One ring main covering a brand new 3 bed house

[D Skelton]

I think the cost of the cable saved by not having a return leg would easily pay for an extra MCB

 

[tom79bmth]

I have never seen a building inspector get involved in electrics or even look at them, they just what a niceic cert and I know one thing I wouldn't give a niceic cert with out it being safe, I have always put 2 rings mains in a 1 bed flat

 

[MDJ]

He can't really say anything can he, even if he did know what he was looking at, ....if they have approved working drawings based on accepted drawings from his own council planning dept!! lol!!

Haha yup very true

 

[Engineer54]

I think the cost of the cable saved by not having a return leg would easily pay for an extra MCB

No return leg as such on a staggered ring!!, They'll also be a much larger CU/DB on top of the MCBs!! Overall, you'll be using more cable with radial circuits than with rings, one of the original reasons for implementing ring circuits in the first place!!! lol!! A combination of both types of circuits (depending on the installations requirements) is always going to be the best way to go!! I've nothing against either of them, they both have pluses and minuses, like any circuit configuration!!

 

[Stroppy]

Can someone explain to me what a staggered ring is, please?

 

[D Skelton]

I'm sure someone will have a drawing but essentially leg one to first socket whilst leg two bypasses it, leg two to second socket whilst leg one bypasses that and so on...

 

[MDJ]

Can someone explain to me what a staggered ring is, please?

Gasp, actually providing there are 2 legs at every socket and continuity across the legs then who cares, a staggered ring saves much more labour than a traditional one, no need to drag 40 mtrs of cable through the joists haha.

 

[FAA Greenie]

Can someone explain to me what a staggered ring is, please?

It's what happens after 15 pints of cider and a chicken tindaloo........

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Best to get a 40 way board, one RCBO per socket point

 

[dan86]

Best to get a 40 way board, one RCBO per socket point

40 sockets? how big is your flipping house!

 

[Guest55]

electrical design for what passes as cardboard box new builds will consist of nothing more than a minimum number of skts & lights in each room , there'll be no consultant engineer spending day after day doing calcs and fancy drawings for a poxy domestic.
the whole project will be governed exclusively on low prices so it should come as no surprise the bare minimum has been installed.
welcome to the real world lol.

 

[telectrix]

as long as the light switches are installed at the correct height for dwarfs, anything will do.

 

[Stroppy]

Ah I see now. So for example if you had a ring that consisted of 20 sockets in a row in dado trunking or something it would avoid having all sockets on the first half of the ring, and a long 'empty' leg going back. (in this context a ring seems pointless, and lends itself to a radial!)

You never stop learning, eh?!

 

[Elmer BeFuddled]

as long as the light switches are installed at the correct height for dwarfs, anything will do.

Would that be normal or vertically challenged dwarfs?

 

[Engineer54]

Ah I see now. So for example if you had a ring that consisted of 20 sockets in a row in dado trunking or something it would avoid having all sockets on the first half of the ring, and a long 'empty' leg going back. (in this context a ring seems pointless, and lends itself to a radial!)

You never stop learning, eh?!

Oh Dear!!!

 

[charliewilde]

Today my sister moved into a brand new 3 bed property. I looked at the distribution board and found that it had one ring main serving the kitchen, GF and 1st floor protected by a 32 amp mcb and a 80A 30mA RCD. I know that you can theoretically have unlimited sockets on a circuit but is this acceptable design? Does it conform with regs? It serves 25 points in the house

Maybe, try to search or make some information regarding on this matter because I have no idea on how was affect in your home and I think It can cause badly from your home that one ring cover for the whole brand new house. It seem like not good to hear that. Please make some information regarding this.

 

[Rockingit]

The last set of 'development' plans I got sent to price (and then won) didn't even have architects instructions on them, some girl in the builders office had scrawled over a set in different colour felt tip dot to dot style! I had to suggest to them a 'better way might be....' And the end result was a 3 bed bungalow with 2 x radials, 1 x kitchen ring, 1 x lights, smokes, heat etc etc all on RCBO.

 

[pjcomp]

Just a thought - did you check inside the CU? Might be there are two rings in one MCB because he ran out of breakers and forgot to go back with another one??

pj

 

[Stroppy]

Oh Dear!!!

What?? So an apprentice has never heard of a staggered ring. Big deal. Funnily enough we don't all instantly know everything.

 

[Engineer54]

Ah I see now. So for example if you had a ring that consisted of 20 sockets in a row in dado trunking or something it would avoid having all sockets on the first half of the ring, and a long 'empty' leg going back. (in this context a ring seems pointless, and lends itself to a radial!)

You never stop learning, eh?!

What?? So an apprentice has never heard of a staggered ring. Big deal. Funnily enough we don't all instantly know everything.

No, it was your assessment in brackets, not the fact that you hadn't heard of a staggered ring circuit!! lol!!