1 ring main

[timetotalk]

The victorian house i own has just 1 ring main and 1 lighting circuit serving the entire 3 bed house. I want to add a couple of new sockets and wonder if i should run a new radial circuit or add to the existing ring main.
House seems to have been rewired in the last 5 or 10 years - is it normal just to have 1 ring main?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

timetotalk,
Are you doing it or an electrician?

 

[JohnD]

house seems to have been rewired in the last 5 or 10 years

"seems" is the word. Not by anyone who knew what they were about.

The victorian house i own

You're renting this house out, are you?

is it normal just to have 1 ring main?

No.

 

[timetotalk]

not intending to rent out but who knows about the future. I Having been living in it for 3 years

I say seems to have been rewired in the last 10 years as having stripped the wall paper you can see where the plaster has been hacked near sockets and switches and having spoken to neighbours the house was renovated about 10 years back

I had thought about adding the extra sockets myself, law permitting

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

No law about adding sockets!
but does need to comply to certain requirements.
If you intend to add to existing socket circuit either by FCU(Fused Connection Unit) or extending ring, this work does not need to be notified to building controls but should have a MWC(minor work cert).
If you intend to add a new circuit then this is notifable work or should be done be an electrician registered on domestic installers scheme(competent person scheme).
Maybe best using a registered electrician

 

[flameport]

One circuit for sockets and one for lighting was common - 40+ years ago.

It would be very unusual to find that for wiring only 10 years old, or even 20 years.

What sort of fusebox / consumer unit is fitted? If you can get pictures of the fusebox / meter and surrounding area, post them here.

 

[timetotalk]

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i have added a picture of the fuse box.
Red is the ring main, White is lights and 1st blue is a spur for an old alarm. 2nd blue is a spare. can you tell me what sort of earth this is and if i have a new consumer unit will it need upgrading?

 

[timetotalk]

I have managed to find a way of splitting the ring so that 2 bedrooms and a hallway socket work of 1 ring and everything else, kitchen, 1 bedroom, lounge and dinning room of another. would this be considered suitable. is the 100m limit for a ring main a case of just adding up the floor area of each room ?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If you want to comply with the Wiring Regulations then you can't create new circuits using that old fusebox as they won't have the necessary RCD protection, plus the whole installation should be inspected & checked - for example I can see a TN-S earth, but that clamp isn't really the way it should be connected, and I can't see any main bonding conductors coming from the fusebox.

Also, new circuits are notifiable, and it would be difficult to argue that you'd complied with the requirement to make reasonable provision for safety without RCDs, checking the health of the wiring, checking for main bonding etc.

 

[timetotalk]

Thanks for all the replies

Ban-all-sheds, There is a earth bonding running from the fuse box under the floor to the incoming water and gas services. Is this what you were refering to when you were talking about bonding?

when i have the new consumer unit installed should i also have an earth rod installed or is the current TNS earth adequate.

Any new circuits will only be added to the new consumer unit and not the old fuse box.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Ban-all-sheds, There is a earth bonding running from the fuse box under the floor to the incoming water and gas services. Is this what you were refering to when you were talking about bonding?

Yup.

when i have the new consumer unit installed should i also have an earth rod installed or is the current TNS earth adequate.

Get the DNO to check it - find out if you're supposed to have a TN-S supply, and that someone hasn't just DIY-ed it. I know that sometimes the use of those earth clamps is official, but usually it's not.

Don't go TT unless you have to - if they don't like your TN-S see if they can convert you to TN-C-S (PME).

Any new circuits will only be added to the new consumer unit and not the old fuse box.

OK