Hi All
Are there any regs/guidelines as to how many 2.5mm T&E cables should be connected into one double socket outlet?
Obviously two is OK - one in one out - but I found one the other day with four. Terminals could hardly cope. Replaced that with a junction box as it seemed much safer to me.
I think that three is the maximum, the ring and a radial from it.
Four sounds like two radials from it which is not right. BICBW.
Steve.
No, you are not (wrong)
tim
I was under the impression you can T off anywhere with a radial circuit, so as long as the wiring was sound, you can have as many as you like!
a JB is probably better though, as long as you can get to it afterwards, of course.
Sparks...
You are assuming the circuit is a ring to start with however. If the circuit were a radial to begin with then the branches can occur anywhere.
No, but it is required that the terminals can cope with the number of conductors. Different manufacturers have different conductor capacities, so you might get more milage by swapping out one make for another. The other limiting factor is the depth of back box, and having sufficient wiring space.
Four is not unheard of -- a ring and a couple of spurs. (Note that the limit of no more spurs than socket outlets is across a whole ring circuit, and does not imply you can only have one spur from any socket on the ring.)
My apologies. I did not realise that this is an acceptable practice and it seems that I fell into the trap of assuming that the maximum of one spur per socket on a ring meant that only one spur could be taken from any socket.
Anyway, with that cleared-up, I wish everyone on here a very happy new year and hope that 2007 is kind to all DIYers!
Steve.
Let me get this right. If you have say 8 sockets on a ring, you couldn't have more than 8 spurs - but you could have 2 spurs on 4 sockets & no spurs on the other 4?
This
I would have thought cramming more than three minimum 2.5mm conductors into each terminal would be at best a pain in the backside though.
H
Correct. Note this is in the OSG only -- it's not part of the Wiring Regs.
The motivation behind this is that a ring circuit is normally initially installed with no spurs. If you reach the point where half the socket outlets are spurs, the original ring circuit was clearly inadequate for current usage and should be redesigned rather than continuing to outgrow its original design.
Much depends on the brand of accessory you are using though. I was doing some wiring for a neighbour last week using TLC's "Ultimate" range of accessories (made by GET)[1]. These were very nice to wire with large square opening terminal blocks that would take 4 x 2.5mm^2 T&E with ease if you wanted. (they were also colour coded in new and old colours as well as being marked with the normal lettering, and had twin earth connections)
[1] Here:
Thank you Andrew - I am now a wiser man.
Thanks John - I will check that out tomorrow.
When I clicked the link I expected a deep inhalation "how much?!" moment, but they are a good price. I will bear them in mind for the next project.
Cheers.
H
Yes, that's my understanding. The limit on spurs is only 'recommended' anyway, it's not a hard and fast rule. It's more to indicate when a new ring might be a sensible option.
Yup, I was quite impressed with them for a number of reasons including the price. They are also physically quite strong so no danger of cracking a faceplate etc, and the terminals are all in a line so folding the wires up into the back box after is easier. Terminals accept cross head or slotted driver and the screws don't disintegrate either. The only real fault with the range seems to be there are some accessories that you can't get (like unswitched sockets).
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