Shed power trip alarm

[scaredshedless]

Hi all, new here so hoping for some expertise! Forgive me if I'm not using the right terminology.

I am a biologist and I have a heated shed at the end of the garden to keep various things (tarantulas etc). This is on its own power supply from the house, with its own breaker switch.

Previously, we had a breaker board in the house that 'combined' all the circuits... so when the power tripped in the shed, all the lights etc would go off in the house. This was great as I knew when the power was off in the shed, but bad because we work from home and we'd lose internet, etc- horrible if we're in meetings.

We are now in an isolated breaker setup so if the power trips in the shed, we stay online (great!), but now I have no way of knowing about it. If we're asleep, there's nothing to indicate the power has gone off.

Does anyone have any ideas? I need a system where we are notified that the power has cut off from the shed to the house. We could get a WiFi extender, but obviously if the power cuts off that's off too! Distance is about 10 m.

 

[roys]

Mmm that’s got me thinking of clever ways to do this, You don’t happen to have a spare cable or duct running out to your shed do you?

 

[scaredshedless]

Mmm that’s got me thinking of clever ways to do this, You don’t happen to have a spare cable or duct running out to your shed do you?

Sadly no... it's a single armoured cable, circuit breaker, lights, sockets etc all coming off that.

I think I was told 40 amps (not that that helps!)

It would be easy with a second cable! I was even considering asking the last electrician to link the shed power to the lights or something in the house rather than isolating it completely.

Something on battery and Bluetooth registering the temperature in that room? Would it reach 10 m?

 

[roys]

Got an idea.
Aliexpress not that I’m a fan and don’t know the quality but they sell a current monitoring relay that can be jumpered to set its relay contact on high or low current. Your live wire that goes to your circuit breaker in the house passes through this relay this allows it to monitor the current, This will only work if you do have a load on in the shed if it every goes to zero load because of demand or a trip it would alarm.
This would take a wee bit of design to ensure safety but is very doable.
Aliexpress relay:
GEYA GRI8-05 DC Current Monitoring Relay straight-through 2A-20A AC24V-240V Over-current Under-current Protection
As I say just at the thought stage.
Where roughly in the country are you?

 

[Badger]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D9GKH...2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams&th=1


Found this online wondered if it was what your after regards badger

 

[roys]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D9GKH...2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWwp13NParams&th=1


Found this online wondered if it was what your after regards badger

But does that not need to be plugged in at the shed so he won’t hear it in the house

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Many years ago I did a very basic warning system for a remote garage with a large chest freezer in it...

A couple of plug-in 12v PSU's, a bit or 6core alarm cable between the buildings, a relay and a 12v high volume audible alarm...

PSU in garage keeps a normally closed relay contact held open in the house..
PSU in house feeds audible alarm via relay contact...
So if garage power was lost then alarm sounds in house..
Luckily the house gubbins could be fitted in the downstairs loo by kitchen!

This worked fine for many years, until a couple of years ago when they had a building extension done so it was no longer required..

BUT.. basically you needed a cable between house and remote building!

 

[roys]

Yip that’s what I was thinking about as well but like you, when he said no spare cable I binned that idea, that’s why I am thinking about current monitoring at the house end.

 

[poni]

this is the sort of thing you need

 

[roys]

this is the sort of thing you need

That looks like a neat solution providing you can set an alarm set point on the app.
Certainly gave the OP plenty to think about.

 

[Geoff1946]

Where is the rcd for the shed located? In the house, or in the shed? If it's in the house you could have a single socket wired into it specifically for a simple audio alarm.

 

[binky]

I was thinking of a wireless alarm system, mains powered in the shed, with a phone app. If the mains goes off, it will think it's under attack.

 

[Murdoch]

If you can see the shed then maybe an emergency light? It would only come on when the power goes off ?

 

[Andy™]

I was thinking of a wireless alarm system, mains powered in the shed, with a phone app. If the mains goes off, it will think it's under attack.

an alarm that has main failure its not designed to think its under attack. its a maintenance issue and most could be programmed to send a push notification if the mains does fail

 

[michael8554]

A small mains Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) ?

 

[scaredshedless]

Where is the rcd for the shed located? In the house, or in the shed? If it's in the house you could have a single socket wired into it specifically for a simple audio alarm.

There are two (as I said, I'm not an electrician so hope I'm answering what you asked!)

There's the main one in the house, which has isolated circuits for the lights, kitchen, shed, etc... and then there's the one in the shed that has one for plugs (power tools), one for the the heated area.

How would i wire a single socket into the house bit without a qualified electrician?

 

[scaredshedless]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions so far!!!

As the two circuits up there are separate, if the heaters short out then I could rig up a WiFi extender and a sensor on the 'isolated' plugs to let me know... but I'd prefer a system that tells me if the whole lot shorts.

I had a plug in the house that alarmed when the house power went out (which told me about the shed), so it's a shame there isn't something like that over long distances. I would have thought there's something for, say, sick people for when support machines fail?