Adding Spurs

[Geordie1975]

Hi forum

I'm looking to add a spur from a single socket to a fused socket. Would it be safe to add the spur from the single if there is only one cable coming into the socket or should I be looking for 2 cables

 

[ProDave]

There's a LOT more to consider than the number of cables.

 

[NozSpark]

+1

 

[Essex1]

Welcome.

 

[binky]

that would be a spur off spur as you describe it, so probably not safe.

 

[Doc Hudson]

Hi forum

I'm looking to add a spur from a single socket to a fused socket. Would it be safe to add the spur from the single if there is only one cable coming into the socket or should I be looking for 2 cables

Welcome to the forum. The information give is insufficient to give a definitive answer. The golden rule in this situation is "when in doubt don't".  The factors we need to know are the physical size of the cable at the circuit and the size cable you intend to install. Defined by the cross sectional area of the live conductors, typically this would be 2.5mm2 on a domestic socket circuit. The rating of the fuse at the consumer unit. A typical domestic ring circuit would be 30A or 32A. If a radial circuit it may be 20A, 16A or 15A. Each size of cable can only carry a  limited amount of electrical current before it can get damaged, the circuit fuse must be lower than the max cable capacity, so that the fuse blows / trips, rather than the cable melting. You also need to consider how much existing load (outlets and floor area) is on the circuit. You cannot keep on extending a circuit indefinitely, (which unfortunately some  builders and DIY'ers can have a tendency to do), you may be able to extend this circuit safely but we do need to know more before anyone could say yes. The number of cables at a socket does not mean it is a ring. If you had four sockets wired in a line, three will have two cables and the last will have one, but none are a ring. You need a continuity test meter to verify if a circuit is a ring.  

Doc H.

 

[Lurch]

that would be a spur off spur as you describe it

Not necessarily. Not enough info to draw that conclusion yet.

 

[binky]

1 cable in to single socket, and he wants a spur off it - don't need to be Sherlock to deduce that one Lurch  :^O  

But as you said we need more info, which is why I also said 'as you describe it' .

 

[thebight]

1 cable in to single socket, and he wants a spur off it - don't need to be Sherlock to deduce that one Lurch  :^O

But as you said we need more info, which is why I also said 'as you describe it' .

What if the whole circuit is a radial and this socket is the end of the line? Unlikely, but I'm with Lurch - too little info.

 

[Lurch]

1 cable in to single socket, and he wants a spur off it - don't need to be Sherlock to deduce that one Lurch  :^O

No, but even Sherlock would deduce it could be a radial, or even fed from an upstream spur.

 

[binky]

yes it could, it could be wired in 4mm fte on a 32A MCB or the remains of an oven circuit, shower circuit or many other things, but chances are its a single socket spurred off a ring main which would proably cover about 99% of all single sockets. Either way the OP hasn't a clue, so saying it's PROBABLY a bad idea is PROBABLY good advice.

 

[Murdoch]

Could be like the set up I saw today - single cable, off a 32A RFC, to 1 x 2G socket, to JB - 1 cable to 3 x 2G sockets (yes this is the conservatory!), the other cable to JB, then to 1 x 2G socket and an outside light...... so 2 cables means nothing