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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
Do the wiring regulations permit a 13amp ring main spur to start at the consumer
unit. i.e. The two ring main cables, and the spur cable would connect together at the consumer unit. -- Michael Chare |
#2
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
"Michael Chare" wrote in message ... Do the wiring regulations permit a 13amp ring main spur to start at the consumer unit. i.e. The two ring main cables, and the spur cable would connect together at the consumer unit. Why not put the spur on its own mcb for better protection, organisation and neatness, if you have a spare mcb slot of course. |
#3
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
"Doctor Drivel" wrote in message
... "Michael Chare" wrote in message ... Do the wiring regulations permit a 13amp ring main spur to start at the consumer unit. i.e. The two ring main cables, and the spur cable would connect together at the consumer unit. Why not put the spur on its own mcb for better protection, organisation and neatness, if you have a spare mcb slot of course. Yes, - but I knew that I could do that! - I may have to if I can't get three wires into the fuse box terminal. -- Michael Chare |
#4
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
In article ,
Michael Chare wrote: Yes, - but I knew that I could do that! - I may have to if I can't get three wires into the fuse box terminal. They tend to be the same size as those in sockets, so will take 3 x 2.5mm cables ok. -- *A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#5
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
They tend to be the same size as those in sockets, so will take 3 x 2.5mm cables ok. IME, they tend to be a good deal larger than that on modern CUs... the screw connection on the top of the MCBs tesds to be common across the range regardless of the actuall MCB rating. Hence are usually good for a 16mm^2 cable, and the neutral bus bar will usually have at least some locations that will take that size. (much depends on the type/age of CU we are talking about here) -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#6
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
"Michael Chare" wrote in message news "Doctor Drivel" wrote in message ... "Michael Chare" wrote in message ... Do the wiring regulations permit a 13amp ring main spur to start at the consumer unit. i.e. The two ring main cables, and the spur cable would connect together at the consumer unit. Why not put the spur on its own mcb for better protection, organisation and neatness, if you have a spare mcb slot of course. Yes, - but I knew that I could do that! - I may have to if I can't get three wires into the fuse box terminal. If the spare slot is there use it, and do it professionally. |
#7
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
Doctor Drivel wrote:
If the spare slot is there use it, and do it professionally. Do stop talking crap. A spur is a perfectly legal and acceptable way of extending a ring final circuit. There is no reason said extension can not be taken from the consumer unit if that is the most logical place to take it from. The choice of how to feed the circuit should be decided by the intended use of the extension, and where it logically "fits" in the whole design. For example it may make far more sense if adding one extra socket to a "downstairs" power circuit to keep if fed from the same MCB as all the other sockets. Otherwise you create an additional safety risk when a future maintainer comes along and turns off the downstairs socket circuit without realising that one of them is fed from its own MCB that some plank forgot to label. If however you are adding a supply for a set of interlinked smoke detectors then that would be far better taken from a dedicated MCB. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#8
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
"John Rumm" aka Pat-n-Dave wrote in message ... Doctor Drivel wrote: If the spare slot is there use it, and do it professionally. Do stop talking crap. A spur is a perfectly legal and acceptable way of extending a ring final circuit. He is taking a cable into a CU with a spare mcb slot. All he has to do is buy an mcb and keep that circuit separate. Neat and easy and not ramming too many cables into one terminal. The professional way of doing it. |
#9
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
Doctor Drivel wrote:
"Michael Chare" wrote in message ... Do the wiring regulations permit a 13amp ring main spur to start at the consumer unit. i.e. The two ring main cables, and the spur cable would connect together at the consumer unit. Why not put the spur on its own mcb for better protection, organisation and neatness, if you have a spare mcb slot of course. Stupid boy! Why not answer the question? Dave |
#10
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
Michael Chare wrote:
Do the wiring regulations permit a 13amp ring main spur to start at the consumer unit. i.e. The two ring main cables, and the spur cable would connect together at the consumer unit. Yes, that is allowed. The spur can of course only feed one single or double socket, or one item of fixed equipment. -- Andy |
#11
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 13:52:09 +0000, Andy Wade
wrote: Michael Chare wrote: Do the wiring regulations permit a 13amp ring main spur to start at the consumer unit. i.e. The two ring main cables, and the spur cable would connect together at the consumer unit. Yes, that is allowed. The spur can of course only feed one single or double socket, or one item of fixed equipment. Does that also apply to taking a feed for a light in the cupboard the cons unit is fitted from one of the lighting circuits in n the cons unit .. Stuart -- Shift THELEVER to reply. |
#12
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
Stuart wrote:
Does that also apply to taking a feed for a light in the cupboard the cons unit is fitted from one of the lighting circuits in n the cons unit .. Yes - but bear in mind that it's a good idea to have such a light on a different circuit to the other surrounding lighting. -- Andy |
#13
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 23:03:35 +0000, Stuart
