No ring mains??!!

[chix1000]

Hi

I've just been looking into knocking down a plasterboard wall in my flat and had to move a plug socket. In doing so i noticed under the floorbards one end of the kitchen ring main was just hanging there... i.e. it's not a ring main at all! I also found the socket i was removing was just a spur from the bedroom. So i traced it all back to the consumer unit and have made a rather startling discovery - i have no ring mains at all!

Coming out of the consumer unit i have 5 cables-
Cooker (only 1 cable)
Airing cupboard (used to be for immersion, now for combi boiler, only 1 cable)
Kitchen sockets (only 1 cable)
Plug sockets (only 1 cable)
Lights (only 1 cable)

I was expecting to see two cables for the sockets, the kitchen sockets and the lights! What on earth is going on or is this normal practice??!!

Please help, getting very worried about the electrical safety test i had pencilled in within the next month - i can see a lot of rewiring coming on before i can do that!

Thanks a lot in advance for any help

Andy

 

[GaryMo]

It sounds like a Pediodic Inspection Report is required.

Is that what you're having carried out within the next month?

 

[chix1000]

Hi, i have no idea what i was planning on having done - some kind of inspection because the electrician who did some PAT testing on my DJ gear suggested it.

If having no ring main will fail it outright i'd rather put the extra cables in then ask the electrician to connect it all up then do the inpection, otherwise i'd have to pay twice and he'd probably want to do the other work too.

Thanks for your reply
Andy

 

[GaryMo]

I hope whoever is going to carry out this inspection is suitably qualified to do so.
I've seen many PIR's that really aren't worth the paper they've been written on.

There may be more to it than just taking a cable back to the consumer unit as the existing circuit could be a total botch as it stands.
Also, lack of a ring final isn't just cause to give an unsatisfactory report.

There are many factors to consider which include the size of protective device for that circuit and potential loading.
What's the size of the protective devices which supply your sockets?
What size is the conductors within the cables that are installed?

 

[chix1000]

I think the guy who's doing it is 'proper'! He's a local guy and seems pretty sharp and up on all the regulations when i''ve spoken to him.

As i say, i don't want to pay for it twice so want to make sure it's right, or at least i know what's wrong so i can get him to fix it and then have the inpection done.

Surely it can't be correct to have no ring mains?

EDIT: sorry missed your last point - yes it's a two bed flat so i suppose it is possible the load would never be more than what one cable could carry. i was hoping to put some extra sockets in but even with just about all of my electrical stuff on i doubt it would exceed what one plug socket could produce, especially as the kitchen (i.e. kettle and washing machine) and cooker have their own spurs.

 

[Lectrician]

Lets have a photo of the inside of your fuseboard, and of anything else you have found and think is dodgy.

 

[chix1000]

i can take photos i'm not sure how to make them show up on here though?

I'll take photos now...

 

[GaryMo]

I normally host upload mine to http://photobucket.com/ then copy and paste the IMG CODE into the post.

There are probably a few other ways too - even 'Upload Pictures' near the top of your screen, just under the advert.

 

[chix1000]

Does this work??

 

[JohnD]

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=129539

 

[chix1000]

Here's the consumer unit with just the five cables coming out. As you can see there are also some boxes holding connector boxes - every cable which comes out of the consumer unit has a connector block between it and wherever it's going, which are under the floorboards. I'll post some more...

 

[chix1000]

Here you can see the connector blocks better

 

[chix1000]

And here's the end of the kitchen 'ring' just swaying in the breeze - not connected to anything.

On the wall is the plug socket i was removing.

 

[JohnD]

those connector blocks under the floor are a bad sign, of a botched installation by someone without the proper knowledge or equipment.

 

[chix1000]

Just about everything else in this place has been botched and i've spent so much money putting it right just on principal, but i've lost a massive amount of money on it now i just want to focus on what's absolutely necessary, rather than what's 'best practice' or such like. As long as it wont kill anyone i'm happy... well that's not true, but i'm going to have to put up with it being 'ok' rather than totally correct i think.