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Taking Electrical Power From Roof Truss Area


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I'm wiring a mid rise scissor lift mid week,  I am sourcing electrical parts at the moment for the installation.

https://geg.co/product/platinum-scissor-lifts/?v=79cba1185463

The electrics are not a problem as the main cable to the garage has plenty spare capacity and the voltage drop is within specification as is the total load on the house consumer unit.

The garage consumer unit has an extra spare slot to connect the wire to and again the proposed consumer unit is well within the proposed load capacity.

I want operate the lift from the concrete apron out front, not an issue, I will install a weatherproof socket on a wall on the front of the garage or at the side of the garage. It will be sited to ensure there are no trailing electric wires.

The problem is using the lift in the garage as I do not want there to be trailing wires and the car will be at the front of the garage where the door is and no fixed wall to install a socket and say 4 metres from each side and the back of the garage.

Therefore I intend to run conduit along the roof trusses and have a trailing socket on a wire rope with the electric cable and socket fixed to it, I thought of having a simple clothes line to pull the wire up and  use a simple cleat to fix the clothes line rope and keep the electric wire out of harm’s way when it’s not needed.

DbksM8N.jpg

On the other hand, use some other proprietary cable dispenser that allows the wire to be pulled down and then it auto retrieve towards the trusses when the wire is no longer required.

Has anyone used anything like that in their garage?

 

 

 

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Nope, 100mm slot cut into the concrete floor carrying the electric feed and also the hydraulic pipes to the scissor twin rams from the motor controller on the wall.

Mick Richards

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Eddie,

most 2-post lifts use a sort of flat tunnel between the 2 posts for hydraulics and/or electrics. So another option to consider.

make sure you have the proper cable and protection if you do this.

Waldi

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7 hours ago, Eddie Cairns said:

Thanks guys, a few other ways to skin a cat!!!!

Aarrggh you can’t say that Eddie the millennial snowflakes will have palpitations, and will need counselling! 

Dave

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6 minutes ago, DaveN said:

Aarrggh you can’t say that Eddie the millennial snowflakes will have palpitations, and will need counselling! 

Dave

Just to help out a little .....

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Snowflake

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Well done chaps, that’s what’s been missing. Carry on!

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Hi, A self recoiling extension lead would possibly work quite well to supply your lift with power and offer some flexibility for other power requirements in the centre of the garage depending where you fitted it. (Up and over door permitting?). Adding a loop to the end of the wire would allow you to reach up and pull down the wire with a pole (sweeping brush) fitted with a hook. 

Curly cables tend to soon sag on their own but may work with the pulley you showed to give a tidy solution by feeding a cord down the centre of the curls.

Its difficult to tell from the lift data but the way you seem to want the move the hydraulic control box appears to rely on being able to unplug the hoses and control cables in order to store it away without the need to move the rest of it about. 

Cannot say with confidence, not knowing the layout of your garage. However an alternative way to protect the cables/hoses would be to raise the floor level with a concrete screed or slabs around your lift. This also reduces the profile of the lift which may help if you are regularly driving in and out. 

I've installed a few x-ray machines using steel trunking cut into floor in a way Waldi describes protected with a 3mm steel removable lids so I'm sure it would work in your case dependant on floor construction for hoses and cables. Galvanised 20mm conduit with a floor socket again cut into the floor is also an option for the power cable. 

Steve

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"Its difficult to tell from the lift data but the way you seem to want the move the hydraulic control box appears to rely on being able to unplug the hoses and control cables in order to store it away without the need to move the rest of it about. 

Cannot say with confidence, not knowing the layout of your garage. However an alternative way to protect the cables/hoses would be to raise the floor level with a concrete screed or slabs around your lift. This also reduces the profile of the lift which may help if you are regularly driving in and out. 

I've installed a few x-ray machines using steel trunking cut into floor in a way Waldi describes protected with a 3mm steel removable lids"

 

Illustrating sunk into the floor,

the wiring goes along the top of the wall (painted white) and down to the hydraulic controller and then the hydraulics down into the floor and a 100mm wide tunnel with 3mm steel lid cut into the concrete carrying the hydraulic pipes to the scissor rams (one under each ramp). The small yellow pipe just sticking up above floor level is where I connect into with pneumatics to operate the safety locks ( I just connect a small tyre inflator, only needs 60 lbs in the pipe with no volume).

