Adding a socket to ring not spur isolation?

[Billy84]

Hi i am looking for any help/advice/info on a project. 

I have inside shed/cupboard where my fuse box is located i would like a socket in that same cupboard there is only one outlet in that section (porch of maisonette) a fused outlet for heater just outside the fuse box cupboard (so no fuse to isolate for downstairs socket etc) so am unsure what to isolate ? and where to locate correct cable to wire new socket into ? ill post some pics for reference,

thanks in advance for any help 

 

[Billy84]

Cant seem to upload any pics? read in forum ten posts before u can upload ?

 

[apprentice87]

Hi Billy, You sure you know what you are doing here... It is not as simple as you think...

You ask where to isolate.. The main switch is the only safe place to isolate, turning off an MCB only isolates the phase conductor, and there are circumstances where the neutral [or the earth for that matter] can become very life indeed.. How are you going to check for dead?? If you do not do this, you could well end up dead yourself...

Still, I am sure we will all try to help.

You will need to have posted 10 posts before you can upload photos, so,, Where you live??

john..

 

[Billy84]

Box close up 

 

[apprentice87]

Isolate at big red switch, AND then check for dead.

Post a picture of where you want the socket and the fused outlet thingy

john..

 

[Billy84]

Hi john thanks for response. to answer in short no ive done little elec diy. recently changed faceplate from fused spur to switched socket for the aforementioned heater so my father could have his porch heater on timer so he can run it on economy 7 hrs 

 

[Andy™]

if the socket is already a spur then you cant take a supply from that

 

[ProDave]

I would have a guess that the one labelled "lobby heater" is the one that feeds the heater in the lobby (thought it would not be the first time they were labelled incorrectly)

But you don't really want to be connecting to that, so it's irrelevant to the question.

Personally to add a socket there, I would take the feed to it direct from the consumer unit as a sour from one of the existing socket circuits.

But are you really up to this yourself? I somehow doubt it so I would suggest you get an electrician. It's a simple job so should not cost much.
 

if the socket is already a spur then you cant take a supply from that

I read it as a dedicated circuit to a fixed heater so I would not take a spur from it for that reason.  But it's on a B20 mcb so you could run another radial socket from it if pushed.
 

 

[Billy84]

Hi i intended the socket to be in same cupboard as the fuse box on the wall to the left. on the pic i posted of fuse box there is no fuse for downstairs main ring or labled as such. just lobby heater i used that in order to change faceplate for heater that is only outlet on downstairs level. so i thought i could go into the ring that that is on locate cable in cupboard for new socket and re label fuse  as lobby heater and cupboard socket? maybe i underestimated  the complexity of the intended project 

Thanks again for you assistance 

Cannot seem to post more exceeded my upload limit ?

 

[Billy84]

Hi no the heater is located outside cupboard i wanted socket inside so was not trying to spur off the heater socket more add a socket to the ring that the heater outlet is on ?

 

[ProDave]

There won't be a "downstairs ring main" circuit as there were not any when the place was wired.  The lobby heater is not on a ring, but a radial socket from the consumer unit to that heater point only.
 

 

[Billy84]

Sorry to clarify my fuse box is in a downstairs cupboard no sockets downstairs except the lobby heater which is on its own fuse. the only other fuse with sockets written on is for upstairs sockets as its maisonette just porch door downstairs cupboard with fuse box outside that cupboard is the heater the only outlet. there is a second fuse with socket written on but when tripped no socket in flat or downstairs porch has loss of power so i assumed that fuse is redundant. (recently newly fitted box due to regs) 

Ahh thanks dave, so could not or not advisable to wire the new socket into the cable that feeds power to lobby heater then. so would best option be to repeat same procedure as was done for the heater for the new socket ?

Thanks again 

 

[binky]

you have a spare 'way' on the end of the board, so you could use that for anew circuit dedicated to the socket you want, or add circuit to the breaker for the heater It would be easier to run cabling from the board as the socket is in the cupboard. A small job like that near me would be around £50-80. Do please consider if this is money well spent given you don't really know what you are doing (I mean that in the nicest possible way )

 

[Andy™]

but a new circuit then makes it a notifiable job...

 

[binky]

[No message]

 

[Billy84]

Hi guys thanks agian for input. much appreciated. if as dave stated it is a radial (one set of wires coming into heater socket so believe it is) can a socket be added to that between the CU and the existing socket at the end of the radial or can radials only supply one socket ? was my intention to add my socket to that radial and re-label fuse (lobby heater/cupboard socket) accordingly it would be 2 sockets then on that radial. 1 for existing 13a heater and 1 new for a chest freezer over a 12ft square area. i assumed isolate the lobby/porch heater locate correct cable between CU and 13a porch heater test for live/dead wire in new socket is there more to it than that? or would that be too much load etc?  

Thanks again 

 

[apprentice87]

A Diagram of what you want woul;d be good!!

Biggest problem you got, is you might well get it all to work, but you have not got the required stuff to test it and make sure it is all safe..

Post a diagram though if you can..

john..

 

[Billy84]

Hi apprentice thanks for helping out, here is a diagram of what i have with floor plan with 2 possible locations for intended new socket site.  fig 1 being the more obvious choice imo. 

Thanks again