Socket Wiring Advice

nero44 · 25 Mar 2024

Thanks Harry. Few questions on this please for my understanding:

- If it turns out to be a 1.5mm cable, can this remain in place if used in conjunction with a fused spur and would the fused spur need to be installed at the JB before the 1.5mm cable commences or does that not matter?
- Although not pretty, is it possible to used a switched fused spur as regular light switch? Then a quick fix would be to swap the existing light switch with a switched fused spur
- I assume a fused spur unit always needs to be accessible for inspection and cannot be buried inside the wall? Feels a bit overkill to install a separate fused spur switch in the wall for 7w of LED lighting. It's in my son's room and he never uses this, so might do away with it completely.

Harry Bloomfield · 25 Mar 2024

nero44 said:
- If it turns out to be a 1.5mm cable, can this remain in place if used in conjunction with a fused spur and would the fused spur need to be installed at the JB before the 1.5mm cable commences or does that not matter?

It would need to be connected on the input to the switch, to the ring, or a spur off the ring, using 2.5mm. You are not permitted to wire anything connected directly to the ring, using smaller than 2.5mm.

nero44 said:
- I assume a fused spur unit always needs to be accessible for inspection and cannot be buried inside the wall? Feels a bit overkill to install a separate fused spur switch in the wall for 7w of LED lighting. It's in my son's room and he never uses this, so might do away with it completely.

You could rewire it in flex, fit a 13amp plug, and simply plug it in.

nero44 · 25 Mar 2024

Harry Bloomfield said:
It would need to be connected on the input to the switch, to the ring, or a spur off the ring, using 2.5mm. You are not permitted to wire anything connected directly to the ring, using smaller than 2.5mm.

You could rewire it in flex, fit a 13amp plug, and simply plug it in.

Ah these are recessed mini spotlights and all built in already with all wires behind walls. I might upload a picture to illustrate.

But this actually brings up another problem. The ring is quite large already and has many sockets, but it's only running on a 20a RCBO. My sparky who did the recent EICR recommends upgrading to a 32a RCBO, but this then would cause an even bigger problem if there is any unprotected 1.5mm cable somewhere along it? What is your view on this?

Harry Bloomfield · 25 Mar 2024

nero44 said:
But this actually brings up another problem. The ring is quite large already and has many sockets, but it's only running on a 20a RCBO. My sparky who did the recent EICR recommends upgrading to a 32a RCBO, but this then would cause an even bigger problem if there is any unprotected 1.5mm cable somewhere along it? What is your view on this?

No need to upgrade, unless you are tripping it, but if there is 1.5mm it needs to be resolved.

robinbanks · 25 Mar 2024

securespark said:
...what?

Rated/designed for that many wires. A 24amp wago for example might well be 6 port but it don't mean it's wise to use it to piece four 2gang sockets into a ring even if it is bob on equidistant to the CU down each leg..

securespark · 25 Mar 2024

Use 32A?

EFLImpudence · 25 Mar 2024

Harry Bloomfield said:
It would need to be connected on the input to the switch, to the ring, or a spur off the ring, using 2.5mm. You are not permitted to wire anything connected directly to the ring, using smaller than 2.5mm.

Not actually the case, so...

Harry Bloomfield · 25 Mar 2024

EFLImpudence said:
Not actually the case, so...

The OP mentioned lights, wired with 1.5mm, apparently unfused, spurred off the ring.

EFLImpudence · 25 Mar 2024

Well, there are lots of ifs and buts in this thread, but...

Harry Bloomfield said:
You are not permitted to wire anything connected directly to the ring, using smaller than 2.5mm.

...is not true.

Ragnar_AT · 25 Mar 2024

If the whole circuit is on a B20 MCB it doesn‘t even have to be a ring.

SUNRAY · 25 Mar 2024

If it's on a B20 then it's not a special case ring final and a 1.5mm² spur feeding a 3A SFCU is permissible.

EFLImpudence · 25 Mar 2024

Everything seems to be made unnecessarily complicated lately.

SUNRAY said:
If it's on a B20 then it's not a special case ring final and a 1.5mm² spur feeding a 3A SFCU is permissible.

Or not feeding a 3A FCU as the CCC Method C of 1.5mm² T&E is 20A.

Even on a 32A special case ring final a 1.5mm² spur feeding a 3A - or 13A - FCU is permissible as would no FCU if conditions were met for omission of overload protection..

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Socket Wiring Advice

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