Is it safe to spur?

[Alan Stirrup]

I want to put an inline booster pump into the bathroom hot water supply due to low pressure. I need to take a single spur from a double socket into the ceiling cavity where it'll be fixed to a joist approximately five foot away from where the pump will be located. The double socket that the spur would be run from will have three wires in each terminal (two of each from the ring and one of each for the spur) which seems a bit excessive to me, would this be safe or is there a better way of doing it? Cheers.

 

[IAmSparkytus!]

I want to put an inline booster pump into the bathroom hot water supply due to low pressure. I need to take a single spur from a double socket into the ceiling cavity where it'll be fixed to a joist approximately five foot away from where the pump will be located. The double socket that the spur would be run from will have three wires in each terminal (two of each from the ring and one of each for the spur) which seems a bit excessive to me, would this be safe or is there a better way of doing it? Cheers.

Sounds acceptable is it definitely a ring?

 

[Alan Stirrup]

Sounds acceptable is it definitely a ring?

Yes, although the house is 30 years old and has all the original wiring which worries me.

 

[Jock from the north]

Yes, although the house is 30 years old and has all the original wiring which worries me.

30 years isn't old .I'm sure the insulation on the pvc is as good as the day it went in.its only 10 years older than harmonisation .the alteration of the circuit would also need to comply with current regs ie rcd protection .not sure what you have in place

 

[Alan Stirrup]

30 years isn't old .I'm sure the insulation on the pvc is as good as the day it went in.its only 10 years older than harmonisation .the alteration of the circuit would also need to comply with current regs ie rcd protection .not sure what you have in place

This is what would be protecting it, Jock.

 

[Moley]

Why have the two socket breakers gone from 'Sockets Down' & 'Sockets Up' to 'All Sockets' ? Does it mean that if either are on all sockets work? If so you have a problem somewhere.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

This is what would be protecting it, Jock.

Alan, that looks really dodgy having a the same label over 2 breakers.
You're posting in the electricians part of the form so I'm guessing you are an electrician. I'd swap this to the DIY section if that's not the case, you'll get more relaxed answers. Just get your testers out, make sure its a ring, make sure both MCB's are not interlinked, make sure it has (working) RCD protection etc etc.

 

[Jock from the north]

This is what would be protecting it, Jock.

Oh dear.

 

[Jock from the north]

This is what would be protecting it, Jock.

Is there an rcd to the side of it protecting half the board

 

[Jock from the north]

Why have the two socket breakers gone from 'Sockets Down' & 'Sockets Up' to 'All Sockets' ? Does it mean that if either are on all sockets work? If so you have a problem somewhere.

Could be that sockets have been added downstairs from the upstairs ring or vice versa by the previous owner and/or completed an eicr and in the interests of safety has decided to mark them all sockets incase someone switches off mcb to work on a particular socket .

 

[Alan Stirrup]

Is there an rcd to the side of it protecting half the board

It does, as I said earlier it’s 30 years old and whilst the wiring should be ok. We’ve inherited this set up from the previous owner but I will be rewriting when the money is available.

 

[Alan Stirrup]

Alan, that looks really dodgy having a the same label over 2 breakers.
You're posting in the electricians part of the form so I'm guessing you are an electrician. I'd swap this to the DIY section if that's not the case, you'll get more relaxed answers. Just get your testers out, make sure its a ring, make sure both MCB's are not interlinked, make sure it has (working) RCD protection etc etc.

I picked up on this too so I've checked both upstairs and downstairs when we moved in and they are independent to the respective MCB without any interlinking and the RCD is working. I will be rewiring when the money allows but I am concerned that the age of the board and whoever else has had their hands around it may make things unstable.

 

[Jock from the north]

It does, as I said earlier it’s 30 years old and whilst the wiring should be ok. We’ve inherited this set up from the previous owner but I will be rewriting when the money is available.

Yeh better getting that rcd changed to type a .when you rewire go for rcbos they have come down in price so much over the years .fusebox do single pole ones for less than a tenner .

 

[mainline]

Yeh better getting that rcd changed to type a .when you rewire go for rcbos they have come down in price so much over the years .fusebox do single pole ones for less than a tenner .

For a little more, I would use DP rcbos so that the circuits/s can be isolated properly, especially when dealing with TT earthing.

