Electric Fireplace and fridge off fcu help

[Biker Gem]

Hi I am after some help. My mums flat has a swtich fcu spurred off a double socket (main ring) the switch fcu then has a double socket that has the fridge plug in (tho in the front room as kitchen to small to have out there). I know she now needs a new socket installed on this wall between fridge n fcu to have her new electric fireplace pluged in. Can it be daisy chained off socket spurs (tho fridge in one socket and fire in the other) or do we need another fcu in there somewhere to stop the draw and overload from 2 power hungry appliances? Any advice please?

 

[Geoff1946]

If it is a heater it should only be connected directly to the ring main socket.

 

[binky]

How many watts is the heater?

 

[Biker Gem]

This is the fire that's needed to be installed. Problem is no socket near location of fireplace. There is a switch fcu off main ring double socket that runs to a double socket, so didn't no if it's OK to add a socket between spur and fcu or if another fcu to break the spurs up as one will have a fridge and other the fireplace. If not safe then please advise me? Kind regards Gemma

 

[binky]

a separate FCU would be ideal, but as it's 2 kw, you can get away with just plugging into the socket.

 

[Biker Gem]

a separate FCU would be ideal, but as it's 2 kw, you can get away with just plugging into the socket.

And a fridge freezer too? Running from the same fcu to two double sockets?

 

[binky]

Fridge will be less than 1 KW, and you probably have 13A fuse in the FCU, so it will work, if not ideal. It will certainly keep you going for the moment, until you can get someone in to fit anither FCU . Is the socket that has been spurred off closer to the fire than the socket controlled by the fcu? Just thinking if you could plug either appliance into the socket on the ring main.

 

[Biker Gem]

Fridge will be less than 1 KW, and you probably have 13A fuse in the FCU, so it will work, if not ideal. It will certainly keep you going for the moment, until you can get someone in to fit anither FCU . Is the socket that has been spurred off closer to the fire than the socket controlled by the fcu? Just thinking if you could plug either appliance into the socket on the ring main.

Unfortunately it's like a 20ft room and mains socket one end with fcu close to that and then the spur off the fcu is the other end of the room but a socket is needed bang in the middle lol. Any suggestions?

 

[binky]

Unfortunately it's like a 20ft room and mains socket one end with fcu close to that and then the spur off the fcu is the other end of the room but a socket is needed bang in the middle lol. Any suggestions?

should still be fine. Fridge freezers don't run all the time, and I suspect you can set the fire for 1kw rather than 2Kw, reducing the load. Try it, but keep an eye on the plug for the fire getting hot - I'm guessing an old socket, so may have an age related issue, but likely not. If there is any overloading, the fuse in the FCU will blow, it's what it's for.

Failing that, how easy is it to get under the floorboards?

 

[Biker Gem]

should still be fine. Fridge freezers don't run all the time, and I suspect you can set the fire for 1kw rather than 2Kw, reducing the load. Try it, but keep an eye on the plug for the fire getting hot - I'm guessing an old socket, so may have an age related issue, but likely not. If there is any overloading, the fuse in the FCU will blow, it's what it's for.

Failing that, how easy is it to get under the floorboards?

Ok thankyou I have replaced the socket face with new so definitely not that all new there as it was my nans before so loads was updated. Unfortunately it's concrete floors lol all wires are in the walls but set with plaster boards layered x3 at least to separate all walls to neighbours. Never seen so much boarding, found this when I tried to screw an anchor wall plug that snapped then saw the layers of boards. So I will just daisy it then and keep an eye on it if not another fcu between fridge socket and fire?

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

I would never have considered a fridge or freezer to be a high power hungry consumption appliance..?
as the compressor is never working 100%, 24/7. 365days of the year!!

Nor would I call a 2kWatt heater a massive load... ( I think the wife's hair-drier is over 2kWatt rating??)

Back in my younger days the old three-bar, 3kWatt electric fire, was common place just plugged into any convenient socket!!!!
Plus I think we had a 3kWatt fan-heater at my moms house...?


So assuming the switched fuse spur is 13Amp suppling sockets fed by 2.5mm T&E..
Then I would just go ahead and plug the stuff in.. See how it all works in reality...

Worst case is that the 13A fuse in the FCU may pop... But my gut feeling is that it won't!?

Sorry... Forgot to say.. Welcome to the Forumbulator..
Good question, well described.....
Far too often we get poor half truth, missing detail questions.......
That people then get the hump when we ask for more detail so as to give a half accurate answer!!

 

[Biker Gem]

I would never have considered a fridge or freezer to be a high power hungry consumption appliance..?
as the compressor is never working 100%, 24/7. 365days of the year!!

Nor would I call a 2kWatt heater a massive load... ( I think the wife's hair-drier is over 2kWatt rating??)

Back in my younger days the old three-bar, 3kWatt electric fire, was common place just plugged into any convenient socket!!!!
Plus I think we had a 3kWatt fan-heater at my moms house...?


So assuming the switched fuse spur is 13Amp suppling sockets fed by 2.5mm T&E..
Then I would just go ahead and plug the stuff in.. See how it all works in reality...

Worst case is that the 13A fuse in the FCU may pop... But my gut feeling is that it won't!?

Sorry... Forgot to say.. Welcome to the Forumbulator..
Good question, well described.....
Far too often we get poor half truth, missing detail questions.......
That people then get the hump when we ask for more detail so as to give a half accurate answer!!

No your right they are not power hungry I was just going by the start up of a fridge i guess. Just don't want me mum calling me up saying she lost everything so being sure as other people said could be a problem but with you all giving the go ahead and a 13amp fcu and 2.5 t+e in place should be fine! We will be fine im sure!
Thankyou for the welcome!! and thankyou for all ur support!

 

[Tony Woolf]

My quite large fridge feeezer is rated at 163 W. (Look on the rating plate for this info, the manual is unlikely to tell you.) So even with this and the 2 kW heater the total will still be well under 13 A.
So you should be OK. But it's not good to rely on the fuse for protection in this situation. The prime purpose of a 1362 fuse is not to protect against continuous overload but to blow in the event of a fault. Look at a time-current rating chart for BS1362; if you haven't done this before I think you will be surprised at how much current a "13 A" fuse will carry for a very long time without blowing.