My scissor lift weighs in at 550 kg and although you can move it on concrete unless it's glass smooth you'll find it will need 2 or 3 people to motivate it, and that's not counting lifting it out of the cut out in the floor. Once you have it in position you'll appreciate not having it above floor level, my Stag sits onto the ramps and there's about 8" of ramp sticks out either side, when it was above surface just enough to trip you when you forget about it, better where it is .

The garage looks a mess when you fit a scissor into the floor and start to lay tiles by squashing two cars and accompanying c r a p  equipment into space for one.

Mick Richards

P1010195.JPG

Edited by Motorsport Mickey
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1 hour ago, Waldi said:

Hi Mick,

I see you cleaned the front end of your garage:)

Waldi

:lol::lol::lol: ...you should have seen the mess on the drive also.

Similar problem we all get when you try and rework the spaces where you have cars and equipment stood,... trying to get a quart into a pint pot.  

Mick

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The ramp arrived at my mates today, it is going in his garage, the wires from the control panel to the electric locks on the lift were not connected to the control box.

The hydraulic umbilical was ready to connect to the lift and connected to the control panel.

There is no mains plug on the mains wire from the control box, I will use blue 16 Amp plugs and sockets.

Electrics are not his specialist subject, I will be there tomorrow morning and the fun will begin.

I believe you will expect pictures of the pantomime as it unfolds.

I will take biscuits as they come in handy in these projects.

 

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Re the fuse:

for many lifts operated at 230V, a slower 16Amp fuse (“automate”) is required, otherwise the fuses will blow.

I’m not sure if you use the same system, but standard here are B16 and slower are C16; they fit in the same housing.

Waldi

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We had a look at the ramp and the mains cable connected to the control panel had no plug on it. We added a blue 16 amp round plug. We had to remove the top of the control panel and wire in all the control wires in the umbilical to the internal control panel connectors, they were all numbered so that was easy, then we had to remove an access panel, drill it and fit a grommet and feed the electrical umbilical through the panel, I thought that the access panel should have been pre drilled and grommeted.

My friend had what I thought was 6mm twin core and earth cable to run from the garage consumer unit to a junction box at the top of the far side of the garage door that we would connect the trailing flex. I had brought a small electrical junction box with me that was just too small to get the cable into.

The cable was 10mm twin core and earth cable and the conductors were a neat fit in the consumer unit screw secured connectors and that was with the screws screwed out to their maximum. I had then to travel into town to purchase a larger junction box with large 30amp chock block connectors and larger cable clips.

My friend wanted to be able to take the lift outside the garage to use it on the concrete apron if required, therefore from the junction box at the far end of the garage door from the consumer unit, we installed a trailing lead of 2.5mm blue coloured flex that has a capacity of 27 amps. We terminated it with a 16 amp round trailing socket and it reaches just above the floor. We may change this cable in the future after he has used the lift for 6 months or so but that will require the clearing of a “home area” for the control unit to be created by my friend.

With regards to Waldi’s comments on fusing, at home we have a modern electrical setup. I have a two-post lift and the mcb fitted in the garage consumer unit to protect the lift was a 16 amp type C, it would disconnect when the lift was raised. I replaced it with a 20amp type C mcb and there were no issues after that. The mains feed to the lift at home has a capacity of over 35 amps.

My friends garage has the old fashioned rewireable fuses in the garage consumer unit. His lift has a very soft start and is happy with a 15 amp fuse wire in the supply.

Rewireable fuses are still legal in the UK and my friend would not entertain a new consumer unit in his garage!

 QHh09pF.jpg

 

The lift as unpacked without extension plates installed.

 cCJWY72.jpg

A view of the control panel.

 Ze8O15c.jpg

The lift lifted off the floor to remove packing pieces

 

 r9yTNGk.jpg

 

The first job for the lift peeking through the door

Overall, I thought the umbilical could be quickly disconnected but it now appears that the umbilical is basically a fixed installation at both the control panel and lift ends and without a good bit of modification. I now see why Mick has cut a slot in the concrete floor to cover the umbilical. In the short term I think something similar to a two post lift centre cover may be put in place until my friend has used the kit for a few months.

The lift started up without problems but would not lower even when the electric locks disconnected. A quick call to the supplier sorted that by increasing the rate of hydraulic fluid volume draining during the decent. All is now well with the lift.

Edited by Eddie Cairns
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