UK Spur of midpoint of ring?

mR__Slug · Sep 25, 2023

Ok. Can you cut a ring in half, add junction box, then run a spur off it? I thought it had to be from a socket?

Mate of mine wanted me to see if "a couple of wires were dead". Looks like old ring main, but they go in the wylex fusebox, so will have to check they are properly removed. Ends tapped up. His ceiling is like a series of mini-strokes. There is some kinda other ring or two in the ceiling but with lots of brown connection boxes. Just realized this rn, they look like the small ones for lights. There's a wire to a light switch that's just connected with loose connection terminals. Its not pretty.

Would you leave a spur from a connection box in the floor?

Was this ever in the regs and if so why would anyone think this is a good idea?

thanks

davesparks · Sep 25, 2023

You can take a spur from any part of a ring, this can be from a point, from a joint box or direct from the OCPD.

Any joint box will need to meet the regulations for the particular situation, so if it is to be inaccessible it would need to meet MF requirements or if it is outside it would need a higher IP rating.

mR__Slug · Sep 25, 2023

Thanks. thought it always had to be from a socket. This does seem like a terrible idea though, makes fault finding difficult.

MF requirements? Not familiar with that term. As I understand the regs now (my copy is 10 years old btw), I thought they had basically said most existing typical brown round connection boxes were unsuitable if "inaccessible". carpet over floorboards, accessible? Think John Ward did a video i will rewatch.

Small aside, I have "accessible" connection boxes in my house. The side panel has fallen off the bath! That was a head scratcher, when the water went cold because the water slopped out, into the connection box, that fed the ring that the boiler was on. They put one there for the cooker too.

He has got all the plaster down, so it seems like a good time to sort things out.