How can a ring circuit be balanced?

[Jordan3997@]

I’m trying to understand the wiring in my house, probably a bit OCD as I’m having it rewired anyway, but I like to do my research.

If a socket on a ring is in the main bedroom, and the box room behind the bedroom has a socket in a mirrored position - surely the wiring cannot be balanced or equal lengths (30cm piece of T&E joining the two) and same for the landing? When other sockets are spaced further apart on larger rooms

Or is it just the final legs to and from the CU that should be a similar length.

 

[Murdochcat]

I think you are worrying about a problem that is unlikely to exist in 99% of domestic installations

Why the question?

What are you thinking of doing?

 

[Jordan3997@]

I think you are worrying about a problem that is unlikely to exist in 99% of domestic installations

Why the question?

What are you thinking of doing?

just curious more than anything - I don’t want to risk keeping the old sockets in the same position but increased to the correct heights if the current cable layout is wrong.

Read about the balancing of both sides of the ring and I wondered how it was possible in its current layout.

 

[EFLImpudence]

...

 

[EFLImpudence]

There is no correct height. It is your house.


Balancing does not mean 50/50 everywhere on the circuit - just not more than 27/32 at one end for any appreciable time.

Anyway, if you are having a rewire there is no need to install ring circuits any more.
Non-existent problem solved.

 

[Jordan3997@]

Yeah I understand the regs only apply to new builds but 450mm is probably better long term.

I’ll discuss with electrician about a radial instead then as that seems to be the preferred route online.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Murdochcat]

Are you getting a rewire ?

 

[ericmark]

The cable has to be rated at 20 amo or over, and to have a large enough imbalance so 20 amp in one leg and 12 in the other for an extended time is unlikely if the recommendation to have non portable equipment over 2 kW on a dedicated circuit.

If you use a non heat pump tumble drier close to the consumer unit there is a slim chance of an overload in one leg. That is about the only item other than the immersion heater that can draw current for long enough to cause a problem.

 

[Jordan3997@]

Are you getting a rewire ?

Yes, Victorian house so everything is all over the place - been messed about in the past so wanted to have a better understanding of things.

 

[ericmark]

Yeah I understand the regs only apply to new builds but 450mm is probably better long term.

I’ll discuss with electrician about a radial instead then as that seems to be the preferred route online.

Thanks for the help.

The hight is to get the sockets out of the way of wheel chair wheels. The user often can't see where the back of the large wheel is hitting.

 

[EFLImpudence]

The hight is to get the sockets out of the way of wheel chair wheels. The user often can't see where the back of the large wheel is hitting.

Very low would achieve that as well.

Surely the height recommendation is simply for reach issues (but assumes everyone has the same problem).

 

[Murdochcat]

Yes, Victorian house so everything is all over the place - been messed about in the past so wanted to have a better understanding of things.

So you should be adding more sockets too

 

[Jordan3997@]

So you should be adding more sockets too

Yeah there’s only about two in each room but I’ve mapped out where I want the new ones and wanted to make sure they could be positioned in that way. Tbh I probably opened up a can of worms, just watched a video on YouTube and it made me question how electricians do it.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Yeah there’s only about two in each room but I’ve mapped out where I want the new ones and wanted to make sure they could be positioned in that way. Tbh I probably opened up a can of worms, just watched a video on YouTube and it made me question how electricians do it.

If you were installing a series of sockets, in a line, all along one long wall, wired as a ring - to even out the load on each leg/arm of the ring, you would connect them on the alternate arms, all the way along the wall. Arm A, Arm B, Arm A, Arm B and so on.

 

[ericmark]

Very low would achieve that as well.

Surely the height recommendation is simply for reach issues (but assumes everyone has the same problem).

We can bend down, but can't jump up when in a wheel chair. I looked at mothers house and the damage around the doors mainly where the wheel chair had hit the wood edges.

As to why 400 mm commensal and 450 mm domestic I don't understand, can we bend down easier when we go out?

Eye level is the more important thing, I remember mothers oven with the temperature markings only viewable looking down, so thermostats are the same, so the 1400 mm is too high for some one in a wheel chair to read.

Touch controls on hobs are also a problem. At wheel chair or child's eye height the warning hot indicator often can't be seen, how any one can manufacture them I don't know, they are clearly dangerous.

At a bed head likely the sockets do need to be low, if bed legs are 300 mm then socket needs to be under that height or they can be damaged when bed is moved, or of course over the hight of the bed. Seem the rules missed that point.