Wiring a double socket spur from a ring main socket

[tommatt90]

Hi all, I am new to this site and would firstly like to say hello

I am planning on wiring a double socket from a ring main socket (has 2 x live/neutral/earth)

My question however is what size wire should I be using; 2.5mm squared or 4.0mm squared?
The length of wire will be approx 0.5m as it is been taking from a socket that is on the opposite side of the wall.

Further to this, am I ok to connect a 4 socket extension lead to this to give me more sockets?

I will be connecting a sony home amplifier, a PS3 and a humax freesat box.

Is this safe to do so? I understand this question has probably been asked countless times but I would like to clear everything up and to be specific to the accesories I intend on using.

Many thanks for any responses and time taken,
Tom.

 

[Spoon]

Hi mate and welcome to the forum.
If you need more than one double sockets then why don't you just extent the ring?
Are you an electrician? Do you have the test equipment to test the circuit when you have done the change?

 

[tommatt90]

Hello bud, thank you.

I am not an electrician but I don't consider myself to be useless lol I manage to do most jobs within reason but make sure I get everything clear in my head first.

I have included an image below showing what I have just thought of, would that be better to do it like that?
I need to connect the 3 appliances that I stated and would then like a spare socket just incase I want to connect a TV as well as the cinema screen at some point so it would be nice to have the spare.

If I have to get an electrician in to do it I will but I thought I'd ask on here first as the fitting of it is straight forward to do so, just wanted to be clear on the safety of it.



Thanks a lot

 

[MDJ]

First thing I would do is test continuity of the cabling to see if a ring final circuit exists, once you have done that come back and ask again.

 

[Spoon]

I dont want to sound condescending, but from a safety point of view, wouldnt you be better off with a 4 way extention lead plugged into a socket in room 2?

 

[kingeri]

An electrician wouldn't add spurs like that, they would extend the ring. Usually a quick job in itself, but the key is in the testing. The circuit needs testing before the job to make sure the circuit is suitable to take the proposed changes, and afterwards to verify that the work done is safe and sound. That's what you get when you pay a spark to do the job. If you do decide to do it yourself, you'll never know if the circuit is ok or not. There are multiple things that can be wrong with the circuit already, not to mention issues you may introduce by doing the work. Just one example, the other week I got a faulty reel of cable, had breaks in the copper conductors, but looked fine from the outside. I only became aware of it through testing. The thing about a ring circuit is that it will often still work, even though there is a latent defect lurking somewhere in there. These defects can be a real fire hazard.

Sorry for waffling on, but please just get a spark in, won't cost the earth, but at least you'll have peace of mind.

 

[iamelectric]

better getting a qualified electrician in you will have 9 cables going into one double socket i have seen diyers making a mess of this and leaving it dangerous, i am sure someone on here is from around your way and sort you out

 

[Plonker 3]

First thing I would do is test continuity of the cabling to see if a ring final circuit exists, once you have done that come back and ask again.

This post sums it up for what you need to do first.

 

[tommatt90]

Thanks a lot for all the advice

As stated I just wanted to make sure it was safe before going ahead, so I will not be attempting this lol.

My room has no cables on show and the extension lead was the only one left so I aimed to hide this. For a cheap solution I've thought of just routing the extension lead through the wall and to room one and plugging it in there. That way it's hidden

Once again thank you for the help and fast responses

 

[ifindoubtdont]

I'm in Stourbridge, for a cup of Tea I could have a look. Steve

 

[Guitarist]

Drill a hole through the wall, pop a 6-way extension lead through and reconnect the plug. Plug it in, job done, no safety risk.

 

[Guitarist]

I'm in Stourbridge, for a cup of Tea I could have a look. Steve

Why, contrary to popular belief, electricians are never rich

 

[ifindoubtdont]

Look doesn't mean Touch, by asking for a cup of tea I am effectively charging the customer for a quote. Over a cup of tea the customer can put forward what they want and you can come up with solutions. You build a rapport and gain the trust of the customer, the end result is you get the job.

 

[Guitarist]

Look doesn't mean Touch, by asking for a cup of tea I am effectively charging the customer for a quote. Over a cup of tea the customer can put forward what they want and you can come up with solutions. You build a rapport and gain the trust of the customer, the end result is you get the job.

My reply was tongue-in-cheek mate. I know how to build a rapport.

 

[thekingiam]

what size cable do u use to build a rapport?