Kitchen Radial, no of sockets.

[dombe]

A quick question, our kitchen had 9 double sockets and was wired with 2.5 mm t+e, protected by a 15a mcb in the consumer unit.

No washing machine, tumble dryer e.t.c. (except a kettle will be plugged in).
The room is about 25 m2, the old 15 a mcb used to nusiance trip every couple of months (which is bearable) am I right in thinking that there is no limit on the number of sockets you can buy you are (obviously) limited by the demand of the appliances.

I want to move some of the sockets, decommision some and install some new.

The ones I want to decomission I'm planning on crimping with an insulated butt crimp then heatshrinking, putting a blank cover plate over the top and skimming over. Is that acceptable.

I've notified my local building control and paid the £180 for them to inspect.

Thanks in advance.

Dombe

 

[breezer]

rewire it would be a better job

 

[dombe]

Rewiring would mean chasing back all the buried cable and rewiring, the run to the cu is complicated and I'd rather not.

To be honest rewiring isn't something I want to do, why would it be necessary to start again when most of the sockets are fine?

Thanks,

Dombe

 

[breezer]

why would it be necessary to start again

it isnt necessary, just better job. IMO

 

[andy]

Rewiring would mean chasing back all the buried cable and rewiring, the run to the cu is complicated and I'd rather not.

To be honest rewiring isn't something I want to do, why would it be necessary to start again when most of the sockets are fine?

Thanks,

Dombe

you could re-wire the kitchen part and use the existing feed, however, your still stuck to a radial. re-wire back to the CU and you can have 32A

 

[plugwash]

you can have a 20A mcb on your existing 2.5mm radial provided you aren't running through thermal insulation.

what appliances do you have in the kitchen and what exactly did you do to cause nusesnce tripping before

 

[dombe]

kettle and dishwasher along with the fridge and freezer.

But the washing machine is going to another location. Used to always go when the kettle was turned on and the dishwasher was running.

Not really a problem because the people who live there just paused the dishwasher when the kettle was turned on.

Its the house my parents live in and they have lived with it since the kitchen was built and don't see it as a problem.

Thanks for the replies,

Dombe

 

[andy]

kettle and dishwasher along with the fridge and freezer.

But the washing machine is going to another location. Used to always go when the kettle was turned on and the dishwasher was running.

Not really a problem because the people who live there just paused the dishwasher when the kettle was turned on.

Its the house my parents live in and they have lived with it since the kitchen was built and don't see it as a problem.

Thanks for the replies,

Dombe

but it is a problem. the circuit hasnt been designed properly. and the kettle along draws near 9A, leaving 6A for everything else...

 

[plugwash]

hmm you must use big kettles most ones i've looked at don't draw anything like 13A

 

[andy]

hmm you must use big kettles most ones i've looked at don't draw anything like 13A

for some reason i was thinkin the kettle was 3KW....

im loosing it.

 

[dombe]

So the circuit isn't ideal, but the people who own the house don't really want to have to pay to get the room rewired and are happy with resetting the mcb every now and then.

As long as the protection works, there is no problem surely? Not ideal but working and has been for 20 years.

Thanks,

Dombe

 

[Steve]

hmm you must use big kettles most ones i've looked at don't draw anything like 13A

for some reason i was thinkin the kettle was 3KW....

im loosing it.

some kettles are 3KW, those new rapid boil ones, we have one, they are a godsend!

 

[andy]

hmm you must use big kettles most ones i've looked at don't draw anything like 13A

for some reason i was thinkin the kettle was 3KW....

im loosing it.

some kettles are 3KW, those new rapid boil ones, we have one, they are a godsend!

oh well. ive found it again

 

[Steve]

So the circuit isn't ideal, but the people who own the house don't really want to have to pay to get the room rewired and are happy with resetting the mcb every now and then.

As long as the protection works, there is no problem surely? Not ideal but working and has been for 20 years.

Thanks,

Dombe

There is a danger that a DIY madman buys the house and is fed up with the MCB tripping, finds out its a 15A one, thinks "thats unusual, best get a 32A one, like most socket circuits have" therefore creating a dangerous situation and burning the house down.

If you are working on the circuit and chasing cables into the wall now, why not go that bit further and rewire the entire thing? And why would they need to pay someone to do it? You have already notified the council, do it yourself!

 

[andy]

might aswell get your £180 worth from them