New Kitchen Electrics

[mdj1]

Hi All.

I'm in the process of re-fitting my kitchen. Currently there is an old Wylex Fuse Board and only 1 ring throughout the whole house + the cooker feed.

I'm thinking it would be best practice to put in a new ring or radial to the kitchen, one for the sockets (theres only one at present!), one for appliances (excluding cooker) and one for lighting.

This will be followed by a new CU before going 'Live'

Do you agree?

 

[ColJack]

part P... blah, blah, blah.. look it up..

now that we've got the obligatory warning out of the way, I definitely agree that a seperate radial for the sockets will be a good idea ( 20A radial should suffice, how many kettles and toasters do you intend to use at the same time? ), and a 16A radial for each large appliance ( DW, TD, WM, seperate oven etc ).

A dedicated RCBO for the fridge/freezer will ensure that you don't lose a fridge full of food because someone plugged in a dodgy phone charger

 

[ban-all-sheds]

mdj - for your new circuits, how will you go about deciding what cable and protective device to use?

Do you understand how the way in which you install cables affects how much current they can carry?

Is your earthing and bonding up to scratch? Do you know what type of supply you have, can you identify extraneous conductive parts, and do you know the requirements for main and supplementary bonding of them?

Do you know which circuits should be RCD protected?

Do you know the rules concerning cables concealed in walls, partitions and under floors?

If you'll be joining cables do you know how this should be done / not be done and in what circumstances are different methods acceptable?

How do you propose to isolate your supply so that you can connect up your new CU?

Can you explain what tests you would carry out on the installation - what sequence you'd do them in and at what point you would energise the installation, and for each test do you know what is being measured, why it is important, how you would carry out the test, and with what equipment, and what sort of results you would expect to get if everything was OK?


And to save you searching for it: //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:part-p

 

[mdj1]

Ahh, the Part P reply. I knew it would come lol!

I will do the initial install, cable runs, etc all to spec, but all will be checked by a qualified electrician before HE installs the new CU and signs it off.

I'm not that stupid! I hope

 

[ColJack]

HE can't sign off YOUR work, only HIS new CU.. unless you arrange with him before hand what cables he wants in where ( HIS design then, not YOURS ) and let HIM see them before YOU plaster over them..

 

[LoveRocket]

Radials are definitely the way forward, don't even think about rings.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Ahh, the Part P reply. I knew it would come lol!

And several other questions which are far more important than that. Getting Building Regulations approval wrong won't kill you, getting cable sizes or disconnection times wrong might.

I will do the initial install, cable runs, etc all to spec, but all will be checked by a qualified electrician before HE installs the new CU and signs it off.

You see, when you write

I'm in the process of re-fitting my kitchen...I'm thinking it would be best practice to put in a new ring or radial to the kitchen, one for the sockets (theres only one at present!), one for appliances (excluding cooker) and one for lighting..

etc, it does rather look as if you are taking responsibility for the work, not getting an electrician.

Anyway - I don't know what your plan was regarding "all will be checked by a qualified electrician before HE installs the new CU and signs it off", but as ColJack said, that won't work if you present him with a bunch of new circuits which you have designed and installed, so you need to get him involved asap, and before you do another stroke of work.