house wiring

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Should be easy enough to check by killing each circuit in turn at the CU, and find out which ones feeds the loft. My guess it is from the ring on that floor.

[Robin]

Complicated by the fact that from a quick read I can't see that anyone has mentioned aluminium cable? Used to have a lot of that here.

For the OP: you can usually recognise aluminium cable 'cos it ain't copper-coloured :) Was used in and about the 60s. Was house built or required around then?

Not good stuff, especially if fiddle with it

[Robin]

^^ Ahem, "rewired".

Sorry, my fingers just can't find a decent brain these days.

[tabbypurr]

Lights on a 13A fuse is not compliant. If lights are on their own cable you could fit a 2nd FCU, so 13A feeds the sockets, and a 5A or 3A one feeds the lights.

If they're not on their own cable, lights can always be fused at the light fitting.

NT

[Tim Watts]

That's not totally unheard of for a loft and not fundamentally unsafe. In fact it is quite common in outbuildings with a single circuit supplying them.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Have heard of it but not personally come across it. It wasn't around for that long.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Really?

[Martin Bonner]

Are you sure?

That's how my shed is wired, and it was wired by an electrician I trust. (Yes, I could have DIY'ed it, but time ...) I would be very surprised if it was not compliant with the then regs (approx 2009).

I don't think that's what happened in my shed.

[Mike Clarke]

And to confuse the issue there was also copperclad cable , with copper plated aluminium conductors.

[Tim Watts]

How so?

Lighting circuits are commonly protected at 5/6A but may have 10A or 16A protection.

And he did not clarify the fuse was a 13A, just it was a 13A FCU (which may be fitted with a smaller fuse).

[tabbypurr]

It was thick copper rather than plated, I've seen it.

NT

[tabbypurr]

I didn't know they were allowed to be fused at above 10A

NT

[Robin]

Tim is (of course) right. Reg. 559.6.1.6 limits lighting circuits which take BC/SBS/ES/SES/GES lamps to not more than *16A*.

[Tim Watts]

Reg 559.6.1.6 IIRC limits BC and ES style (an their variety of sizes) to a max of 16A circuit protection - sorry I do not have my book immediately to hand to give the exact wording.

[John Rumm]

So one can assume that the circuit as a whole is unearthed...

[John Rumm]

What they did (feed the whole lot of a FCU), is common practice when the expected demand for the extension as a whole is relatively low. There is no reason to expect it not to pass inspection. (note also that if it predates about 2004 then the electrical work would not have been included in the oversight of building control anyway)

[John Rumm]

The 17th edition also introduced a relaxation on what went before - there used to be a rule preventing use of SES and SBC fittings on higher current circuits.

[Ash Burton]

It depends on the csa and current rating of the cable in which the lights have been wired (and the circuit length/volt drop),if it is 1.0 mm or 1.5 mm then 13A protection is unlikely to be compliant much less desirable.

The lighting circuit should be seperated from the sockets circuit.

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[Ash Burton]

It depends on the current rating of the cable as to which fuse/mcb is selected, you have to protect the cable not the light fitting.

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[ARW]

Now the intersting thing (at least to me) is that the last lot of red,white blue cable (no earth) I saw was in white PVC.

It was also stranded. White PVC of that age or indeed any age is rare where I live.

I do back the regional suggestion.