FCU and outdoor socket

[Jupiter01]

I have a socket on a ring circuit and am spurring from this to feed a FCU which will be fused at 3amp and used to operate outdoor lights.

Ideally, I would like to punch out of the current double socket and feed an outdoor socket but I think that isn’t allowed.

Can you please advise on how this could be achieved?

Thanks in advance.

 

[terryplumb]

If the donor socket is protected by an RCD ,and it is part of a ring final circuit but is not a spur ,you can extend from it to a suitable external socket.

 

[chivers67]

Do you mean just removing a back box knockout and drilling out through the wall?

 

[Jupiter01]

If the donor socket is protected by an RCD ,and it is part of a ring final circuit but is not a spur ,you can extend from it to a suitable external socket.

Even when the current socket is powering a FCU? This would mean that this socket has 1 spur to the FCU and one to the outdoor double socket.

 

[Jupiter01]

Do you mean just removing a back box knockout and drilling out through the wall?

Yes, if allowable, I was planning to drill through the back box, add grommet and take a cable to the outside double socket. Would this be okay?
Note, that this socket is already providing a spur to the FCU.

 

[terryplumb]

Even when the current socket is powering a FCU? This would mean that this socket has 1 spur to the FCU and one to the outdoor double socket.

I have a socket on a ring circuit and am spurring from this to feed a FCU which will be fused at 3amp and used to operate outdoor lights.

"Am ",and ",will " ???
Are you proposing to install the FCU ,or is it already done ?

 

[Jupiter01]

"Am ",and ",will " ???
Are you proposing to install the FCU ,or is it already done ?

Sorry for the confusion. I’ve cut in the FCU and connected up the outdoor lights. Not live yet. This FCU is now awaiting feed from the socket situated next to it.

In addition to this, we want an outdoor socket and I wanted to check whether that is possible in this situation.

 

[Jupiter01]

Can I have a socket on the ring feeding a FCU and a double socket? I.e. there will be 4 sets of cables going into this socket.

 

[terryplumb]

If the FCU is next to the donor socket ,I would have extended the ring final to it ,and run a spur cable to the external socket, from the existing socket.

 

[Taylortwocities]

It is not wrong to have two spurs from one socket. Its is inadvisable from a practical standpoint. Many people* have difficulty getting three cables into the terminals on a socket, four is a often a step too far. (Most socket makers specify 3x2.5mm² max for their products).
I too would extend the ring to the outside socket or the FCU.

PS, I hope your inside socket box has plenty of space in it!

*Yes I know that us wizened electricians have no problems and do it all the time, but I always look at the name of this forum and reply accordingly!

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

I too would extend the ring to the outside socket or the FCU

I would always feed the outside socket via a 2-pole FCU for isolation purposes.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I would always feed the outside socket via a 2-pole FCU for isolation purposes.

I was just typing something similar, but would add....

The DP FCU needs to be indoors, so it completely isolates all outdoor wiring. Outdoor wiring is a very common cause of RCD's tripping, you wouldn't want all your sockets off, until you can get around to investigating the cause of the RCD tripping - a DP FCU, makes it easy to eliminate that cause.

 

[bernardgreen]

Being pedantic

DP SFCU Double Pole Switched Fused Connection Unit.

I know to us the DP implies double pole switching but to others the implication may not be obvious