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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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A ring main question
Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had
blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Dave |
#2
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A ring main question
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Dave wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Dave It will be a ring main - but only one for the whole house. Quite common for that period - although many, if not most, properties built at that time will have been upgraded and/or re-wired in the meantime. -- Cheers, Roger ______ Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks. PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP! |
#3
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A ring main question
"Roger Mills" wrote in message ... In an earlier contribution to this discussion, Dave wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Dave It will be a ring main - but only one for the whole house. Quite common for that period - although many, if not most, properties built at that time will have been upgraded and/or re-wired in the meantime. I only have one ring and this is an 80's house. Its not a problem. Even if I needed to heat the place there is so much insulation (now) a couple of fan heaters is enough. I sure as hell don't have enough appliances to draw 7.5 kw to overload the ring. There was a lack of sockets too, but they are easy to add. |
#4
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A ring main question
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:35:50 +0000, Dave
wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? A ring unless it was done by the Cisco Kid and Pancho. But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Sounds right for that era. |
#5
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A ring main question
Alang wrote:
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:35:50 +0000, Dave wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? A ring unless it was done by the Cisco Kid and Pancho. But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Sounds right for that era. Sounds like I'd better urge him to get a rewire done. Thanks Dave |
#6
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A ring main question
Roger Mills wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion, dennis@home wrote: "Roger Mills" wrote in message ... In an earlier contribution to this discussion, Dave wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Dave It will be a ring main - but only one for the whole house. Quite common for that period - although many, if not most, properties built at that time will have been upgraded and/or re-wired in the meantime. I only have one ring and this is an 80's house. Its not a problem. Even if I needed to heat the place there is so much insulation (now) a couple of fan heaters is enough. I sure as hell don't have enough appliances to draw 7.5 kw to overload the ring. There was a lack of sockets too, but they are easy to add. I'm sure that what you've got works perfectly ok. You can indeed have lots of sockets, all drawing relatively low currents, without any problem. However, it sounds as if the ring in the property mentioned in the OP is overloaded - although there's not enough information to be sure. Sorry, I forgot to add this info. The usual things that run 27/7 like fridge and freezer, but the fuse has popped twice while a 3 KW kettle, a medium sized fan heater running and the microwave was switch on to warm some milk. I regarded this as quite a light load for a ring. Dave |
#7
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A ring main question
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
dennis@home wrote: "Roger Mills" wrote in message ... In an earlier contribution to this discussion, Dave wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Dave It will be a ring main - but only one for the whole house. Quite common for that period - although many, if not most, properties built at that time will have been upgraded and/or re-wired in the meantime. I only have one ring and this is an 80's house. Its not a problem. Even if I needed to heat the place there is so much insulation (now) a couple of fan heaters is enough. I sure as hell don't have enough appliances to draw 7.5 kw to overload the ring. There was a lack of sockets too, but they are easy to add. I'm sure that what you've got works perfectly ok. You can indeed have lots of sockets, all drawing relatively low currents, without any problem. However, it sounds as if the ring in the property mentioned in the OP is overloaded - although there's not enough information to be sure. AIUI, current wiring regs place a limit on the floor area which can be served by a single ring - but a lot of properties obviously pre-date that and, in most cases, the electrics continue to work ok. -- Cheers, Roger ______ Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks. PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP! |
#8
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A ring main question
But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? [g] |
#9
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A ring main question
Dave wrote :
The usual things that run 27/7 like fridge and freezer, but the fuse has popped twice while a 3 KW kettle, 13A ++ a medium sized fan heater running and the 10A microwave was switch on to warm some milk. I regarded this as quite a light load for a ring. 6 -10A So that's a total load of 13 + 10 + 6 = 29amp as a minimum or perhaps as high as 36amps on a 30amp fuse wire(?) Not really a light load after all then for a single ring. -- Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L) http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk |
#10
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A ring main question
george (dicegeorge) explained on 17/12/2008 :
But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Its a rubbery coating for insulation, with a waxed cotton woven over the top for mechanical protection. -- Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L) http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk |
#11
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A ring main question
george (dicegeorge) wrote:
But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Yup, http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...ins_Cables#VIR -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#12
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A ring main question
On 17 Dec, 21:44, John Rumm wrote:
