FUSED SPURS ON EVERY SOCKET

Joined
2 Aug 2012
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
Hampshire
Country
United Kingdom
Hi there i just moved in to a 3 bed house (built 1912)
For some reason they have got a fused spur for each of the sockets in the kitchen
I ve never seen this before is it safe .
 
Sponsored Links
Hi there i just moved in to a 3 bed house (built 1912)
For some reason they have got a fused spur for each of the sockets in the kitchen
I ve never seen this before is it safe .

Hi, is the fused spur definitely for the socket?

or for under worktop appliances, like fridge, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, oven, etc... and just so happens to be located next to the sockets.
 
there is a double socket behind the fridge the washing machine and fridge are plugged in , when you turn off the fused spur this turns the socket off , this is the same for all sockets in the kitchen.
 
Then thats what the fused spurs are for.

Isolating the appliances in an easy accessible manner above the worktop.
Then they have installed the sockets below the worktop, because you need a socket to plug the appliance into.

Perfectly fine and normal.

Otherwise if the appliance develops a fault, only way to isolate it would be to pull it out and unplug it.
 
Sponsored Links
please describe where each spur, and where each socket is that it controls.
 
Perfectly safe but also perfectly stupid (but sadly not uncommon) having two BS 1362 fuses in series.
 
there is a double socket behind the fridge the washing machine and fridge are plugged in , when you turn off the fused spur this turns the socket off , this is the same for all sockets in the kitchen.

ALL sockets? :eek:

Even the above-worktop ones?
 
Appliance fuses blow, on average, once in three thousand years.

When they do it is almost invariably because there is a fault on the appliance that means it needs to be pulled out from the wall to be repaired or skipped.

So the inconvenience of having fuses in series is negligible.

The convenience of being able to slide appliances into/out of place and plug/unplug them without even needing a screwdriver, and the safety benefits of being able to isolate them without pulling them away from the wall, outweigh the two-fuses risk.
 
Appliance fuses blow, on average, once in three thousand years.

When they do it is almost invariably because there is a fault on the appliance that means it needs to be pulled out from the wall to be repaired or skipped.

So the inconvenience of having fuses in series is negligible.

The convenience of being able to slide appliances into/out of place and plug/unplug them without even needing a screwdriver, and the safety benefits of being able to isolate them without pulling them away from the wall, outweigh the two-fuses risk.

That all may be true but it still smacks of idiocy putting two in series. Either use a double pole switch with an unswitched single socket outlet or use a switched fused connection unit with a connection plate. I agree in practice it doesn't happen very often. But if it does we don't know which fuse will operate first.
 
In most cases these appliance run off a 32A ring.

a 30A DP switch is more expensive than an FCU, hence FCUs are more popular for appliance switches
 
In most cases these appliance run off a 32A ring.

a 30A DP switch is more expensive than an FCU, hence FCUs are more popular for appliance switches

What's wrong with a 20A DP switch, given that the Wiring Regulations require the cable to have a current-carrying capacity of 20 amperes, and the load is going to be less than this as well?
 
A 20 DP switch does not comply with BS 1363 so you`d need to get the manufacturer to confirm that the input terminals will take the current expected from a ring final - non of them will - although all I`ve seen seem to be exactly the same terminals as used on their BS 1363 fused connection units so I`ll admit that I`d do it (naughtily) .

If you do use a BS 1363 SFCU I agree that two fuses will not achieve correct discrimination although I think not normally a problem in practice - indeed there is a lack of discrimination between a B32 on a ring final and the 13A plugtop fuse anyway.

I prefer some switch above worktops for sockets below - the regs don`t require it but I feel it is a far better practice to include it - some have the flex above worktop which gets the same result but looks naff
 
I've just done some searching here on this subject.

Some here reckon a 20A switch is not listed in BGB as being suitable for connection to a RF circuit, possibly for the same reason as ebee states, although I don't have access to a copy of BS1363 so can't confirm.

If this is so, can anybody quote the regs?

It's just that some questions go round and round and it would be good if we could nail this one and then give folk a definitive answer.
 
thanks for all your comments guys
the wife has decided shes wants underfloor heating
in the bathroom which is next to the kitchen. can i spur off the double socket
in the kitchen to a new fused spur for the heating.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top