Add A New Plug Socket Off An Existing One?

[Andy100]

Hello,

I have a single switched power socket on my living room wall and I wanted add a double sock further down the wall for my TV using some 2.5mm twin & earth cable.  I turned the downstairs ring main off and I unscrewed and pulled the socket out and can see (old wire standards) that the single socket has 2 feeds already going into it as it has 2 x black and 2 x red going wires going into it, so am I ok to add a 3rd feed for this new socket?  If not I will have to make to with an extension lead.

Thanks

 

[Andy™]

if its part of a ring then yes, if its radial then yes, if its a spur with another spur taken then no

 

[Andy100]

Thanks, 

I'm not sure how I can tell if it is part of the ring or if it is radial, but in my basic assumption if 2 black and 2 red go into it could this mean it is housing a spur or it is the ring as it is going via this socket.

I guess I could easily make it a double socket and put my extension lead in and hide under the skirtkingboard.

Thanks

 

[Andy™]

probably part of a ring, but impossible to verify without testing it. no problem changing it to a double though

 

[Evans Electric]

Avoid the extension lead if possible Gonzo .

We can't really advise you to start messing with the wiring in case you wake up dead .  I guess you wouldn't have any testers anyway.

However if another person down the road had the same idea as you he might do the following ...kill the power to the socket .... make one of the cables safe with some tape say, put the other cable in the socket and plugged in a table lamp and energised the circuit and it lit up ...then killed the circuit again and did that with the other cable in the socket and the first one taped up safe... and again it lit up ............the odds would be greatly in favour of that being a ring main.    (  Note he always kills the power before messing ) 

He could then spur off that socket to his TV .   He may find it a good idea to turn it into a twin just to give him the extra room for his 3 cables.

 

[steptoe]

 

[Pete10001]

Thanks, 

I'm not sure how I can tell if it is part of the ring or if it is radial, but in my basic assumption if 2 black and 2 red go into it could this mean it is housing a spur or it is the ring as it is going via this socket.

I guess I could easily make it a double socket and put my extension lead in and hide under the skirtkingboard.

Thanks

Change it for a double, but ditch the idea of hiding an extension lead behind the skirting board, that's extremely dangerous

 

[Andy100]

Change it for a double, but ditch the idea of hiding an extension lead behind the skirting board, that's extremely dangerous

Meant Just hide the cord not the actual plugs.

I like the idea of taking 1 red and 1 black out (taping off) and adding my new plug socket and testing then add the first lot of cables back.

If it was a spur and I added this spur what would happen?

Thanks

 

[ProDave]

If it was a spur and I added this spur what would happen?

Thanks

A risk of overloading the cable.

A SINGLE spur is allowed from one cable on the basis a double 13A socket can only ever draw 26A so you are (just) within the rating of the cable.

If you had two double socket spurs from one cable and someone plugged in lots of high power appliances you could overload and melt the cable.

You might argue that won't happen as you are just going to plug a tv into it, but you must allow for what someone else will do in the future.

If you must connect two spurs from one cable, then you can in fact do it, as long as you install a 13A Fused Connection unit at the origin of the spur. Then the total load of all the sockets on your "string of spurs" is limited by that fuse to 13A so you can't overload the cable.  That might be your best option of it turns out your existing socket is not part of a ring.

 

[Andy100]

Hi,
 
I need to put a new socket on a wall in my living room, it will spur off and existing socket and it is my closest option (nothing upstairs either), the thing is there is a door way in the way.  Instead of going up and over the door am I ok to channel a small path in my concrete floor and lay the twin and earth in there and cement over or do I need to pin it to the concrete and put some metal conduit over the top?
 
I am only talking the door width and getting it flush with the concrete is my preferred option.
 
Thanks

 

[Badger]

if laying twin and earth in a concrete floor would need to be installed in conduit and sealed on all joints so it could be replaced in the future if needs be.

 

[Nicky Tesla]

 Fix the conduit down or it will float in the wet concrete.  The lime in cement will degrade the cable.  If the concrete cracks when it is hard, it can split the cable also.

 

[Steve3948]

 Fix the conduit down or it will float in the wet concrete.  The lime in cement will degrade the cable.  If the concrete cracks when it is hard, it can split the cable also.

Same could be said about a wall  :innocent but a safe zone makes all the difference, because everyone know's about the safe zones.

 

[NozSpark]

Jeez... how many times can this question be asked??

:shakehead

 

[Barx]

Galv conduit in floor, deeper than is 'likely to be drilled'.

 

[NozSpark]

Safe zones anyone???

 

[Phoenix]

I think if I were doing it and there was no other route it would be a thin groove in the concrete and sheathed MICC. Same amount of faff factor as steel conduit but need to make less of a hole and less risk of disturbing damp proof membrane etc, less mess, etc, etc

 

[Badger]

or steel armoured cable wouldnt be a problem.

 

[Nicky Tesla]

Same could be said about a wall  :innocent but a safe zone makes all the difference, because everyone know's about the safe zones.

Same could be said about a wall..........yes but the cable may be several inches deep in concrete not just a few mm of render.

Safe zones in a floor?

 

[NozSpark]

"Safe zones in a floor".... no... just in the wall getting it there by the OPs description

But like I said earlier.... the op has asked how to do this job several times already