I have two Ring Mains in my house, the original one, and another one was added for a Loft Conversion. I am in the process to turn some spare space into a utillity room, for which I need some sockets for a Chest freezer, a Tumble drier, and a washing machine. Now although the ground floor is served by the original ring, it would be easier for me to tap into the new ring that serves my loft for these, I am sure this is not good practise, but would it be Ok? Also how far away from the washing machine do these sockets need to be please? The utility room has the CU in it, but it only has one spare way left which is reserved for a shower!!! Are there any other ways to achieve what i want? ie. run a new cable from the CU and wire it in to the original Ring main? Any help would be appreciated thanks.
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- Thread starter moleyman
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A washing machine and tumble dryer running together, as they often do on wash day, will use up most of the capacity of a ring so your new utility room should really have one all to itself.
Somewhere in a different thread I saw an interesting way of gaining a spare slot in a CU. If there are two lighting circuits (maybe three in your case) take then out and put them on individual FCUs on a single 16 amp radial.
Somewhere in a different thread I saw an interesting way of gaining a spare slot in a CU. If there are two lighting circuits (maybe three in your case) take then out and put them on individual FCUs on a single 16 amp radial.
I would use the spare way on the CU for a new circuit to utility room
As for the shower that could run off one of these
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CMP1slash40SH.html
using a henly block to split tails.
As for the shower that could run off one of these
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CMP1slash40SH.html
using a henly block to split tails.
Somewhere in a different thread I saw an interesting way of gaining a spare slot in a CU. If there are two lighting circuits (maybe three in your case) take then out and put them on individual FCUs on a single 16 amp radial.
Snag is when a bulb burns out and goes plasma short the fuse in the RCU will not blow before the 16 amp MCB trips leaving all lights off. This is one situation where I would have a slow blow wire fuse for the radial and 6 amp MCBs instead of FCUs
(plasma short = when the vaporised metal from the filament creates a short lived plasma inside the bulb which is almost a dead short )
bernardgreen said:
I did wonder about that. Ever since I swapped the old fuse box for a modern CU, a six amp breaker pops every time a bulb goes.
On the plus side, it's so much easier to put right. 
Would a 16 amp breaker do the same? What about using 4 sq mm cable and a 32 amp breaker? 
A CU fed from a breaker in a bigger one. Brilliant!
Depnds just how they fail!
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