 

[mainline]

You're posting in the electricians part of the form so I'm guessing you are an electrician.

An electrician wouldn't be asking if he could spur off a ring final and be concerned that there are 3 sets of cables.

 

[IAmSparkytus!]

Yeh better getting that rcd changed to type a .when you rewire go for rcbos they have come down in price so much over the years .fusebox do single pole ones for less than a tenner .

That’s about 2/3’s of what I pay them and I thought I was getting them cheap… who’s your supplier

 

[HappyHippyDad]

An electrician wouldn't be asking if he could spur off a ring final and be concerned that there are 3 sets of cables.

It's called diplomacy

 

[Alan Stirrup]

An electrician wouldn't be asking if he could spur off a ring final and be concerned that there are 3 sets of cables.

Level 2375 NVQ awaiting results conformation and trying to do things right by utilising this forum, rather than blundering ahead I look to experience to garner my own. Sadly it generates comments such as yours. We all have to start somewhere but some of us want to do it right!

 

[Jock from the north]

That’s about 2/3’s of what I pay them and I thought I was getting them cheap… who’s your supplier

City plumping 9.70 plus the vat .but if you go on to the fusebox website there not much dearer .10.50 plus vat I think

 

[Jock from the north]

Level 2375 NVQ awaiting results conformation and trying to do things right by utilising this forum, rather than blundering ahead I look to experience to garner my own. Sadly it generates comments such as yours. We all have to start somewhere but some of us want to do it right!

I'll prob get slated for this but with today's cheap sockets and small terminals I'll sometimes lightly twist my line conductors together old school so I know 1 of the cables isn't going to pop out ,there is a chance 1 of the conductors could slide down the side of terminal screw .with just a ring doubled up every time and as long as there facing the same direction lol they'll never come loose .iv opened to many sockets with 3 cables and the neutrals popped out .

 

[Jock from the north]

For a little more, I would use DP rcbos so that the circuits/s can be isolated properly, especially when dealing with TT earthing.

That’s about 2/3’s of what I pay them and I thought I was getting them cheap… who’s your supplier

Also when I was in electric base/hews grey they were advertising deta 10 way split boards fully loaded with spd for 40 plus vat .something to do with head office the guy said.imagine the profit .I stuck with click elucian rcbos.there good boards but you have to buy the spd seperate which is a pain

 

[mainline]

I'll prob get slated for this but with today's cheap sockets and small terminals I'll sometimes lightly twist my line conductors together old school so I know 1 of the cables isn't going to pop out ,there is a chance 1 of the conductors could slide down the side of terminal screw .with just a ring doubled up every time and as long as there facing the same direction lol they'll never come loose .iv opened to many sockets with 3 cables and the neutrals popped out .

I've many of the time had to shorten socket feeds that have been twisted together.

 

[IAmSparkytus!]

City plumping 9.70 plus the vat .but if you go on to the fusebox website there not much dearer .10.50 plus vat I think

Didn’t realise you could buy direct from them!

 

[IAmSparkytus!]

I'll prob get slated for this but with today's cheap sockets and small terminals I'll sometimes lightly twist my line conductors together old school so I know 1 of the cables isn't going to pop out ,there is a chance 1 of the conductors could slide down the side of terminal screw .with just a ring doubled up every time and as long as there facing the same direction lol they'll never come loose .iv opened to many sockets with 3 cables and the neutrals popped out .

You could always buy those MK sockets with the levers instead

 

[Jock from the north]

I've many of the time had to shorten socket feeds that have been twisted together.

Yes it's poor practice .there's a knack to it ,you need the length in the first place strip back more of the outer sheath ,Bare at least 50mm of copper and start ttwisting them together with fingers so as not to strech copper conductor ththen finnish with pliers so that copper is all in line and none will show when terminated .like I say I'll only do it if I connect up the 3 lines and I'm not happy that there securly terminated .some socket screws don't fill the whole terminal .it's a pain for the next spark .but as long as there's length on cable they can be reterminated in future..spurring in general is poor practice i would say as ultimately in older houses there's to many of them been added over the years.

 

[Jock from the north]

Didn’t realise you could buy direct from them!

Yeh fuseboxshop.delivery up here only takes 3 days