Advice on the way my house has been wired

[Chuffer]

hi, after any advice or ideas if possible.
we have just moved into a bungalow built in 1964 and apparently it was rewired a few years back. it has lots of trunking from the ceiling to the sockets and we are looking to chase them into the walls. We have removed a double socket from the wall and found that the 2nd socket in the room is a spur from this socket, however the problem is the socket in another room backs onto the 2nd socket in the first room and is a spur from that socket. The loft is boarded so adding wiring in the loft would be a real pain. can I add a switched spur socket at the point where the first socket is and have the spurs off that or would that not work? any ideas would be appreciated.
thanks

 

[SparkyChick]

Hi Chuffer, welcome to the forums

If I'm understanding you correctly, you want to replace a socket on the ring final circuit with a fused connection unit and then connect the other two sockets to that? If that's the case, yes.

But I would possibly advise you get a local spark involved and have them extend the ring to the new sockets.

If you're chasing the walls anyway, it's not a huge job from what you've described and provides a better more future proof solution in the longer term.

 

[Pete999]

Hi Chuffer, welcome to the forums

If I'm understanding you correctly, you want to replace a socket on the ring final circuit with a fused connection unit and then connect the other two sockets to that? If that's the case, yes.

But I would possibly advise you get a local spark involved and have them extend the ring to the new sockets.

If you're chasing the walls anyway, it's not a huge job from what you've described and provides a better more future proof solution in the longer term.

What Sparkychick said

 

[Chuffer]

thanks for your quick answer, i think i knew it would involve having to rip the loft boards out so it could be done properly , i can’t understand why they have done it that way, even as a layman i know you should only have 1 spur off a socket......

 

[telectrix]

unless it's a radial circuit. what rating is the MCB for this circuit?

 

[Pete999]

thanks for your quick answer, i think i knew it would involve having to rip the loft boards out so it could be done properly , i can’t understand why they have done it that way, even as a layman i know you should only have 1 spur off a socket......

Oh don't resurrect that argument again Chuffer, still suffering from exhaustion after yesterdays marathon.

 

[Pete999]

unless it's a radial circuit. what rating is the MCB for this circuit?

Crikey, now he's put a fly in the ointment, but as usual he is correct.

 

[SparkyChick]

I didn't mention lifting boards in the loft. If you've got a socket on one wall that is on the ring final, and the current trunking runs around the room on the wall from socket to socket, you can chase cables into the wall in that manner, providing they sit in the safety zone created by the accessories horizontally and vertically.

 

[SparkyChick]

Oh don't resurrect that argument again Chuffer, still suffering from exhaustion after yesterdays marathon.

It was good debate, I thoroughly enjoyed myself

 

[Chuffer]

that’s just it. the trunking doesn’t go from socket to socket. the ring main goes down the trunking from the ceiling to the first socket and then there’s a cable going back up the trunking into the loft and then , on another wall the other side of the room, more trunking with the cable going to the second socket, with another cable (about 4 in long or so ) going from that socket to the other socket in the other room. ??

 

[SparkyChick]

As @telectrix has asked, what rating is the breaker that turns off these sockets?

 

[Pete999]

It was good debate, I thoroughly enjoyed myself

Me too SC, I see someone had a dig at us for declaring a ceasefire.

 

[SparkyChick]

Me too SC, I see someone had a dig at us for declaring a ceasefire.

Did they?

I have mod powers... swing the ban hammer

 

[Pete999]

Did they?

I have mod powers... swing the ban hammer

Nah, don't do that

 

[SparkyChick]

Nah, don't do that

Spoil sport

 

[Pete999]

Spoil sport

Look Iv'e had one, so I know what it's like.

 

[Pete999]

Spoil sport

Look Iv'e had one, so I know what it's like.

 

['mr2'gd4u]

Not trying to be funny but... The last socket on this spur from a spur from a... How many cables are there? If there's 2 then it's likely a ring if there's only 1 than it is a spur from a spur situation.

 

[Chuffer]

The breakers are 30 amp.
Mr2gd4u - it is a spur from a spur I think. 2 cables down to no.1 socket. There is another single cable going from no.1 socket to no.2 socket and then another single cable going from no.2 socket to no.3! No 2 and no.3 socket are back to back on a dividing wall between rooms.
I think will have to look into getting the ring main extended or spurring the sockets from different places, needs to be done properly !

 

['mr2'gd4u]

The breakers are 30 amp.
Mr2gd4u - it is a spur from a spur I think. 2 cables down to no.1 socket. There is another single cable going from no.1 socket to no.2 socket and then another single cable going from no.2 socket to no.3! No 2 and no.3 socket are back to back on a dividing wall between rooms.
I think will have to look into getting the ring main extended or spurring the sockets from different places, needs to be done properly !

So it stops at socket 3 with there being only one cable there fair enough.