Sockets and fused spurs

[neildKoR]

Hello all, new blood here.

I work at a small college and down in the basement we have our comms and data cabinet (5 computers, 2 hard drives, a monitor, some phone equipment and several network switches). Currently everything (approximately 14 devices) is running off a mess of daisy-chained extension leads, all leading back to a single 13A plug. The comms cabinet itself has two six-way power blocks, only one of which is in use due to the second one having a 16A plug on it, the other being part of said daisy-chain.

What I was originally planning to do to clear the mess up was wire both the six-way units into their own fused flex outlets (thus eliminating the 16A plug problem) so that all the computers and network equipment were connected through these, and the phone equipment could run off the existing socket and a standard four-way extension lead.

My query relates to how best to do this. It would appear that, since everything works, that the total load on the socket is less than 13A. From my readings of this site and others, you can't strictly speaking run two separate fused spurs from one socket (the original plan above), so would it be better for me to convert the single socket into a 13A fused connection unit and then run a combination of sockets and flex outlets from that? Would the two six-way units still need their own fused flex outlet connections or could they be run from unfused flex outlets? Is there any specific "right" way to connect up wall sockets on the load side of a FCU (ring, star)?

Any help is much appreciated

 

[dannyboi2003]

Is any of that kit running through a UPS? I'd be more worried about that tbh.

From what you have said i wouldnt be too worried myself, in our server room we have about 18 servers, several network switches including the core and our incoming links from BT and everything is powered through a UPS (we have several in the room). The room has one ring main and runs happy enough, i too would like to get things changed a little and have the circuit splitted but as its all working thats easier said than done.

On a side note as its a college and your work place are you permitted to carry out work on the electrics?

 

[ricicle]

Is the supply circuit a ring or radial ?
Is it a dedicated circuit ?
Either way it will be better if you could add more sockets and plug the racks straight in to avoid un-necessary leads.
Are you aware of high integrity earthing ?
Out of interest are you the college Electrician?

EDIT: Too slow !

 

[neildKoR]

The "nominal" college electrician has been observed splicing wires with tape and wrapping the earth wire in red sleeving (and then had the cheek to say my 5-socket ring main was over capacity).

In all strictness, no I'm not qualified to do any of this. I would love to have an electrician in to fix everything thats wrong with this building (and being 19th century it's got a lot wrong or needing improvement) and hopefully this will be done and make all my queries moot.

UPS would be nice but there are backups of all the data and we're not running anything super-critical. If the power goes out then no users are gonna be accessing stuff!

What sort of circuit... well it appears to be literally the only socket in the basement so probably a single radial on its own fuse. Haven't had a chance to check in the box as that would involve powering down the whole system first. Also the joy of trying to locate the appropriate fuse box in an old and terribly labelled system.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

In all strictness, no I'm not qualified to do any of this.

Then you shouldn't, nor should the management let you.

Not for reasons of actual competence, but because of verifiable competence, issues of liability insurances, the duties of care associated with the Electricity At Work Regulations etc.

Haven't had a chance to check in the box as that would involve powering down the whole system first. Also the joy of trying to locate the appropriate fuse box in an old and terribly labelled system.

All of which would have to be done before any work could be done anyway.