george (dicegeorge) wrote: But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Yup, http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...ins_Cables#VIR -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | * * * * *Internode Ltd - *http://www.internode.co.uk* * * * * *| |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | * * * *John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk * * * * * * *| \================================================= ================/ Remember it well - my father did a seriously major refurbishment of a property in the mid '50's and being a technical architect was aware of the introduction of ring mains. Two things stick out in memory - being the teenage slave who pulled and pushed fishwires down conduits, and then the local electrical guy doing a bit of moon lighting who probably hadn't any experience on ring mains and got neutral and line crossed over on one - was the first time I saw a reasonably big electrical bang! That house had 3 phase so one phase per floor, but I would like to think that like this situation a rewire has been done. Rob |
#13
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A ring main question
"robgraham" wrote in message ... On 17 Dec, 21:44, John Rumm wrote: george (dicegeorge) wrote: But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Yup, http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...ins_Cables#VIR -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ Remember it well - my father did a seriously major refurbishment of a property in the mid '50's and being a technical architect was aware of the introduction of ring mains. Two things stick out in memory - being the teenage slave who pulled and pushed fishwires down conduits, and then the local electrical guy doing a bit of moon lighting who probably hadn't any experience on ring mains and got neutral and line crossed over on one - was the first time I saw a reasonably big electrical bang! That house had 3 phase so one phase per floor, but I would like to think that like this situation a rewire has been done. Rob Wouldn't that have meant three meters? -- Graham. %Profound_observation% |
#14
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A ring main question
Roger Mills wrote:
Dave wrote: It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Quite common for that period And even later ... My house built in 1972/3 only had one ring circuit for the whole house and one lighting circuit (also radial for cooker, and radial which would have been to immersion) |
#15
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A ring main question
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:26:05 +0000, Dave
wrote: Sorry, I forgot to add this info. The usual things that run 27/7 like fridge and freezer, The actual consumption of a fridge/freezer isn't all that much - although it's switched on 24/7, in a stable state its duty cycle is probably only some 25% (at a guess) (apart from negligible things like LEDs) and it's not handling large heating-type loads. Wouldn't it be a nice idea if a fridge/freezer was able to deliver energy back into the Grid? :-) -- Frank Erskine |
#16
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A ring main question
In article ,
george (dicegeorge) wrote: But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Vulcanised Indian Rubber -- *If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends? * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#17
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A ring main question
On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:01:32 +0000 Frank Erskine wrote :
Wouldn't it be a nice idea if a fridge/freezer was able to deliver energy back into the Grid? :-) Given that fridges work harder in the summer, what's needed is for them to be able to pre-heat hot water. -- Tony Bryer, 'Software to build on' from Greentram www.superbeam.co.uk www.superbeam.com www.greentram.com |
#18
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A ring main question
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
george (dicegeorge) explained on 17/12/2008 : But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Its a rubbery coating for insulation, with a waxed cotton woven over the top for mechanical protection. That sounds more like PBJ than VIR http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...ins_Cables#PBJ -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#19
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A ring main question
Frank Erskine wrote:
The usual things that run 27/7 like fridge and freezer, The actual consumption of a fridge/freezer isn't all that much - although it's switched on 24/7, in a stable state its duty cycle is probably only some 25% (at a guess) (apart from negligible things like LEDs) and it's not handling large heating-type loads. The energy consumption is not too much, however it is worth noting that they use induction motors and hence the current can be higher than the power rating alone would suggest. The extra current does not cost you anything to run, but the fuse does have to carry it. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#20
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A ring main question
Dave wrote:
Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. Rewireable or cartridge? If the former has he rewired it with the right wire? It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? Once circuit was indeed common. At that age it may or may not have a ring, you can't tell without looking[1]. It probably has VIR cable, although it could be very early PVC (possibly with no earth (separate multi-strand uninsulated ones being common), or if it has and earth it will typically be undersized for adequate protection of any spurs. [1] At my previous place (built 1956) I rewired the next door neighbours property for them (other half of the semi), and that still had its original wiring (and about 8 sockets in the whole house!). That was all VIR, separate earth, and was wired as a radial with a 30A rewireable fuse for protection) -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#21
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A ring main question
On Dec 18, 2:38 am, John Rumm wrote:
[1] At my previous place (built 1956) I rewired the next door neighbours property for them (other half of the semi), and that still had its original wiring (and about 8 sockets in the whole house!). That was all VIR, separate earth, and was wired as a radial with a 30A rewireable fuse for protection) Was that out of the goodness of your heart, or to prevent their electrics burning your house down? :-) |
#22
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A ring main question
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:28:03 +0000, "george (dicegeorge)"
wrote: But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Yes. Still some about and bloody dangerous now |
#23
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A ring main question
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:18:53 +0000, Dave