wrote: On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 13:52:09 +0000, Andy Wade wrote: Michael Chare wrote: Do the wiring regulations permit a 13amp ring main spur to start at the consumer unit. i.e. The two ring main cables, and the spur cable would connect together at the consumer unit. Yes, that is allowed. The spur can of course only feed one single or double socket, or one item of fixed equipment. Does that also apply to taking a feed for a light in the cupboard the cons unit is fitted from one of the lighting circuits in n the cons unit .. If you were feeding a light from a ring circuit, then the connection would have to go via a fused spur unit with 3A fuse. A better solution would be to connect the light to one of the lighting circuit MCBs - normally 6A A better solution still would be to make the light a maintained emergency fitting and to have it switched on when you open the cupboard door. Little 8W ones are available for about £18. -- ..andy |
#14
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
Andy Hall wrote:
A better solution still would be to make the light a maintained emergency fitting and to have it switched on when you open the cupboard door. Little 8W ones are available for about £18. Oh, the door switch is a nice wrinkle I had not thought of doing ;-) (works well in fridges I guess) Out of interest where can you get maintained fittings for £18? (I know TLC do non maintained ones for that sort of money[1], but not seen a maintained one at that price) [1] I needed a bog standard rectangular fluorescent bulkhead type fitting for a friends garage/workshop the other day, so I bought one of the newer cheaper non maintained ones they added to the catalogue recently. IIRC was about £14 instead of the normal £20 for the Legrand ones. It was actually a *much* better design from the POV of the installer. The base could be fixed in place and the the main module with tube and Tx etc fixed in place and then hinged down for wiring. Hence you did not need to play the game of dangle a 'kin heavy fitting from the supply wires). -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#15
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 01:57:07 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote: On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 23:03:35 +0000, Stuart wrote: On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 13:52:09 +0000, Andy Wade wrote: Michael Chare wrote: Do the wiring regulations permit a 13amp ring main spur to start at the consumer unit. i.e. The two ring main cables, and the spur cable would connect together at the consumer unit. Yes, that is allowed. The spur can of course only feed one single or double socket, or one item of fixed equipment. Does that also apply to taking a feed for a light in the cupboard the cons unit is fitted from one of the lighting circuits in n the cons unit .. If you were feeding a light from a ring circuit, then the connection would have to go via a fused spur unit with 3A fuse. A better solution would be to connect the light to one of the lighting circuit MCBs - normally 6A A better solution still would be to make the light a maintained emergency fitting and to have it switched on when you open the cupboard door. Little 8W ones are available for about £18. I was intending taking it from the lighting circuit mcb but as someone else said a better idea would be to use a spare mcb so it's on it's own . Stuart Shift THELEVER to reply. |
#16
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
Stuart wrote:
I was intending taking it from the lighting circuit mcb but as someone else said a better idea would be to use a spare mcb so it's on it's own . If you go for an emergency light fitting like that which Andy described, then it makes most sense when powered from the lighting circuit that feeds the lights that normally illuminate the consumer unit. That way when you lose power to that circuit the light turns itself on for you, and you can still find the CU even though the other lights on that floor are tripped. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#17
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
In article , Andy Wade
writes Yes, that is allowed. The spur can of course only feed one single or double socket, or one item of fixed equipment. Wouldn't that mean the spur would be fed from a 32A MCB (since the OP is talking about connecting the spur to the same MCB as a ring final circuit), and thus be incorrect? I'd have said that a spur wired using 2.5mm cable should have a 16A or 20A breaker. |
#18
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
In article ,
Mike Tomlinson wrote: Yes, that is allowed. The spur can of course only feed one single or double socket, or one item of fixed equipment. Wouldn't that mean the spur would be fed from a 32A MCB (since the OP is talking about connecting the spur to the same MCB as a ring final circuit), and thus be incorrect? I'd have said that a spur wired using 2.5mm cable should have a 16A or 20A breaker. In principle it's no different from any other spur on a ring. However, if the proposed new socket has easy wiring access to the CU (as is obvious) I'd say it would also be easy to incorporate it into the ring rather than making it a spur. -- *I speak fluent patriarchy but it's not my mother tongue Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#19
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Can a ring main spur start at the consumer unit.
Yes, that is allowed. The spur can of course only feed one single or
double socket, or one item of fixed equipment. Wouldn't that mean the spur would be fed from a 32A MCB (since the OP is talking about connecting the spur to the same MCB as a ring final circuit), Yes. and thus be incorrect? I'd have said that a spur wired using 2.5mm cable should have a 16A or 20A breaker. No. A shortish length of 2.5mm may be short circuit protected by a 32A Type B MCB, provided that alternative means are found to protect against overload current. Such overload protection may be downstream in the form of BS1362 plug top fuses, provided that only one accessory (such as a double socket or fused connection unit) is attached. Christian. |
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