New sockets - from which ring?

[Hobobanobo]

Hi,
I am in the process of laying out new sockets before decorating and need some help.

I've colour coded the rings. Purple are proposed. I've only included plug sockets really.
Most are obvious. Kitchen on kitchen ring, living room/diner on downstairs ring etc.

The 2 at the back of the lounge (right side) and the one in the Diner, will be spurs and trunking as hidden.
everything else will be buried and likely added to ring mains.
All sockets twin sockets going forward.

My issues:
Should the boiler be on the ring with so many other sockets upstairs, even though its on an FCU. I worry once the office is set up that it will be a high load.

What would be the best use for the old emersion Radial I've cut. Just take it out back to fuse box since I've cut the wire.
I cant add a new ring myself can I once I take it out though.

Note: I cant afford/find a reliable Sparky to do this so I'm on my own.
All wires run from 1st Floor as concrete ground floor.

Advice welcome.

 

[Murdochcat]

Fwiw i do think you need a competent person

How old is your CU

 

[Hobobanobo]

Fwiw i do think you need a competent person

How old is your CU

Well there were no brown live wires in the house. All red/black. But clean tidy CU. just pre 2004 id say. Looks fairly good nic to be fair.

 

[ETAF]

photo of the consumer unit

 

[Hobobanobo]

photo of the consumer unit

 

[ericmark]

In the main, we use common sense, split is better side to side, as if something fails no need for temporary wires up/down stairs, and the cable run is often shorter so better loop impedance.

My freezers and boiler are on an UPS supply, so will continue to work in a power cut.

But the cost to register with LABC means in the main too expensive to DIY this type of work.

 

[Hobobanobo]

In the main, we use common sense, split is better side to side, as if something fails no need for temporary wires up/down stairs, and the cable run is often shorter so better loop impedance.

My freezers and boiler are on an UPS supply, so will continue to work in a power cut.

But the cost to register with LABC means in the main too expensive to DIY this type of work.

So given i have a few extra slots on the CU. I should call a sparky and have it ready done. I assume they won't need to replace all the wires in the house. I've refurbished and replastered the kitchen living room so I'd like new wires upstairs and for lighting. But ideally leave the kitchen living room wiring burried?

electricians I've asked just don't want to do it. I guess I'll keep looking.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Should the boiler be on the ring with so many other sockets upstairs, even though its on an FCU. I worry once the office is set up that it will be a high load.

I prefer to have my boiler, on it's own circuit which enables the entire heating system to be safely isolated, without affecting anything else. You could divert the immersion heater feed, to do that, if you no longer have an immersion heater.

Care needs to be taken, where sockets in an area, are fed from more than one circuit, as you appear to have in the kitchen, but it offers advantages where a fault develops on one circuit.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I assume they won't need to replace all the wires in the house. I've refurbished and replastered the kitchen living room so I'd like new wires upstairs and for lighting. But ideally leave the kitchen living room wiring burried?

What can be retained, depends on it's condition and age. A more recent consumer unit, gives no clues about the age of the rest of the installation. Red and Black, only suggests sometime between 1960 and 1990 -ish.
Do the lighting circuits, include an earth, at every location?

 

[Hobobanobo]

What can be retained, depends on it's condition and age. A more recent consumer unit, gives no clues about the age of the rest of the installation. Red and Black, only suggests sometime between 1960 and 1990 -ish.
Do the lighting circuits, include an earth, at every location?

Yes, But the wiring is very degraded at the ends and short to work with at the fittings. So I was planning on getting someone in to at least re do the light circuits. But its starting to look like a much bigger job than that which if I want a better layout of the upstairs socket circuits, Ill need a pro.
I suppose the plus side of this is that I can get them to move the CU to the opposite wall of the under stairs cupboard, as I am not brave enough to do that.

 

[Hobobanobo]

If I were to get someone in, how much are electricians charging for partial or full re wires? Do I get day rates plus parts or do they tend to charge for the job? Ill get asking around for one.

 

[endecotp]

Should the boiler be on the ring with so many other sockets upstairs, even though its on an FCU. I worry once the office is set up that it will be a high load.

Boilers don’t take a lot of power; you don’t ned to worry about it from the “high load” point of view. Your concern should only be, will I lose the heating and freeze to death if something else fails on that circuit? Personally, I would worry more about the deep freeze in that respect. In both cases, if the appliance has a plug rather than being hard-wired into an FCU you have the option of using an extension lead to connect it temporarily to another circuit, or even to a generator or inverter.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Do I get day rates plus parts or do they tend to charge for the job?

Better to get an overall price for the entire job, with the extent of the work involved carefully, and accurately specified.

 

[Murdochcat]

How long have you been in the house and how long do you plan to stay?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Personally, I would worry more about the deep freeze in that respect.

Yep, I have my fridges and freezers on their own circuit, plus deliberately not on an RCD - that has the advantage that a fault, or isolating other circuits to work on them, doesn't affect them. The disadvantage is, you are unlikely to know if that circuit trips, until it defrosts, so I included an alarm.

What is this 'high load' you are anticipating, in an office? 32amps, is a lot of watts.