wrote: Alang wrote: On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:35:50 +0000, Dave wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? A ring unless it was done by the Cisco Kid and Pancho. But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Sounds right for that era. Sounds like I'd better urge him to get a rewire done. at least get the system tested |
#24
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A ring main question
John Rumm wrote:
Dave wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. Rewireable or cartridge? If the former has he rewired it with the right wire? Rewireable and he mentioned a blue fuse holder and 15 Amp wire, which all fits together. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? Once circuit was indeed common. At that age it may or may not have a ring, you can't tell without looking[1]. It probably has VIR cable, although it could be very early PVC (possibly with no earth (separate multi-strand uninsulated ones being common), or if it has and earth it will typically be undersized for adequate protection of any spurs. [1] At my previous place (built 1956) I rewired the next door neighbours property for them (other half of the semi), and that still had its original wiring (and about 8 sockets in the whole house!). That was all VIR, separate earth, and was wired as a radial with a 30A rewireable fuse for protection) Dave |
#25
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A ring main question
Alang wrote:
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:18:53 +0000, Dave wrote: Alang wrote: On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:35:50 +0000, Dave wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? A ring unless it was done by the Cisco Kid and Pancho. But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Sounds right for that era. Sounds like I'd better urge him to get a rewire done. at least get the system tested I think he is getting some one in to look at it. He was the person that checked the wiring after his extension after it was built, so he must have some electrical knowledge. Dave |
#26
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A ring main question
Dave wrote:
Rewireable or cartridge? If the former has he rewired it with the right wire? Rewireable and he mentioned a blue fuse holder and 15 Amp wire, which all fits together. Ah, well blue would tally with 15A, however that explains why it blew so easily. His 3kW kettlw, fan heater fridge etc could easily add up to a 30A total load which would not be a problem on a typical power circuit protected with a 30A fuse (RED dots). However on a 15A rewireable fuse, a 30A load will probably cause it to blow in under 4 mins. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#27
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A ring main question
Martin Bonner wrote:
On Dec 18, 2:38 am, John Rumm wrote: [1] At my previous place (built 1956) I rewired the next door neighbours property for them (other half of the semi), and that still had its original wiring (and about 8 sockets in the whole house!). That was all VIR, separate earth, and was wired as a radial with a 30A rewireable fuse for protection) Was that out of the goodness of your heart, or to prevent their electrics burning your house down? :-) LOL. To be fair, there was an element of relief once it was done! The actual cable was in fact in pretty good condition given its age - most of what I saw was still reasonably flexible and rubbery (apart from near some of the terminations). The main problem was the general lack of capacity, and all the extra bits that had been hacked onto it over the years - the number of 13A flexes that had been poked into the old Mem CU and hooked up to whichever ceramic fuse was nearest gave some cause for concern! -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#28
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A ring main question
John Rumm formulated on Thursday :
Harry Bloomfield wrote: george (dicegeorge) explained on 17/12/2008 : But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Its a rubbery coating for insulation, with a waxed cotton woven over the top for mechanical protection. That sounds more like PBJ than VIR http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...ins_Cables#PBJ Not suggesting you ( or Wiki) is wrong, but - The plain rubber insulated - rubber covered 2c (or 2c plus earth), with an over all cover of rubber was simply known as rubber insulated. VIR (or VRI) was the single core cable with a cotton waxed outer which was drawn into conduit or installed in the wood channelling etc.. Installing the latter always left your hands with brown or black greasy stains from the wax impregnated cotton. You put a requisition in for 100 yds 3.029 VRI the latter was what you got. -- Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L) http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk |
#29
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A ring main question
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
John Rumm formulated on Thursday : Harry Bloomfield wrote: george (dicegeorge) explained on 17/12/2008 : But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Its a rubbery coating for insulation, with a waxed cotton woven over the top for mechanical protection. That sounds more like PBJ than VIR http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...ins_Cables#PBJ Not suggesting you ( or Wiki) is wrong, but - The plain rubber insulated - rubber covered 2c (or 2c plus earth), with an over all cover of rubber was simply known as rubber insulated. VIR (or VRI) was the single core cable with a cotton waxed outer which was drawn into conduit or installed in the wood channelling etc.. Hm, interesting one this; just been having a quick search to see what else turns up. In fact I can find references to both cable types being described as VIR (and the singles that you describe), which suggests that the wiki is probably being overly narrow in its definition... Also I can't find much reference to PBJ (apart from at Russ Andrews, so we can ignore that!). So perhaps that heading ought to go. (I have tweaked the wiki) -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
#30
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A ring main question
On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:56:25 GMT wrote :
I always knew it as TRS (Tough Rubber Sheathed). A replacement for the VIR and lead sheathed of the earlier generation. My understanding too: TRS is black and the outer sheath is a much denser rubber, similar to a car tyre. VIR is a softer rubber and lasts less well. -- Tony Bryer, 'Software to build on' from Greentram www.superbeam.co.uk www.superbeam.com www.greentram.com |
#31
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A ring main question
On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:56:25 GMT, wrote:
