Wiring from a spurred FCU

[madmadmoon]

I have spurred off a double socket and fitted a switched 13 amp FCU for a cooker extractor fan. Can I run a cable from this FCU for a downlighter underneath a kitchen cabinet?

 

[ericmark]

I am sure if you pay the LABC their huge fees you could do it but cheaper to use a scheme member electrician.

Do remember you would need to inspect and test so there is also the hire cost of meters.

This assumes you know what you are doing which I suppose you don't or you would not ask the question.

Clearly if you intend breaking the rules you can do what you want so pointless asking question.

 

[SaladFingers]

I am sure if you pay the LABC their huge fees you could do it but cheaper to use a scheme member electrician.

Do remember you would need to inspect and test so there is also the hire cost of meters.

This assumes you know what you are doing which I suppose you don't or you would not ask the question.

Clearly if you intend breaking the rules you can do what you want so pointless asking question.

 

[madmadmoon]

I assume that means no then.
It was pretty much what i thought, but didnt expect such a supercilious answer. The electrician who should have turned up today didnt show (again), so i just wanted to get a rough idea of the builders work needed and if i have to smash off a load of tiles or not.

 

[JohnW2]

I assume that means no then.
It was pretty much what i thought, but didnt expect such a supercilious answer. The electrician who should have turned up today didnt show (again), so i just wanted to get a rough idea of the builders work needed and if i have to smash off a load of tiles or not.

It depends on what question you were really asking. If you were asking whether what you describe could be done, electrically speaking (and whether it would be compliant with the Wiring Regs), then the answer is 'yes', provided that the feed for the light was taken from the load (i.e. switched) side of the FCU. If you were asking whether the law would require you to notify this work to the LA (and pay their fees), then Eric has effectively answered that one - the work you describe (extending a circuit and adding a light) would not generally be notifiable, but becomes notifiable if in a kitchen or bathroom.

Kind Regards, John

 

[madmadmoon]

Thankyou John for your eloquent answer.
I carried out the wiring and fitting of the FCU circa 2000, on the advice of an electrician friend, so I assume it was not notifiable by law to the LA at the time.
As it is in the kitchen, I gather from your comment that it would need to be done by a qualified electrician, or checked by the LA.
The main reason for my question was mainly to ascertain if this was possible (both practically and legally), as it would save a lot of grief in respect to builders work required.

 

[JohnW2]

Thankyou John for your eloquent answer. I carried out the wiring and fitting of the FCU circa 2000, on the advice of an electrician friend, so I assume it was not notifiable by law to the LA at the time.

Indeed. Electrical work did not coime within the scope of the Building Regs until 2005.

As it is in the kitchen, I gather from your comment that it would need to be done by a qualified electrician, or checked by the LA. The main reason for my question was mainly to ascertain if this was possible (both practically and legally), as it would save a lot of grief in respect to builders work required.

Hopefully, I have answered your question about that. In essence, once one has a fused spur, one can connect anything 'appropriate' to it. Your electrican might wish to 'fuse down' even further (e.g. to 3A) with a second FCU (run from the first FCU), but the argument for doing that is probably not very strong. Indeed, I would have thought that if all the spur is feeding is an extractor fan and the new light, that he then he might as well just put a 3A fuse in the existing FCU and run both items from that.

Kind Regards, John