Spurs off a ring main

The message from snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com contains these words:

As I understand it, you can only have a single fitting off a spur. So /two/ double sockets on one spur is out.

One double on each of two different sockets should be OK.

The latter is what I understood to be the OP's intention ...

Stuart

The message from Stuart contains these words:

I thought so too - which was why mentioned it!

All seems a bit silly these days when most people have at least a dozen things plugged in behind their tv and computer

The message from BBNews contains these words:

Ah, but that's done with dodgy socket strips, so it's OK.

But they /are/ protected by a 13a (or lower) fuse. Several sockets loaded to

The message from contains these words:

Shouldn't do - that's what the 32A breaker in the fusebox is for!

Dodgy? Pish and tush, Sir, I have splendid Olson strips in my study. 3 x 12 way ones.

That's not OK, then. You have to use dodgy ones!

Two double sockets with 3 outlets loaded to 3 kw will put ~36A on the 2.5mm cable, well above it's required capacity of 20A. a 32A breaker is unlikely to trip for a looooong time, leading to damaged fixed wiring.

The message from Guy King contains these words:

But the spur is in effect a radial circuit and radials in 2.5mm have 20A MCBs.

The message from contains these words:

Sorry, I thought we were talking about a ring circuit. Yes, on a spur it will - but that's why you're not allowed more than one double socket on a spur!

What about a switched fused spur?

Yes this is what I was looking to do. One double as a spur off of two different sockets on the ring main.

Cheers for all the comments,

James

You can have as many sockets as you like on a fused spur, provided you don't expect the total load to exceed 13 A.

Of course, if they are not far apart, and it's easy to run a cable between them, just incorporate them into the ring...

On Sun, 15 Oct 2006 10:59:15 +0100 someone who may be The Natural Philosopher wrote this:-

Then that part of the circuit changes from an unfused spur to a fused spur. On a fused spur one can do all sorts of things that are not allowed on an unfused spur.

Of course on a fused spur one must put one's finger in the air and evaluate the likely diversity of loads on the spur. Otherwise it may become something of a nuisance when the protective device operates frequently. One also has to look at issues of the earth loop impedance of the cable size.