2nd kitchen circuit??

Sep 30, 2019 Last reply: 6 years ago 60 Replies

Hi All,



Current load on kitchen ring 32A MCB) is



Wishdosher, washing machine, tumble drier, fridge freezer, kettle, toaster, microwave, I think that?s most of the regular appliances.



I was wondering about moving say the wishdosher and washing machine onto a radial. I could easily reroute an unused 2.5mm T&E into the kitchen and connect the other end to a new 16 or 20 A MCB (or have a part P person do so).



What does the team think?


What I have done is:

Ring circuit for the above counter sockets on a 32A RCBO

Another Ring circuit for the utility room washing machine, the under counter dishwasher, freezer and fridge on switched fused neon connection unit wallplates on a 32A RCBO.

S.

The two ring thing sounds ideal, but I can?t easily get a second 2.5mm into the kitchen in order order to make a ring (I could possibly use a pre existing unused 6mm for half of the ring, but I?d rather save that cable for possible future projects.)

I would just move one appliance to the radial.

What gets the longest high electrical load in your kitchen?

In my house it would be the tumble drier.

Thanks ADam, The Bumble is more difficult to get the radial to, but not impossible (It?s not been switched on yet, but is perceived to be the last straw that might break the camel?s MCB).

Ignore the kettle and toaster since they are very short term loads in most domestic situations.

Can't see any benefit to be honest.

OK I don't have the tumble dryer, but I have the rest (and more) and have never blown the MCB.

Unless you have constant use from all machines at the same time the 32A ring is fit for purpose.

Proper British engineering at it finest and only wankers that know f*ck all about electrics complain about such a good installation:-)

I wouldn't.

A wishdosher and a wothesclosher running together are likely to be more than 20A, albeit for a shortish period of time. In fact they probably shouldn't share a double socket.

Put everything on a 32A ring and you have diversity as long as the ring is correctly laid out and not lopsided with everything bunched together at one end.

If you have an electric cooker and can plug the kettle into the cooker control unit socket that gets a short-term 3kW load off the ring, if you're anxious. And means you can make a brew when the kitchen ring is off :-)

Owain

I think I'd let it be if they're not all at one end of a long ring, I'd checked the connections are tight, and nothing looks burnt/baked

Are you getting mcb trips? If not... 32A rings routinely supply much more than 32A.

NT

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com was thinking very hard :

Diversity!

Double sockets really should be able to handle 26A. MK ones can I believe. It should be illegal to make one that can't. Quite likely for someone, especially in a kitchen, to use two 13A loads for a long time.

Is stupidity. You never know what you're going to use at once in he future.

We had our kitchen refitted several years back and part of the package included a CU upgrade and adding radials for extra oven, induction hob etc. We've got radials for each oven (2), induction hob (1), the dishwasher and a fridge, a freeze, plus the sockets etc on a shared ring which also serves the dining room. The washing machine is elsewhere (in a utility area). We've never had a problem. One oven is a 'combi' (microwave +oven) - although we rarely use the uWave. We use a free standing uWave to heat milk mainly for coffee etc.

You've 5 radials for the kitchen?!?

So you're saying the cable at the other end might as well not be there?

Why would you install a radial for things like a fridge and freezer?

No I'm not, but you want to avoid more than two-thirds / one-third imbalance at maximum load.

Owain

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