socket extentions correct?
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responce
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socket extentions correct?

by responce » Sun Dec 23, 2007 5:39 pm

hello everyone,
i have recently bought a house and i wanted to add a socket to the ring, i took the existing socket off the wall and it had four wires in each, two are for the ring and two are feeding spurs is this correct if not should i wire in a juction box to correct this? is it dangerous? thankyou for taking time out to read this...

333rocky333
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by 333rocky333 » Sun Dec 23, 2007 7:28 pm

The most you should have in the socket is two for the ring and ONE feeding to ONE other twin socket maximum.

If too many sockets spurred off from one socket, and all used together the spurred cable could get overloaded.

If you know original ring pair you need to really reroute them and rewire the others so they are all in the same loop/ring, you should then have two wires in each socket.

If its easier, disconnect and remove the extra two wires spurred from the old socket to reform the old ring and install a new ring for the two sockets and any new ones.

responce
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by responce » Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:14 pm

thank you for your prompt reply, as it is hard to form a new ring for the two spurs would it be ok if i left one spur on the socket and use a juction box on the ring for the other? so effectivly i have the ring wires and one spur on the socket and then further along use a juction box on the ring for the other?

333rocky333
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by 333rocky333 » Mon Dec 24, 2007 6:48 pm

To be honest I am not sure.

The part p quide book shows you can still j/b off the ring circuit cable.

You used to be able to do it that way, that is why 32 J/bs come out with slanted entry and slot terminals , the idea was you could strip the sleeving without cutting the copper core and tee off to another socket, however nowadays you would not be able to sleeve the earth that way so most people just cut it.
Most people now spur from a socket.

The regs however also say the J/b has to be accessible which casts doubt on whether it is, if under the floorboards,this has been debated in previous posts earlier.

It would be ok to leave the one as you say spurred, but could you spur the other one from a different socket that does not have a spur off it.

Your method sounds feasible for two spurs
But you say you have two existing spurs and one new.
What you may be able to do is cut one leg of the ring near the existing spur wires so they are long enough to connect, fit two j/bs one on each side of the ring, wire two cables to your new socket to reform the ring including your new socket, then the two existing spurs now connect one only into each each of the two j/bs, creating two ring cable spurs.
Or you may be able to fit two j/bs on the ring cable one for each existing spur and also spur one from the ring socket ,although a bit of a lash it may conform.
BUT GET SOMEONE TO CLARIFY THIS FIRST and also the ACCESSIBILITY thing with the j/b.

Although not good practice you can have one spur off EACH ring socket.

333rocky333
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by 333rocky333 » Mon Dec 24, 2007 7:02 pm

Another way i have seen get round this.

Change your existing socket to two or three singles, or two twins or even more next to each other.
link between each and form these into the ring.

you can then take one spur off each of them as they are now seperate sockets.

There will then be no J/bs or access problems to worry about

responce
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by responce » Tue Dec 25, 2007 3:42 pm

cheers mate i think ill go for the second option

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