How to tell which type of circuit is installed

[alan1971]

My house is about seven years old. I would like to determine if a radial or ring circuit is installed.

I've had a look at the Consumer Unit and there is only one fuse labelled 9032B for all the sockets on a two storey house.

Does this mean that it's a radial circuit.

 

[dog2]

it sounds like when the house was built the one cable from both upstairs and down stairs has been lost and an apprentice has connected both cables into the fuse thinking that its on a ring and should have failed the inspection if the house is only seven years old.

 

[kendor]

You would have to take off the cover from the CU and check for two red wires going to the fuse for the sockets, if there is only one (Unlikely in your case) then it would be a radial if two you would need to disconnect them and check for continuity between them to see if they are actually part of a Ring as opposed to two radials wired to the same fuse(has been known) there would be two neutrals(black) and earths also associated with the circuit.
Make sure you kill the circuit or preferably the CU whilst you carry out the check.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

it sounds like when the house was built the one cable from both upstairs and down stairs has been lost and an apprentice has connected both cables into the fuse thinking that its on a ring and should have failed the inspection if the house is only seven years old.

The polite word for what you've written is b*****ks....

 

[dog2]

i have seen this happen more than once on new build houses i have also seen a cooker outlet plate with the cable crimped to the detached garage which had also been tested and passed.

 

[kendor]

it sounds like when the house was built the one cable from both upstairs and down stairs has been lost and an apprentice has connected both cables into the fuse thinking that its on a ring and should have failed the inspection if the house is only seven years old.

I have a suspicion i know who that "apprentice" was

i have seen this happen more than once on new build houses i have also seen a cooker outlet plate with the cable crimped to the detached garage which had also been tested and passed.

Was the cooker outlet plate's cable rawl bolted to the detached garage or did they use skybolts? hope it didn't obstruct the door from opening

 

[ban-all-sheds]

i have seen this happen more than once on new build houses i have also seen a cooker outlet plate with the cable crimped to the detached garage which had also been tested and passed.

What tests are there for garages?

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

What tests are there for garages?

Does your car fit in ?? (no, seriously, houses built round our way that wouldn't take anything bigger than an Escort and third bedrooms that a standard single bed wouldn't fit in to !! Good ole Wimpeys eh ?)

 

[jeds]

dog2 - I can't for the life of me see how you arrive at that conclusion from what alan1971 said.

All we know is he's got one fuse for all the sockets in a 7 year old house. The most likely explanation is that he has one ring main in the whole house - like in, ooh, let me see, about twenty gazillion other houses.

Alan, the regs used to allow unlimited sockets on a single ring in houses less than 200sqm - might still do in fact? Check to see if there are two red wires going to the fuse? If so you have a ring main.

 

[il78]

it sounds like when the house was built the one cable from both upstairs and down stairs has been lost and an apprentice has connected both cables into the fuse thinking that its on a ring and should have failed the inspection if the house is only seven years old.

Scares the sh*t out of me........

 

[jeds]

Perhaps you could trot over to the square tomorrow and ask to get us all blessed! Just in case.

 

[il78]

I'll have a quiet word in his ear.....

 

[securespark]

It's 100m2 now.

 

[jeds]

100 is it - thought it might have changed. Most new houses these days will be between 40 and 50 sqm footprint so 100sqm still covers the majority.

 

[ZenStalinist]

You probably have a ring with it being 32 amps and covering more than one room, although it may be a radial, I highly doubt it.

How to tell a radial:

1. 32 amp radials use thicker wire (4mm?)

2. There will be only one wire going to the CU, whereas with a ring there will be two. Open it up and have a look.