Folks,

I need to connect 3 x 10mm^2 T&E cables at a cooker outlet plate -
unfortunately, the MK one that I have can only accommodate 2 x 10mm^2
cables. I can make everything fit by snipping off 3 out of the 7
strands of each conductor - is it acceptable to do this just at the
point of termination, or does anyone know of cooker outlet plates that
will accommodate 3 x 10mm^2 cables?

Many thanks,
Graham

I need to connect 3 x 10mm^2 T&E cables at a cooker outlet plate -
unfortunately, the MK one that I have can only accommodate 2 x 10mm^2
cables.

Why are you attempting to attach 3 10mm cables at a cooker outlet plate?
This is not its designed purpose. Perhaps an alternative might suggest
itself if we know what you are trying to achieve.

Christian.

"Graham Gibson" wrote in message
om...
Folks,

I need to connect 3 x 10mm^2 T&E cables at a cooker outlet plate -
unfortunately, the MK one that I have can only accommodate 2 x 10mm^2
cables. I can make everything fit by snipping off 3 out of the 7
strands of each conductor - is it acceptable to do this just at the
point of termination, or does anyone know of cooker outlet plates that
will accommodate 3 x 10mm^2 cables?

Many thanks,
Graham

If you're feeding two 10mm Cables from just one other, then you're way over
the design limits of the load on the cable. One 10 mm Cable will definitely
"Not" supply two loads which require that size of cable.

Could you explain why you need three cables to connect at the one point ?

"BigWallop" wrote in message
...

"Graham Gibson" wrote in message
om...
Folks,

I need to connect 3 x 10mm^2 T&E cables at a cooker outlet plate -
unfortunately, the MK one that I have can only accommodate 2 x 10mm^2
cables. I can make everything fit by snipping off 3 out of the 7
strands of each conductor - is it acceptable to do this just at the
point of termination, or does anyone know of cooker outlet plates that
will accommodate 3 x 10mm^2 cables?

Many thanks,
Graham


CLICK make a "double" cooker outlet plate but I would like to know what you
are trying to connect up as this plate will not require 10mm cables.

Adam

Graham Gibson wrote:

Ed Sirett wrote in message ...
ARWadsworth wrote:

"BigWallop" wrote in message
...

"Graham Gibson" wrote in message
om...
Folks,

I need to connect 3 x 10mm^2 T&E cables at a cooker outlet plate -
unfortunately, the MK one that I have can only accommodate 2 x 10mm^2
cables. I can make everything fit by snipping off 3 out of the 7
strands of each conductor - is it acceptable to do this just at the
point of termination, or does anyone know of cooker outlet plates that
will accommodate 3 x 10mm^2 cables?

Many thanks,
Graham


CLICK make a "double" cooker outlet plate but I would like to know what you
are trying to connect up as this plate will not require 10mm cables.


I am at a loss to know what you have that requires 3 x 10mm cables.

I suspect that you are trying to use the outlet plate to supply both a
hob and an oven.
I think you'll find that perhaps the oven unit could be reduced to 4mm
or even a 13A plug on another circuit?

Apologies - I should have explained...

Essentially, I'm refitting my kitchen and have to move all my cooker
'stuff' about a foot to the right! At the moment, there is a 10mm
cable (from a 45A fuse in the CU) coming up through a bloody great
hole in the floor, then through a bloody great hole in the wall to a
45A switch, then a 6mm cable loops from that switch to supply another
45A switch, with several strands of each cable snipped off to make the
whole lot fit into the terminals of the first 45A switch. Each switch
then supplies its own outlet plate - one for a single oven and one for
an oven/microwave combi. This was as it was - nothing to do with me.

I can't take the original supply cable up to my new switch location as
it's too short. Being a new(ish) house, I can't get under the floor
and it would be an absolute bugger to have to replace the whole cable
back to the CU. My plan to neaten up the whole thing was to fix an
outlet plate to the wall above the skirting board, take the supply
cable into the front of that, then take one cable from that to one
switch and another cable from that to the other switch - essentially
using the outlet plate as a junction box to split the incoming cable
two ways. This also gets round the problem of trying to squeeze two
cables into the supply terminals of one 45A switch. As the supply is
45A, I thought it best to use 10mm throughout, but as I said
previously, 3 x 10mm conductors will not fit into an outlet plate.

However, my plans have changed anyway - I got the installation
instructions for oven and oven/microwave faxed through (they're on
order) and it turns out the oven/microwave is fitted with a 13A plug,
so problem solved - I can supply it from a socket, or a FCU and flex
outlet.

Were this probelm really needed to be solved. Then I guess you would

a) run two circuits from the CU at a lower rating - yeah right.
b) Use a Henley block to split the 10mm into two cables. You would have
to connect the earths with another connector and I expec that by the
book the whole lot should go into an enclosure.

I'm fairly certain that a 2.5mm cable can be run as a spur to a 13A FCU
from a 50A MCB circuit. There are problem some extreme margin cases
where this is not possible.



--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html

I'm fairly certain that a 2.5mm cable can be run as a spur to a 13A FCU
from a 50A MCB circuit. There are problem some extreme margin cases
where this is not possible.

Presumably short circuit protection at the end of the 2.5mm section would
require earth loop impedence that may be difficult to achieve with a long
length of 2.5mm. A type B MCB would require 250A to be sure of breaking. I
wish you could get "Type A" MCBs, particularly in large ratings. In a
domestic environment, these larger breakers are used for entirely resistive
loads (i.e. showers and cookers) where the elements are unlikely to have
inrush currents of any significance.

I would make these "Type A"s break instananeously at 1.2 nominal load and
have the thermal stuff still there for backup. There are many applications
where these would have considerably better fire safety than a Type B and in
some cases could allow longer runs of cable (where limited by earth loop
impedence rather than voltage drop). Designing for 5 times nominal load is a
pain.

Christian.