Fitted a spur from Junction box but no power.

m900349

Hello!
Bought my first house a few months ago and I'm fitting my first new double socket in the spare room.

My issue is that I thought I had correctly connected the socked to the junction box there was no power. Other devices pluged in to the ring main function as expected (drill etc). Uprooting the floor boards determined that there is a junction box in the landing, all I have done is run a cable from the new socket in the wall into the junction box. I can't understand why there is no power to this; (although I have assumed that its okay to take the spur from this - maybe I've broken the ring).

Could anyone have any suggestion? I'm new to all of this so please bear with me

Many thanks, Johno.

viewer · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:57 am Post Subject:

Did you check that there is power to the junction box and that it is a part of the ring circuit? It's not unusual when rewiring for electricians just to leave old wires and JBs.
V

m900349 · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:02 pm Post Subject:

I did not check that - as I guess this is the first time venturing in to home electrics I assumed that every cable was live...

I'll pop by B&Q and get one of those electrical testing screw drivers and see if there is power to that circuit, if not I'll look to find a live wire and fit a junction box to this.

If that's the case, I know you can run a spur from another socket, is it recommended to place a new junction box on the live wire or create a spur from the socket.

Cheers for the quick response

mdbalson · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:15 pm Post Subject:

m900349 wrote:

I'll pop by B&Q and get one of those electrical testing screw drivers and see if there is power to that circuit, if not I'll look to find a live wire and fit a junction box to this.

Do not get a Neon screwdriver as they are unrelieable, get a mutimeter instead.

m900349 wrote:

If that's the case, I know you can run a spur from another socket, is it recommended to place a new junction box on the live wire or create a spur from the socket.

You can spur from the back of a socket if it is part of the ring, & does not have a spur coming from it already.

davy_owen_88 · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:16 pm Post Subject:

m900349 wrote:

I'll pop by B&Q and get one of those electrical testing screw drivers and see if there is power to that circuit, if not I'll look to find a live wire and fit a junction box to this.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buy a multimeter. You can get them for less than £10 and they will actually be accurate, and useful.

mdbalson · Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:21 pm Post Subject:

Too slow davy_owen_88

sm1thson · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:52 pm Post Subject:

m900349 wrote:

is it recommended to place a new junction box on the live wire or create a spur from the socket.

spur from a socket! junction boxes are evil, and you need to leave them accessible (not buried under the floor) as the screws loosen with time, so far better to go into an existing socket (also that way you wont end up tapping into the wrong circuit!)

Taylortwocities · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:15 pm Post Subject:

davy_owen_88 wrote:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buy a multimeter. You can get them for less than £10 and they will actually be accurate, and useful.

Today's bargain £5.99 from maplin http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=37279&C=Maplin&U=SearchTop&T=MULTIMETER&doy=18m9

AND its buy one, get one free!!

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notb665 · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:56 pm Post Subject:

Come on, the bloke should not be doing this - he doesn't have the foggiest.

A random JB he found and no mention of cable sizes!

I'm not a professional but others (professionals) on here have berated and admonished for far better than the original post.

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dingbat · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 6:04 pm Post Subject:

I made a sort of resolution, that if I couldn't say something helpful I wouldn't bother posting (which is one reason I've been so quiet of late!) but on this I agree absolutely with notb665.

If this is not a wind-up then the OP should not be attempting this job.