On 18 Dec, Harry Bloomfield wrote: http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...ins_Cables#PBJ Not suggesting you ( or Wiki) is wrong, but - The plain rubber insulated - rubber covered 2c (or 2c plus earth), with an over all cover of rubber was simply known as rubber insulated. I always knew it as TRS (Tough Rubber Sheathed). A replacement for the VIR and lead sheathed of the earlier generation. There was also CTS (Cab Tyre Sheathed), which was (according to my hard backed 1936 Sunco catalogue (which I must scan and put on the web some time)) "H.C. tinned copper conductors, each core insulated with pure and vulcanised india-rubber, then sheathed overall with cab tyre to I.E.E. Specification.", and was available from 1·044 to 7·064 as Single, Flat Twin and Flat Triple. VIR (or VRI) was the single core cable with a cotton waxed outer which was drawn into conduit or installed in the wood channelling etc.. I only met the wood channelling wit VIR once. It had to be re-wired pronto as it was blowing fuses incessantly. Wood channelling is still available in such as B&Q in the rack of wood mouldings. I know the GPO used to still stock it in the '60s for internal telephone wiring - the moulded (hardwood) cover was meant to be attached to the casing using tiny brass countersunk woodscrews (ISTR 1/2" x 2). Try getting an Openreach guy to do that nowadays :-) -- Frank Erskine |
#32
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A ring main question
Dave wrote:
Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Dave A good approach to inadequate capacity wiring was to mark the curernt consumption of the appliance in amps on each plug top. Then for the end user its easy not to plug too much load in at once. NT |
#33
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A ring main question
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#34
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A ring main question
In article
, wrote: A good approach to inadequate capacity wiring was to mark the curernt consumption of the appliance in amps on each plug top. Then for the end user its easy not to plug too much load in at once. Most end users wouldn't know what it is or how to calculate it. -- *It doesn't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#35
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A ring main question
On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:53:56 GMT, Harry Bloomfield
wrote: John Rumm formulated on Thursday : Harry Bloomfield wrote: george (dicegeorge) explained on 17/12/2008 : But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now is VIR that old style rubbery wire? Its a rubbery coating for insulation, with a waxed cotton woven over the top for mechanical protection. That sounds more like PBJ than VIR http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...ins_Cables#PBJ Not suggesting you ( or Wiki) is wrong, but - The plain rubber insulated - rubber covered 2c (or 2c plus earth), with an over all cover of rubber was simply known as rubber insulated. VIR (or VRI) was the single core cable with a cotton waxed outer which was drawn into conduit or installed in the wood channelling etc.. The only VIR I ever used was rubber insulated twin with a rubber outer sheath. Was used with those simplex light fittings you clamped over the cable with two prongs to stick in the conductors. I found plenty of the same stuff in the older houses we have bought over the years. Installing the latter always left your hands with brown or black greasy stains from the wax impregnated cotton. You put a requisition in for 100 yds 3.029 VRI the latter was what you got. Probably down as an allowed alternative in your buyers handbook (This is getting to be very much a thread on the right way to change a light bulb with some people sayingtheyshould be called lamps) |
#36
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A ring main question
Huge wrote: On 2008-12-19, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: In article , wrote: A good approach to inadequate capacity wiring was to mark the curernt consumption of the appliance in amps on each plug top. Then for the end user its easy not to plug too much load in at once. Most end users wouldn't know what it is or how to calculate it. Or the significance of it, even were it marked. teenagers cant even understand that leaving doors open cools their bedroom when the heating is from electric fires (not central heating) aaarrgh |
#38
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A ring main question
laid this down on his screen :
I only met the wood channelling wit VIR once. It had to be re-wired pronto as it was blowing fuses incessantly. I have a vague memory of the wood channelling being called something similar to 'cat and casing'. -- Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L) http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk |
#39
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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A ring main question
Alang wrote:
On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:18:53 +0000, Dave wrote: Alang wrote: On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:35:50 +0000, Dave wrote: Talking to my lunch time drinking companion, he mention that a fuse had blown again and couldn't understand why. It turns out that the house was built about 1958 and has only one fuse for the sockets upstairs and downstairs. Was this common then and does he have a ring or radial wiring? A ring unless it was done by the Cisco Kid and Pancho. But if done in 1958 it may have been done in VIR. If that is so the stuff is probably rotting by now There is a fuse for lights and another for the cooker. Sounds right for that era. Sounds like I'd better urge him to get a rewire done. at least get the system tested Pointles in as much as any 1950s install will fail on many points today. Pointful if it motivates him to rewire. Would definitely suggest bringing the report here to ukdiy before agreeing to anything - those PIRs are notorious for scare tactics, and we could explain what each point means in the real world. NT |
#40
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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A ring main question
Huge wrote:
On 2008-12-19, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: In article , wrote: A good approach to inadequate capacity wiring was to mark the curernt consumption of the appliance in amps on each plug top. Then for the end user its easy not to plug too much load in at once. Most end users wouldn't know what it is or how to calculate it. Or the significance of it, even were it marked. I guess I took it as obvious that when marking the plugs you'd tell them Just be thankful your end users have fuses popping rather than smoke coming out. NT |
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