Is this a record ??

[40 watt spark]

Went to a job yesterday (CU change) and found the previous home owner had been a bit of a DIY nut, he'd extended the single ring (or so he thought) to get power to his attached garage and conservatory........had a total of 13 DSSO's, two hardwired 2kw heaters, and a 500w security light all running on what was in reality a single spur .

To be fair the guy did get mislead a bit by the origional house wiring.... it looks like when the house was built (early 70's) the origional spark had missed a couple of sockets, so had taken a spur from a socket on the 1st floor to feed them (one downstairs and another upstairs) so feeding 2 outlets on one spur. Unluckily the owner had chosen the first spurred socket to extend the ring from (well they were two origional cables plastered into the wall)...

 

[securespark]

Can you split it into two: One circuit for the heaters on 20A and the rest on another?

Providing you can stick to the 50m² rule, that is.

 

[Adam_151]

I understand that it used to be allowed for a single spur to supply two single outlets or one double in a previous edition (14th?), then that got changed to one point only as it is today

So the original sparks workaround was probably acceptable at the time it was done

Though if we are going for incorrectly protected cabling stories... http://www.electro-zone.co.uk/index.php?page=image&image=panelboard

 

[40 watt spark]

As the owner had broken into the cables between the two sockets, all I had to do was to extend the origional spur cable back to the CU (which was only a 6m run), and run a new length to the other socket and bingo a second ring was born

Thankfully the current owner didn't argue when I said I couldn't change the CU until it was sorted. I've had jobs where I've found issues and told the customer only to be told they only want the CU done and they're not paying for anything else (its been alright all the years I've lived here etc etc), walked away from one job only to be called up by the customer 2 weeks later to ask if I could certify their nice shiney new CU they'd had fitted...

 

[Paul_C]

I understand that it used to be allowed for a single spur to supply two single outlets or one double in a previous edition (14th?), then that got changed to one point only as it is today

Yes, that's correct. From the 14th edition which was in effect in the early 1970's:

A.40 For ring final sub-circuits complying with Regulations A.30-33, non-fused spurs shall be connected to the ring at the terminals of a socket-outlet or at joint boxes or at the origin of the ring in the distribution board. Non-fused spurs shall have a current rating not less than that of the conductors forming the ring. Not more than two socket-outlets, or one twin socket-outlet, or one stationary appliance, shall be fed from each non-fused spur.

 

[securespark]

Is that 1.0mm² I see connected to a 100A Type 4 3P breaker?

 

[Adam_151]

Is that 1.0mm² I see connected to a 100A Type 4 3P breaker?

Nope, 2.5mm² simon

Can't remember what was on the other end of it now... but cant have been much or it would have been a bit toasty