garage plugs location

[James]

Hi,

My garage has a double socket on the back wall. I have bought an electronic water descaler which needs to be wrapped around the incoming water pipe. Problem - sockets are nowhere near the water pipe. I was wondering if it was ok to run another socket off the exising one and bring it nearer the water pipe. Are there any regulations that prevent this (i.e. distance from a water pipe, height etc...

Info, in case it helps. The water pipe is along the right side of the garage wall, house main fuse box is on the left, existing plugs on the back wall.

Thanks,

James

[Andy Hall]

Best idea... take it back for a refund. You've been had. They don't work.

[Andrew Gabriel]

You will find it works just as well if you don't plug it in.

[James]

Maybe you are right but I still wouldn't mind an answer to my question as I would like sockets on that wall for other reasons as well.

[Guy King]

The message from "James" contains these words:

Just don't plug it in. It'll make no difference to how it works.

[John White]

I'll put aside my reservations about such devices for a moment

You cannot connect a new socket to an existing one if it is a spur from a ring main.

Given that this is a piece of fixed equipment, I would suggest wiring the descaler into a switched, fused connection unit (FCU). The FCU could be wired to the existing double socket.

You may also find that your garage sockets are RCD protected, which may not be appropriate for such a device.

If you are not sure about any of this it's probably better to get an electrician in.

John

[John White]

Sorry red wine fatigue...

That should read:

"If the existing socket is already on a spur from a ring main, then you cannot connect another socket to it"

John

[James]

Thanks.

I can't check now, but I'm sure it is a spur from the ring main, so I will probably run a FCU off it. Just out of interest, can you run more than one FCU off a socket, not in a chain, but like they were two spurs coming off the socket?

James

[John White]

Yes.

The total load on the circuit must however be taken into account, and you also need to check that you are neither unbalancing the ring nor overloading the spur cable.

John

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Just screw a socket on the wall and plug it in. No need for wires - it won't make any difference to how it works.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "James" saying something like:

Just leave it unplugged and it will work as well as it would do if plugged in. Result - no need to alter your wiring.

[James]

Well I take it most of you just think it won't work. Unless someone is a scientist and can tell me why it won't I'll still try it, and if it doesn't I will still have gained some electical skills. It has lights on it too so it will look good in the dark!

[John Rumm]

Unless you add a 13A FCU beside the existing socket and move the feed cable to it. Then feed a radial from that to the the original socket plus any new ones you need.

[John Rumm]

The more interesting question would be can you find a scientist who can explain how it could possibly work?

Still, it is unlikely to do any harm so have a go and if nothing else you have gained a handy new socket.

[Guy King]

The message from "James" contains these words:

How will you know whether it works?