Spur to socket in loft

[m4tty]

Hi,

Ive got a job tomorrow to put a socket in loft for 'gaming room'. Ive found the nearest socket which is a single socket and was going to spur off this socket (if its on the ring) or if its already a spur I was going to change this for a 13a fcu and run the socket from this. I was going to run in 2.5mm from 13a fcu. Would anyone wire this in 1.5mm? The socket is going to be used for PS3/XBOX etc so not that much. The cable will be run in trunking through wardrobes and get up into loft then run in trunking again to socket. All rcd protected and only 3 sockets on this upstairs ring.

Any advice appreciated

Cheers

 

[initforthemoney]

Whats 1.5 rated at?

Come on mate, this is basic stuff!!

 

[ProDave]

Don't forget, there's probably no heating in the loft. So as well as the PS3, there might be a 3KW electric fire at some point.

Given the intended use of "unofficial loft conversion" I would try and get the new socket incorporated into a ring if possible (particularly as existing ring only has 3 sockets) It might not be long before they ask you to fit a second socket for example.

So a little extra work now could be worth it.

Quite different job to putting a single 13A socket in an unboarded loft to power a tv amplifier.

P.S when looking at a job, I always try and think on the spot how I am going to do it. In this case I would have unscrewed the existing candidate socket to see if it was on the ring or a spur before committing to how to do the job and how much to charge.

 

[Evans Electric]

I understand where Matty is coming from , a spur with a 13A fuse protecting a 1.5 cable rating 18A clipped direct . But yes , you can see adaptors going in there and all sorts as it becomes accepted as another room .

 

[jackfrosty]

i was in a loft other day and went to plug my lamp into a socket when i realised it was wired off the lighting ceiling rose in a bit of .75 flex without earth!

 

[ProDave]

i was in a loft other day and went to plug my lamp into a socket when i realised it was wired off the lighting ceiling rose in a bit of .75 flex without earth!

Hope you quoted to put it right

 

[m4tty]

Whats 1.5 rated at?Come on mate, this is basic stuff!!

16.5A mate I know what you mean it complies but thought this may be frowned upon. Probably wrong tho.

 

[Evans Electric]

Just need to check the Zs then .

 

[jackfrosty]

how unacceptable is it to spur off a spur? if the Zs is acceptable, is it safe?

 

[m4tty]

spur off a spur not allowed mate

 

[Megaohm7]

how unacceptable is it to spur off a spur? if the Zs is acceptable, is it safe?

Protection of the cable !! What's to stop someone taking a spur off of the one you installed. I know in an ideal world it would probably be ok but you have to safeguard against someone plugging 3kw loads in each socket and your 2.5mm will be seriously overloaded.

 

[jackfrosty]

i understand what your saying, how about spuring off a spured socket for central heating say?

 

[Megaohm7]

i understand what your saying, how about spuring off a spured socket for central heating say?

Central heating would be on it's own radial so you shouldn't put anything else on the circuit. but a way to spur from a spur is to put a FCU before the first spur from the ring and you can add more sockets from that spur because it will have a 13a fuse protecting the cable providing the spurs..There is a diagram indicating this in the regs book.. App 15 page 362..If you check out app 15 page 363 you will find the arrangements for radials that the rules appear to be different to the rules applied to the ring final circuit. :innocent

 

[andy_spark]

You can put as many sockets as you like on a spur, provided that at the origin of the spur there is a 13a fcu. Done this a few times when adding extra sockets to sockets/rooms fed with a spur from a ring main.

Trace back to first socket on spur and add fcu in before 1st socket and carry on from there. Best to use 2.5mm to keep Zs down.

This is a more professional job than the use of the customers favourite 4 way extension lead, which is probably made from 1.25mm flex!

As Prodave said a dedicated cicuit or ring maybe better for an unofficial loft conversion which may have heaters etc.

However the big factor is what the customer will pay for.

 

[Sidewinder]

M4tty,

Chuck 2.5 in, remember if it is all in surface trunking you can use singles.

With the pre-made fittings & the right boxes it looks good and is quicker to put in IMHO.

if you're gonna trunk it all the way what about just running 6 singles in & it becomes part of the ring with a bit of clever joining & a blank plate IF the s.o aint used.

Option 2 is put a 2x1g box in, joint in one side for the ring & blank this & then spur off this for the adjacent s.o. in the same back box?

 

[jackfrosty]

so you cant get a central heating supply from sockets at all and has to be on its own supply and circuit?

 

[PIP IOM]

I think central htg is ok.... just not immersion supply

 

[Megaohm7]

so you cant get a central heating supply from sockets at all and has to be on its own supply and circuit?

Anything is possible!! but in reality A central heating system by good practice should have it's own circuit. If a heating engineer is working on the heating system then they will probably want to safely isolate it by putting it on it's own radial, this can be achieved.. Guinness

 

[Evans Electric]

I see no problem with a central heating boiler fed from the ring . You can't have everything on it's own circuit , boards are getting bigger by the day.

I did a board change on Tuesday . House was working perfectly well on a 4 way wooden Wylex hanging off the wall . Cooker-- all plugs on one ring--- all lts one ct-- removed imm/htr now had plug on the end.

 

[Megaohm7]

I see no problem with a central heating boiler fed from the ring . You can't have everything on it's own circuit , boards are getting bigger by the day. I did a board change on Tuesday . House was working perfectly well on a 4 way wooden Wylex hanging off the wall . Cooker-- all plugs on one ring--- all lts one ct-- removed imm/htr now had plug on the end.

The boards are becoming huge now as you say. My uncle who was sparking many moons ago would have probably laughed at me to be honest to hear me going on..I can see where you are coming from though ... Guinness