Ring Main oddity?

[AlleyCat`]

Hi Guys,

I'm currently having a Conservatory fitted and have a Sparky that is going to do the electrics for me.

However, as I'm nosy, i thought I'd have a look at the existing wiring for the House ( built in 2002).
The ring main(s) for the lights are as i expected (one upstairs, one down) but the ring main for the sockets are not up and down as i expect but what I'd describe as left hand, right hand.
That is half the sockets (up and down) are on one Ring and the other half (up and down) are on a separate Ring.

My questions really are along the lines of why this would be done and if this is something anyone else has seen before.

cheers,
--
Richard

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Have you got solid floors downstairs?

If the ground floor socket circuit has to drop down the walls then it may have been easier to split the circuits into left/right or back/front than up/down.

Nothing wrong with it, and it can be beneficial to still have power available on the same floor where you're working on one of the circuits. You need to take a little more care in ensuring you isolate the right one, but if you follow safe isolation procedures you can't go wrong.

 

[stargazer]

I suggest you put a note on or near your consumer unit to advise of the ring arrangements unless it is clear from the existing labelling.

 

[AlleyCat`]

Ah light dawns on my marble head.
It's a solid concrete base - everything suddenly makes sense.

cheers,
-
Richard

 

[Click-Sure]

Yep,

Common practice, and bocomming more common now that we know that socket outlet will only be messed around with by people who know what that there is more to isolation than going away to a hermatage

Did a house before christmas that I split up/down into quarters, one ring for each quarter of the house, big house, room layout was just perfect and was starting to get voltage drop concerns doing it with just 2 rings.