evening all
i want to add a socket to the ring main. wiring-wise it's a cinch, as the existing ring main is only a couple of metres away. trouble is the floor is concrete
what is the conventional way to route the wires?
the easiest way would be to go behind the skirting board, which right now is removed. is that allowed by the Part P nazis?
i'd prefer to avoid chasing out bits of the wall as it gets messy, and i don't really want them visible either
hopefully there are lots of qualified sparkies online tonight!
Not a Q S but chasing in behind the skirting will be quite acceptable. This will be only a spur I take it? so only do one spur from that socket.
cheers for the reply
i was planning on extending the ring main, as i might actually put 2 double sockets close to each other. its for a computer/hifi corner so there'll be lots to plug in
Behind the skirting won't be acceptable, unless the new cable is protected in some sort of earthed steel conduit or trunking. If you are just embedding unprotected twin and earth, you can either go in a horizontal line across from the nearest ring socket, or directly up to within 150mm of the ceiling, (if not actually into the ceiling), across, then drop vertically down into the new socket. Assuming you want to conform to the latest wiring regs, which means your ring will, of course, be RCD protected. Alternatively, shove it behind the skirting and don't tell anyone.
There you are, a reply from someone that is more knowledgeable than me.
thats a fairly good point, as we've got an antique fuse box, not an RCD, so i guess we're already breaking the rules
*sings 'bad to the bone' to himself*
just trying to avoid doing stuff that's blatantly wrong or bad practice
suggest as dudie says, dont put it behind skirting board.
Just because the regs have changed, it does not mean you have to meet them for existing equipment. If the ring main is an original fitment, then I believe only the extensions to that have to meet the new requirements.
Quite correct bear-uk. There is no need to upgrade current equipment to meet 17th edition regs for the sake of it. However, if you modify an existing circuit, you must ensure that the new 'extended' complete circuit now adheres to 17th edition. That invariably means protecting the ring with an RCD. Often not easy to do in practice if you have an older type 'fuse box'. There are various options to rectify this, none of them particularly quick or cheap. However, if you are intending to do this job as a sneaky bit of DIY and have no intention of having your work inspected and certified, ignoring the regs won't make things any more illegal!
'Its always been like that' work best