cooperative, but the secret will still become apparent and then the violator will be held accountable.
Clause 17 of the RF PP No. 861 interprets the norm for connecting to electricity in the GSK as a collective one. A simplified approach in this case can result in very serious problems, from fire to regular accidents on the line.
How much does it cost to connect to electricity at GSK? In relation to gardening and garage cooperatives, the fee for the technical connection of power receiving devices should not exceed 550 rubles, provided that no more than 15 kW is connected by a member of the GSK from one source of power supply.
Garage wiring diagram
When drawing up an electrical wiring diagram in a garage, you need to take into account the construction features of this room, but the main positions must remain unchanged. All power supply must be supplied through one common input circuit breaker, taking into account the loads of all outgoing lines.
An electric meter is installed on each of the lines or after the input machine, which is sealed by services monitoring the illegal use and theft of electricity. If this is a garage cooperative, then its administration monitors the voltage received by the consumer.
In order to protect a person from falling under an electrical potential dangerous to his life and health, a sensitive and fast-acting RCD device (residual current device) is used.
How to install electricity in an individual garage?
In order to connect an individual garage to the electrical network, you need to contact a resource supply organization. It does not matter who applies: an individual or an organization. The connection is made on a general basis, as stated in PP No. 861 dated December 27, 2004. The entire procedure consists of 2 stages.
Stage 1 - Obtaining permission
Conducting electricity anywhere (to a site, to a house, to a garage) is possible only after obtaining permission from the company supplying electricity. What documents are needed?
In addition to the application for connection, power engineers must provide:
- a copy of the owner's passport;
- a copy of the title deed;
- copy of TIN;
- a list of all devices available in the garage, indicating their power;
- technical documents for the garage;
- a garage plan, which shows the location of electricity poles, gas, water and sewerage pipelines and the places where the wiring is installed;
- consumption calculation.
The application and documents can be submitted in 3 ways:
- send by Russian post;
- bring it personally to the company;
- remotely.
The application is considered within a month (if submitted in person) or within 45 days (if sent by mail) . After reviewing the application, the supplier company will send the owner 2 copies of the contract for the provision of electricity connection services and technical conditions (TU). If everything is satisfactory, then the contracts must be signed, and one copy must be sent back to the company.
Everything must be clearly and clearly stated in the contract. The exact connection period must be indicated (no more than 6 months).
Stage 2 - Connection
On the appointed date, energy company specialists will come to the specified address and make a connection from the pole to the input switchboard, seal the meter and draw up a subscriber connection certificate.
The layout and installation of electrical wiring will be carried out in accordance with current standards and in compliance with safety regulations.
Connecting a building, garage (residential building) to electricity
This article will provide personal experience in connecting a garage to electrical networks in the city.
At one time, a garage was purchased, but there was no electricity in it. What kind of garage is this without electricity? That is why one of the first tasks was to connect this very electricity. So, I didn’t know the specific rules and SNIPs, and I didn’t want to know, so I was afraid that everything wouldn’t work out that easily. In addition, uncertainty also lurked from a legal point of view. However, it turned out that not everything was so bad. I will tell you about the history of connecting my garage to electricity in this article. It all started right after the new year. I will give the dates so that you can get an idea of how long the process takes and how long you have to wait. Telephone conversations or where to go first The day came when it was time to get down to business. The first calls were to the organization supplying electricity in our city, even if it was a certain one. As a result, after 2-3 calls, it turned out that we need to contact not the organization that supplies us with electricity, but the organization that provides precisely the technical side of the issue. It turned out that it was necessary to type “City Electric Networks”, namely “Department of Technological Connections”. It was around January 15th.
How to apply for connection via the Internet?
This service is provided on the website “https://portal-tp.rf” . Here you need to register, submit an application, send scans of documents (the list is indicated above).
There is also the possibility of a preliminary application with a calculator, indicating the amount of the bill for connecting to the electrical network. On this site you can also find out what documents are needed to provide electricity to the site, even if the garage has not yet been built, as well as the cost of electrifying the site.
Many owners have a question: “To install light into the garage from a pole, who should I contact?” We answer: you need to contact the company that supplies energy resources in your area. The procedure in this case will consist of the same steps as described just above.
The electrical company will run their cable from the line on the pole to the entrance panel on the wall of the garage. True, this method is not entirely acceptable, since meters on the outer wall of the garage are often simply broken by vandals. Therefore, there is a second option, which involves underground laying of the power cable in a metal pipe from a pole with a power line.
