Illegal radial?

[Gasguru]

I was in a customers property working on their boiler and noticed some new wiring in the utility room (by a qualified electrician).

The new radial consists of 2 individual socket outlets and a fused outlet (feeding the boiler). Wired in 2.5mm cable straight to the 30A rewirable fuse (also feeding a ring final).

AFAIR the regs allow a double socket outlet to be connected via a single 2.5mm cable. Can it therefore be argued that the 2 individual singles are equivalent and therefore acceptable? Adding the boiler supply (only a few hundred watts) is surely an illegal bodge (although an insignificant loading). I guess 4mm cable would be the proper solution.

Personally I've always thought trees run with 2.5mm off 20A breakers was the safest, most foolproof solution.

 

[Click-Sure]

Indeed, you can spur ONE single/double/fcu outlet using 2.5mm T&E from a 32A MCB is permissable, but the setup you have described is not.

What puzzles me was is if this supply has been taken straight off the board, who not drop another 16A or 20A MCB into a spare slot, or wasn't one available?

I suppose if you wanted to run a radial from a 32A breaker to just 3 outlets then 4mm T&E would be a solution, I've never carried it myself, just another roll that will sit there till the change the colours (well, thats what happened last time

 

[Click-Sure]

And you mention illegal, this isn't in the true sense of the word illegal, just bad practice and wrong, and against BS7671:2008.

 

[Gasguru]

Yes there was a spare way for a new 20A breaker/fuse.

Trunking was a mess too...for some reason it ran behind the boiler pipework (requiring lumps out the wall) instead of running at high level with drops down.

 

[Click-Sure]

Pro spark you say, registered with a Part P scheme? Try and find out which, I know its not a nice thing to do, but this guy may well be doing worse (we'll ignore less tidy) things elsewhere!

 

[breezer]

Try and find out which

why?

i am not saying what has been done is right, but why try and find out?

suppose its "M" then what?

 

[plugwash]

i am not saying what has been done is right, but why try and find out?

so you can report them?

 

[Click-Sure]

Possibly, but thats a little harsh, up to you.

Personally I'd find out who they are or who they work for and let the other local tradesmen I am friendly with know about the shoddy and potentially dangerous standard of their work.