temporary sockets

[mistymoo]

Hello!

I'm in the process of re-wiring my mother's house (it's going to take ages), I've just finished the sitting room, put in lights and sockets on a ring main (before the house had no ring main, just masses of radials on radials? Some of it was aluminium too...) but christmas is upon us and Mother would like to put fairly lights on the tree. This means she would like to use the sockets if possible.

My question is...

I have both ends of my new ring main (2.5 mm T+E) but they are not yet joined to any power supply as I'm intending in the new year to start on the dining room and add the sockets in there to my ring too.

So (to get to the point!)

What is the safest way to put power to my new sockets please?

I had thought of 2 ways:

1. As I have the cable that originally supplied the radial circuits and it's still attached to the DB I could attached one end of my ring and make the other end of the ring safe (in juntion box or other tamper proof enclosure).

2. As in 1 but join the ends of my ring togther and make and mini ring before attaching to the original radial cable.

I appreciate that neither are not ideal and it is only going to be temporary until I can get the rest of the downstairs finished and the DB changed.

Can anyone think of anything else I could do? Any help appreciated.

Thank you very much,

Misty

 

[Lurch]

Just connect whatever you can together and stick it on a 16\20A MCB somehow.

 

[mistymoo]

Sadly there are no MCB's on the DB, just those nice rewireable fuses. So you reckon making it into a ring would be the best bet?

 

[Lurch]

Well, when I say MCB, I mean whatever CPD you want. The general gist is connect the wires together into some sort of radial affair, connect a point of the circuit somewhere to some sort of suitably rated CPD. The fact they are 3036's isn;t a major issue as they were there anyway, if it makes you feel better stick a temp board in an feed the installation off that.

Doesn't matter whether it's a ring or radial, seems you have the British affliction of being obsessed with rings! Not sure how making a ring makes the 3036 suddenly suitable?

 

[mistymoo]

It doesn't. I know that. I know radials are perfectly acceptable but as the customer (who also happens to be my MOTHER) requested a ring then I am putting them on a ring.

So you think joining one end of the ring to the cable coming from the DB and putting the other end of the ring in a "safe place" would be my best bet?

 

[M107]

1. Just connect as if extending a radial & as you say the free leg of your rf either terminate into a jb or socket.
   
2. connect you new rf to the cu, then break into rf at a later date to extend into the dining room.
   
3. But what ever you decide make sure the ocpd is correctly rated, you might also consider fitting a remote 30mA rcd next to the cu.
   

 

[mistymoo]

Thanks. I might buy her a plug in RCD to run her fairy lights through.

I'm not wiring the new stuff into the CU yet so I'm going to join the new ring/radial onto the old cable for now. The whole house is a nightmare, it seems like people have been DIY adding bits since the invention of electricity!

 

[sellers]

Thanks. I might buy her a plug in RCD to run her fairy lights through. I'm not wiring the new stuff into the CU yet so I'm going to join the new ring/radial onto the old cable for now. The whole house is a nightmare, it seems like people have been DIY adding bits since the invention of electricity!

Thats the way it is 99% of the time sadly.

I'd say whats already been said. Take the last socket on the end of the new ring, disconnect that leg out, now your left with a radial. Go to the first socket and connect that into the existing circuit and protect it with some 15a or 20a fusewire.

 

[kme]

I would STRONGLY echo M107 comment r.e. RCD -

Never mind a "plug-in" variant - if a customer (even your mum) plugs something in she wants to use, and it trips - she`ll plug it in without the RCD.

Your circuit is eventually going to need RCD protection, so fit an RCD in a stand-alone enclosure, feeding your socket circuit. The unit isn`t wasted - you can transfer it into your new CU at a later date.