If the commando was intended to be used for electric car charging you would still need to comply with latest regulations - such as Type B RCD and earth rod. However, with the Ohme cable £199 from Octopus (special offer) it could work out cost comparable with an OLEV charger, easier to take when you move house and optimised for TOD tariffs.

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WHY IS THERE THE NEED FOR AN EARTH ROD FOR EV CHARGING AND NOT FOR A CARAVAN (or have I got that wrong?)

 

I have said a couple of times before if I were in the situation of having to pay for a new installation I'd do it like this. I'd probably make my own lead/brick too, which isn't hugely difficult if you've a mind for that sort of adventure.

 

My electric meter is in my garage so I thought I could just tell the sparks it was for a caravan. I forget to include the RCD which off course it would need. I have read on another site a kitchen fitter with part "P" could do this for next to nothing?????????

 

You can break electric regulations at your will, you just need to balance the risks versus cost. On PME the risk of an upstream neutral fault are low but do occasionally occur.

Bear in mind, that if you plan to sell your house in next few years leaving a charging point may add to the saleability. We plan to leave the Type 2 Chargemaster - unless the buyer asks otherwise.

 

If I hadn't already replaced the ex-Ampera charger with a Podpoint, I probably would have ordered the Ohme at £199 and used a commando (with existing earthrod, etc). Not sure how you secure the Ohme unit as would have wanted to leave in place. Also not as tidy, but it is a bit out of sight in our case.

 

I wish that requirement were clear. Mine has no earth rod. I still don't really understand why its absence is a concern when the car monitors n/l and will shut down if there is a change.

 

My understanding of the issue is that on TN-C-S an upstream PEN break could cause the house earth to float up to 230V vs true earth due to resistive devices on the supply. In the house everything is at house earth (due to bonding) so not a safety risk.

Outside, the house earth is connected to the car (when plugged in) so someone touching the car could get a shock as they are standing on true earth. The RCD does not operate in this scenario.

 

Just buy a secondhand wall charger and put a plug on that.

Yes, put a 3 phase plug on a CM in the workshop.

 

My understanding of getting a part"P" qualified kitchen fitter means that they are qualified to do the "notifiable work" but unlike where I would have to pay "£140 or something" for building regs they pay the society to which part "P" kitchen fitters belong something like a £1.
I would at first just be using a granny charger and this would be a lot safer than using a 13amp 3 pin socket. I have read of melted plugs and sockets on here.
But at the end of the day like most people I want to be safe and do the job as cheap as possible. A job I could actually do myself but am not allowed to.

 

My understanding of getting a part"P" qualified kitchen fitter

There is no such thing. Since 2013 most kitchen electrical work no longer falls under Part P. For an explanation see link below.

Part P of the Building Regulations Explained | Electrical Safety First

A complete guide dedicated to Part P of the Building Regulations including answers to some frequently asked questions.

www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk

There is now a course for EV charging.

Blue: Domestic EV Car Charging Point Installers Package

Looking to move into the growing market of EV car charging point installation? This courses is set up specifically for new entrants to train from scratch.

www.tradeskills4u.co.uk

 

The silly thing is right above my smart meter is a 32A fuse on a separate circuit on meter tails from the henleys to a 7kw shower. Installed in the 80's by Yorkshire Electricity Board the sticker says. It is on the house's standard earth and if the shower was still fitted on it we would be getting in that water.? As I suppose most people still do.?

 

The silly thing is right above my smart meter is a 32A fuse on a separate circuit on meter tails from the henleys to a 7kw shower. Installed in the 80's by Yorkshire Electricity Board the sticker says. It is on the house's standard earth and if the shower was still fitted on it we would be getting in that water.[emoji16] As I suppose most people still do.[emoji16]

I assume your shower is inside the house and not in the garden and that you park your car on the drive?
I'm not an electrician and I don't fully understand the earth issue but if the charger is inside the garage and you can only charge the car inside the garage you don't need an earth rod, if I understand it correctly.
The earth rod is there to protect you if there was a fault, the earth rod would take the current not your body.
As I understand it the risk is very small, the chance of there being a fault that could kill you is very low but for the cost of an earth rod and a little of the electricians time installing it I can't see the point taking the risk, and I'm not one to be Dr protective.
I've seen the cost of chargers climb considerably since I had mine fitted but if I was wanting to keep the cost right down and do it the cheapest way possible I'd still be installing an earth rod. There must be better ways to save a few £.

 

As I posted in another thread, my builder’s electrical sub-contractor installed my EV charger on a 32 amp socket ring main. This has now been resolved with a 65amp standalone connection to my garage with a 40amp radial EV circuit. I am though left with the original garage 32 amp feed from the MCB. The sub-contractor now suggests that fitting a 32 amp Commando Socket would be safe for charging an EV. Reading this thread, I am guessing that his suggestion is not worth pursuing?

 

There is a risk of so someone touching a metal fence at the same time as they touch a EV. Likewise standing in water if the driveway is flooded.

 

Wiring a 32A plug to a granny charger is not a great idea, as the cable will only be rated for 13A, however a 32A outlet is potentially more useful and flexible than a hardwired charge point. As well as EV charging it might be handy if you're into welding.
For a domestic situaiton you should fit an interlocked one.

 

Wiring a 32A plug to a granny charger is not a great idea, as the cable will only be rated for 13A, however a 32A outlet is potentially more useful and flexible than a hardwired charge point. As well as EV charging it might be handy if you're into welding.
For a domestic situaiton you should fit an interlocked one.

Do I have to have an earth rod if I'm just fitting a Commando socket?

 

There's a risk of someone touching a directly grounded water pipe whilst turning the kettle off. Still not sure of the difference.

 

The water pipe is required to be bonded, so will be connected to the same earth system as the kettle.

 

The electrician who fitted my socket, who I told what it was to be primarily used for, said that it would need an earth rod fitting to be compliant.

 

Without even a mcb protecting it, never mind a rcd?