To do this, you will need to dig a trench 80 cm deep, place a pipe there and run a cable from the electrical panel to the pole. In this case, the pipe must rise above the ground by at least 2.5 m.
Garage lighting
In addition to connecting to the electrical cable, the owner also needs to think about how to arrange the lighting.
Which lamps to choose for the garage?
When choosing lamps, pay attention to 3 points:
- The luminous flux should be distributed evenly, which will avoid problems when parking a car and when repairing damaged vehicles.
- Consider the layout of the lamps in advance.
- Pay attention to energy-efficient light bulbs.
The most popular lamps today:
- energy saving;
- LED;
- halogen;
- luminescent.
The shape of the light bulbs can be different, depending on the wishes of the users.
Lighting installation
When creating a lighting scheme, consider the following details:
- In a garage, hidden installation is recommended. If this is not possible, then you can hide the wires in plastic boxes.
- Ceiling lamps require two-core cables with a cross-section of about 2 m².
- Make a lighting system with several switches. For example, one on the desktop, the other in the recreation area.
If there is a viewing hole in the garage, do not install 220 V lamps in it. It is unsafe. Low-voltage, moisture-resistant lamps are suitable here.
But in the gate area it is better to make the lighting brighter to make entering the garage more comfortable and easier.
How many lamps do you need?
Almost no sunlight penetrates into the garage, since, as a rule, windows are not installed here.
The main reason for the absence of windows is the desire to protect vehicles from prying eyes. That’s why it’s so important to create good artificial lighting here.
One lamp on the ceiling will not be enough. Dividing the room into zones will help achieve uniform lighting. Each of them contains 1-2 lamps.
For a small garage, the following lighting scheme is suitable:
- Installation of 2 lamps at the gate.
- One lamp is installed above the table with a workbench.
- Another (or several) lamp is located above the shelves with tools and spare parts.
It is recommended to mount the lamps not on the ceiling, but on the walls, so that parts of the shelf do not block the light.
Most often, owners prefer to install long lamps in the garage, which are covered with a transparent cover.
It is better not to use incandescent lamps, as the vapor from gasoline can cause the light bulb to explode or short circuit. The most important thing is to choose lamps with very thick glass.
Securing wiring in the garage
Connecting the garage to the electrical network involves the use of a corrugated pipe. How to firmly screw a corrugated pipe to the walls? The simplest option is to drill dowels into the walls, having previously calculated the required number so that the pipe does not sag, and having chosen a place for each. Then we attach special clips for the corrugation to the dowels.
Drilling should be done at the same level, this will help avoid damage to the wiring during further operation of the garage. You can also buy dowels with ready-made clamps for corrugation. If the garage ceiling beams are a channel or metal pipes, then you can attach the corrugated wiring to the ceiling and not to the walls, securing it to the profile after about half a meter with plastic clamps. Read also: wiring in a suspended ceiling.
Which meter should I choose for my garage?
The question of which electricity meter is best to install in the garage is quite pressing. At the time of connection, the owner must have an energy consumption meter on hand, so it must be selected in advance.
When choosing an electric meter, consider which devices will be used with what power . For example, if a workshop is set up in a garage, the power consumption will be higher.
Experts advise in this case to focus on a total power of at least 15 kW. If the garage is powered from the same network as a residential building, and a workshop is located in it, an electric current of 100 Amps should be distributed at the input.
In addition, the meter must withstand temperature changes and cold, since the garage is usually not heated.
When purchasing, make sure that the metering device complies with modern standards. The electricity meter must have a stamp in the passport, seals indicating the year of testing. The manufacturer's stamp and the date of inspection must also be included in the passport. The energy supplier will then put another seal on the meter.
It is also worth paying attention to the operating principle of the counter . Induction models, which are distinguished by their low price, reliability and durability, are considered classics of the genre. But their disadvantage is low accuracy, which can result in overpayment for electricity. Electronic products are more expensive, but they are quite compact and can be configured to several tariffs.
In addition, you need to take care of arranging an electrical panel with a machine. This is necessary in case of a short circuit. The machine will automatically turn off the power supply, securing the room. It is recommended to install it closer to the entrance.
Connection cost
The financial aspect is also important . How much does it cost to install electricity in a garage? The cost of funds depends on the price of the electrician's services. The average cost of connecting light to a private room is about 5,000 rubles. But the amount may increase if additional work is necessary.
In conclusion, it is worth adding that you need to connect electricity to the garage only by legal means, no matter how troublesome it may be. Unauthorized cable laying is fraught with unsafe consequences.