DIYbanter - View Single Post - Ring Main Extension

Andy Wade

wrote:
We have just moved into a new 1960s house and the upstairs ring main
has been extended into the loft by drilling a hole through the wall of
the back of a socket in one of the bedrooms into the airing cupboard.

2 X 2.5mm T+E then loops round the loft and back to the socket. So..
in the back of my socket I have 4 pairs of wires attached.

This to me seems wrong.

It is wrong, unless there's only one single or double socket in the
loft. The extension is effectively an unfused spur and is subject to
the rules for same.

I would have added a junction box in the airing cupboard and then run
one of the existing wires to that. I would then loop from there round
the loft and back to the socket.

That's one option, to enlarge the ring, but be careful to check the
overall circuit length to ensure compliance on voltage drop and earth
loop fault impedance. Also, when modifying an existing circuit like
this in an older installation you need to check that the existing
earthing and bonding are adequate to ensure safety of the modified
circuit. If any sockets on the circuit are likely to be used for
portable equipment outdoors you'd need to add RCD protection (30 mA) if
there is none at present.

A second option, possibly easier and adequate, is to turn the illicit
extension into a fused spur by adding a fused connection unit.

--
Andy