Trust the expert?

Joined
25 Nov 2006
Messages
502
Reaction score
9
Location
London
Country
United Kingdom
This is playing on my mind.

While the floorboards have been accessible I have mapped the cables of the top floor of my 3 storey house. One the third floor there is one cable coming up from the second floor that links to 6 sockets across two rooms in a series i.e two cables in each socket and one into the last. There are definitely no other cables connected to it and no switched fused sockets.

That made me think it was a radial circuit although I've read here that they might also be spurs off spurs particularly as 3 seem to have been added in.

I've had an electrician in who has put in a new consumer unit and has done a periodic yet and says it's all fine. He says I've got 3 ring mains - ground floor, kitchen and upstairs.

When I asked him how the upstairs could be a ring main if the last socket only has one cable in it, and that I understood you can't have a spur off a spur he looked at me blankly. Maybe I don't know what I'm on about as I know a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Would spurs off spurs show up on the tests? Essentially he says it's passed the tests and it's safe so why am I worried.

I've had a bad experience with an electrician on my kitchen and had to have someone out to rectify the work so perhaps I'm being unduly concerned. He's done a neat job and it's being certified so should I just be satisfied with that? Thanks.
 
Sponsored Links
Sounds like you know more than he does.

If HE called them ring mains, that's another mistake.


What is the rating of the fuse or mcb protecting this circuit?
 
If what you describle is correct, then i would ask for the test results to confirm he has tested for ring continuity.

Regards,

DS
 
Sorry I don't know, that's too technical for me. Where would I get that info? Two RCDs, one covering the kitchen and one covering everything else.

BTW he might not have called them ring 'mains', but he definitely said ring
 

Attachments

  • image.jpeg
    image.jpeg
    189.3 KB · Views: 322
Last edited:
Sponsored Links
He's only just done it and said he would send it through in the post.
 
He said he's done a ring continuity test at the CU. He pointed to two red cables that he said make the ring. When I asked if he had tested each socket he said he only needed to test the furthermost socket from the CU which is the one with the one cable in it. I have pushed the point about the ring being altered with non compliant spurs etc but he said if it had the RCD would trip it.

Am I right in thinking it would trip only if it was overloaded, not if it was non compliant?
 
he said if it had the RCD would trip it.

Am I right in thinking it would trip only if it was overloaded, not if it was non compliant?
An RCD trips due to earth leakage, so either an imbalance on the live or neutral will cause it to trip. Nothing to do with overload, and so wouldn't trip if there was a spur off a spur off a spur off a spur off a spur etc

He's either not got a clue what he's talking about, or has realised you've caught him out not doing a proper job, and is trying to trick you into thinking he has
 
Shame he's brought his meter tails in through different holes. Bet there's not a slit joining them - I could be, and hope I am, wrong
You quite probably aren't wrong - but, if you were, what would the slit do the the 'non-combustibility' of the enclosure, I wonder?

Kind Regards, John
 
Don't start. The requirement is for non-combustible units. It says nothing about containment.
Literally, that's true. However, given that any fire would start within a CU, not in its casing, the spirit is surely at least as much about containment as anything else - in reality there's little point in having a 'non-combustible' enclosure if one is allowed to have flames shooting out of holes in it!

Kind Regards, John
 
Don't start. The requirement is for non-combustible units. It says nothing about containment.
Literally, that's true. However, given that any fire would start within a CU, not in its casing, the spirit is surely at least as much about containment as anything else - in reality there's little point in having a 'non-combustible' enclosure if one is allowed to have flames shooting out of holes in it!

Kind Regards, John
Well when you knock out the knockouts on the back of a board, you open up a huge hole, we're talking the equivelant of 3 or 4 20mm knockouts. Most of the time this is mostly backed by plasterboard and isn't as much of an issue. When you then cut out the plasterboard to the same size (or bigger) to bring you cables through) there is now a huge exit for flames to shoot out of, up and into your stud wall.

They make intumescent putty and 'fireproof' silicone, but, this board, for sure doesn't have any!
 

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