Fitting a braided twin & earth ring main and a solid core Spur into a new double socket - Safety Advice Please

[E01381]

Hello all

Hoping you can give me some safety advice please..

I am trying to replace an old twin 13 amp outlet as the switches on the socket have become worn. I bought a new twin 13 amp outlet and set about changing it.

When I took the old socket off, I found the ring main is running on a braided (if that is the correct terminology) twin & earth, plus there is a spur on a single core running off to another outlet - please see the photo. The trouble is, the wiring is too thick for the terminal holes on the new socket.

To get around this, I got hold of some WAGO connectors and currently have it set up per the second picture. So basically I have braided live ring main in, braided live ring main out and live solid core connected to one WAGO, then the same for Neutral and again for Earth - although oddly, Earth only seems to have one braided cable and one solid core. Is it safe to use WAGO in this way? and should I be bothered that there only seems to be one braided earth cable (they are unsleeved, so I guess it might be both of them twisted together)?

My thought is that I can now run a short cable between the outlet and the WAGO connectors. Is this safe? and can I run just a single cable between the WAGO and the outlet, or should I run a pair of cables to protect the integrity of the ring main?

Any advice you can give me would be appreciated. I would get a proper electrician out to do it, but I can't find anyone that is interested in such a small job.

Thanks!

 

[ETAF]

earth is usually thinner than the main cable - for example T&E 2.5mm brown/blue are 2.5.mm and earth 1.5mm
check if the brad thats twisted together actually goes back to the 2 grey cables
if a ring main, for the braded 2 cables - then earth needs to be joined so the circuit is a complete ring
The earth should have yellow/green sleeving

where does the other cable go and feed - looks much smaller 1.5mm perhaps

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

earth is usually thinner than the main cable - for example T&E 2.5mm brown/blue are 2.5.mm and earth 1.5mm

Looks like old 7/029 on what might be the ring, with a 2.5mm or 1.5mm added as a spur.

 

[Notch7]

you might struggle to get the socket screwed back on the back box with those wagos

 

[ETAF]

Looks like old 7/029 on what might be the ring,

3 strands on the earth and 7 strands on the main red/black - so looks like the earth is complete for a ring, but still easy to check looking at the 2 grey main cables for the ring - to make sure
, OR perhaps a Radial
note sure how those braided cables will work in a wago connector - never done that in past
note - not a current qualified electrician .....

 

[EFLImpudence]

Stranded - not braided.

Surely you can tidy up the wires and get them into the socket terminals.

If definitely not, then return the socket as not fit for purpose.

 

[E01381]

earth is usually thinner than the main cable - for example T&E 2.5mm brown/blue are 2.5.mm and earth 1.5mm
check if the brad thats twisted together actually goes back to the 2 grey cables
if a ring main, for the braded 2 cables - then earth needs to be joined so the circuit is a complete ring
The earth should have yellow/green sleeving

where does the other cable go and feed - looks much smaller 1.5mm perhaps

Thanks ETAD. The other cable goes off to a single socket by the airing cupboard. That spur normally gets used for the vacuum cleaner or thelights in the attic, so generally it has nothing connected to it.

I will try and get to the grey cables to check out the earth situation

 

[E01381]

you might struggle to get the socket screwed back on the back box with those wagos

Yeah, I think you're probably right. I will get a deeper pattress

 

[sparkymarka]

Yeah, I think you're probably right. I will get a deeper pattress

What with that massive single pattress hole in the rear ? Think that there is plenty of room

 

[E01381]

Thanks all for the help so far.

Assuming that I use a deeper pattress so the WAGO connectors can be accommodated and assuming that I can get a good tight fit from the stranded cables into the WAGO connectors, do I need to run a single cable from the WAGO to the new socket (so it looks like a spur) or do I need two cables into the socket (so it looks like a ring main) - i.e. should the wiring look like the first drawing or the second?

 

[Notch7]

Surely you can tidy up the wires and get them into the socket terminals.

If definitely not, then return the socket as not fit for purpose

That’s what I was thinking when looking at the pictures.

sockets I’ve come across will take 3 x 2.5mm

The problem I have with solid core 2.5mm is arranging the wires so the socket pushes back into place without having to force and straining the terminations

 

[EFLImpudence]

Thanks all for the help so far.

Assuming that I use a deeper pattress so the WAGO connectors can be accommodated and assuming that I can get a good tight fit from the stranded cables into the WAGO connectors, do I need to run a single cable from the WAGO to the new socket (so it looks like a spur) or do I need two cables into the socket (so it looks like a ring main) - i.e. should the wiring look like the first drawing or the second?

Single wires are all that is needed.

 

[EFLImpudence]

sockets I’ve come across will take 3 x 2.5mm

Some people say they have bought sockets with tiny terminals but -

they must take 3 x 4mm² (hence 2 x 6mm²) or they are not fit for purpose.

 

[E01381]

Thanks all. This forum is brilliant! I really appreciate the help. I will go away and Google stranded cable and learn how to tidy them up.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Thanks all. This forum is brilliant! I really appreciate the help. I will go away and Google stranded cable and learn how to tidy them up.

Just straighten the ends (or cut back to fresh if long enough) and don't twist them together.