Fused spur or not?

[Foxy787]

Hi everyone

I am hoping for a bit of advice

So I'm wanting to install another socket with the dining room area so I'm hoping to install a spur.

However i bought this house 5 years ago and as far as I was aware the circuit is a radial circuit but when I had a look behind some of the sockets in the kitchen they are have 2 legs going into back of them which makes me believe they have done a ring main in the kitchen and dining only and radial rest of house

The consumer unit has 2 cables going to a 32 amp fuse for the sockets then lighting etc is run of 6amp fuses with only one wire going into that

Am I okay to run a unused spur of of this socket or a fuse spur then onto a socket?

The socket I'm installing is to power the open reach WiFi router and I also have an outdoor weatherproof socket with an rcd plug on that to plug into my potential spurred socket

Just to keep things simple is it safe enough to keep the spur unfused or fused?

 

[Foxy787]

Hi everyone

I am hoping for a bit of advice

So I'm wanting to install another socket with the dining room area so I'm hoping to install a spur.

However i bought this house 5 years ago and as far as I was aware the circuit is a radial circuit but when I had a look behind some of the sockets in the kitchen they are have 2 legs going into back of them which makes me believe they have done a ring main in the kitchen and dining only and radial rest of house

The consumer unit has 2 cables going to a 32 amp fuse for the sockets then lighting etc is run of 6amp fuses with only one wire going into that

Am I okay to run a unused spur of of this socket or a fuse spur then onto a socket?

The socket I'm installing is to power the open reach WiFi router and I also have an outdoor weatherproof socket with an rcd plug on that to plug into my potential spurred socket

Just to keep things simple is it safe enough to keep the spur unfused or fused?

Looks like when they done the wiring they have used connector blocks to feed off old radial circuit to make a new ring main for the kitchen and dining room area which is just below the socket I want to spur from

 

[westward10]

Personally I would be getting someone to test that circuit to confirm it's integrity. Are those connectors actually contained in a back box?

 

[Foxy787]

Someone's coming on Tuesday to test it all
Yes I found this and yes the connectors are contained inside an old back box

I'm thinking who ever wired it previously has connected the ring main from the old wiring using those connector blocks and left them inside tha back box and plastered over it

However I'm hoping I can still spur off that socket as I'm sure that socket isn't already a spur otherwise I'd have to fuse spur it then connected to my new socket

Any suggestions for the spur?

Personally I would be getting someone to test that circuit to confirm it's integrity. Are those connectors actually contained in a back b

 

[westward10]

That should never have been plastered over so it might be an idea to get the kitchen electrics checked out if that is an example of their works.

 

[Foxy787]

That should never have been plastered over so it might be an idea to get the kitchen electrics checked out if that is an example of their works.

Might be best to put a junction box in there?

 

[westward10]

I would let the person coming out to decide on what needs to be done.

 

[littlespark]

A point with 2 cables could be part of a ring, or a point on a radial…. Just not the end one.

32A mcb with 2 cables suggests ring…. But that’s not 100%
Could be 2 radials and the wrong size breaker.

Electrician can test for ring continuity at the board.

You don’t need an rcd plug as the sockets themselves are rcd protected at the board. No real advantage unless the plugtop is more sensitive…. Ie 10mA instead of 30mA

There’s a floating bare end red wire in the board. Safer to have that in a connector if redundant.

And replace the cover on the board…. Unless it’s completely isolated. You’ve got a possibly live exposed busbar pin on the far left there

 

[Foxy787]

A point with 2 cables could be part of a ring, or a point on a radial…. Just not the end one.

32A mcb with 2 cables suggests ring…. But that’s not 100%
Could be 2 radials and the wrong size breaker.

Electrician can test for ring continuity at the board.

You don’t need an rcd plug as the sockets themselves are rcd protected at the board. No real advantage unless the plugtop is more sensitive…. Ie 10mA instead of 30mA

There’s a floating bare end red wire in the board. Safer to have that in a connector if redundant.

And replace the cover on the board…. Unless it’s completely isolated. You’ve got a possibly live exposed busbar pin on the far left there

The exposed red wire in the consumer unit is redundant so i will cap that

The rcd plug is part of the outside weatherproof socket which is now fed in through the wall

The cover on the board is now back on

As far as the spur goes am I okay to make it unfused or put a fuse in prior to the spur socket

 

[lozarus]

As an aside you seem to have channeled your cable down from the sockets and then horizontal behind the skirting board. This is out of zone and won't be possible for an 'electrician to sign off'.

 

[DefyG]

I had a look behind some of the sockets in the kitchen they are have 2 legs going into back of them which makes me believe they have done a ring main in the kitchen and dining only and radial rest of house

Dont get misled, a radial circuit is usually installed 'Daisy Chain' fashion so only the last point on the circuit will have one cable, all others (assuming more than one socket on the circuit) will have 2 cables).
BUT
equally could be part of a ring final circuit ....... per post #8
Yeah best to get it checked out by professional sparks, especially with the other horrors (JB's/back boxes 'plastered in') unearthed!

The spur if just for ONE socket can be unfused. TWO sockets or more must be fused.

 

[Foxy787]

As an aside you seem to have channeled your cable down from the sockets and then horizontal behind the skirting board. This is out of zone and won't be possible for an 'electrician to sign off'.

Best to go horizontal to the socket or up to the ceiling across and then down?

 

[Foxy787]

Dont get misled, a radial circuit is usually installed 'Daisy Chain' fashion so only the last point on the circuit will have one cable, all others (assuming more than one socket on the circuit) will have 2 cables).
BUT
equally could be part of a ring final circuit ....... per post #8
Yeah best to get it checked out by professional sparks, especially with the other horrors (JB's/back boxes 'plastered in') unearthed!

The spur if just for ONE socket can be unfused. TWO sockets or more must be fused.

Thanks for the reply

What would u do with those connector blocks
Would u put them inside a terminal box?