Balancing Rings, do you?

[GBDamo]

Was watching a YouTube video, a US guy singing the praises of the UK plugs and sockets.

One of the few drawbacks was about our use of rings and how they have to be carefully balanced.

Now, I may have missed this one but, how does one do that?

Yes you can design a circuit with even legs and evenly spaces outlets but how do ensure the user evenly loads the circuit?

Is ring balancing a thing?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Other than trying to avoind having 1 really long leg I never really give the balancing act much thought

 

[davesparks]

I wouldn't say they have to be carefully balanced, but you should always try to get the sockets as reasonably evenly distributed as possible.

Like when installing in dado trunking you would cable to alternate sockets on the way out and pick up the others on the way back to avoid having one very long leg.

 

[GBDamo]

I wouldn't say they have to be carefully balanced, but you should always try to get the sockets as reasonably evenly distributed as possible.

Like when installing in dado trunking you would cable to alternate sockets on the way out and pick up the others on the way back to avoid having one very long leg.

That used to be a pain but with greater attention given to accumulative earth leakage and reducing the number of appliances on a circuit I only use radials in dado now, and more of them.

 

[Dustydazzler]

That used to be a pain but with greater attention given to accumulative earth leakage and reducing the number of appliances on a circuit I only use radials in dado now, and more of them.

Almost everyone I know now does 4mm radials in trunking

 

[pc1966]

For a dado-style of situation the RFC is not really offering much operationally over a radial and for many cases making it 20A on 2.5mm is fine. What you get with the RFC that I like is the ease of accurate end-end checking of not just continuity but also joint resistance, as well as the doubled up CPC for extra reliability on that front.

Where the RFC is best is covering multiple rooms that naturally form a loop layout of sorts. Apart from kitchens with a lot of concentrated high power appliances I don't really think you need worry about balancing the RFC unless it has some really odd layout making for one very long leg without loads.

Yes, total accumulated leakage is an issue but outside of an IT setup, and with an RCBO (or, as we are seeing an AFDD) per RFC, then one circuit per floor still seems acceptable. Quite a lot of newer electronics is class II anyway so little CPC leakage current to bother with, it is more a set of PCs/servers all with SMPSU and noise filters that I would expect grief.

 

[Rockingit]

Easier to draw than explain but I've always adhered to a 'proper' staggered ring when practical - so - 1 > 2 > 3 > 4... actually becomes 1 > 3 and 2 > 4... with a link. That way you never end up with one longer leg.

 

[Rockingit]

 

[Dustydazzler]

Was watching a YouTube video, a US guy singing the praises of the UK plugs and sockets.

One of the few drawbacks was about our use of rings and how they have to be carefully balanced.

Now, I may have missed this one but, how does one do that?

Yes you can design a circuit with even legs and evenly spaces outlets but how do ensure the user evenly loads the circuit?

Is ring balancing a thing?

This video ?

 

[littlespark]

Maybe mixed up between balancing rings and balancing phases.

I know they have split phase in US, but as every home has it, it’s quite common and maybe “sorts itself out”

3 phase supplies with single phase loads cause the imbalance here.