First post.....Question on Spurs and Junction box spur.

[floydyboy]

Hi all, my first post on this forum. Im a member on the VXR forums and the detailing world forums, so if anyone is on either of those, give me a wave

Anyway - I have recently moved into a house build in 1962. The electrics are pretty up to date, and a new CU was fitted a few years back to update the old one.

I am in the process of adding a few sockets to rooms that only have 1 socket. I have been doing this by spuring off the original socket in the room, and only having 1 socket per spur (as I know this is the safest way of doing it.)

My question is. I am going to run a socket into the small bedroom off another socket in the Main bedroom. Im doing it this way as the placement of the new socket is directly behind the existent socket in the main bedroom (drilled through the wall).

On the original double socket, I am currently running an xbox, tv, bluray and the sky box.
If I run a spur off that double socket, can I use the new socket as normal, or am I overloading the circuit as I will have so much stuff running off that one area. I am only going to use the spured socket for a desk lamp, and nothing else.

Thanks for any help that is given!

Lloyd

 

[Darkwood]

Welcome to the Forum , when Admin' is next on line you may be given DIY access and the thread relocated, this will not effect any postings already made by yourself or members.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

When installing socket outlets, they should be wired to suit normal usage and not 'tailored' to your own particular expectations, as other people will not know about these. However, one point spurred off a ring point is perfectly normal and correct, whatever it is anticipated to be used for, subject to the proviso that there are no more spurs than ring points in total.

Electronic goods generally use very little power, typically 10-100W each, so you can run a dozen X-boxes and a dozen blu-rays off one socket. Look at the rating plate for more info and add up the wattages / currents. My electronics workbench has about 40 pieces of equipment run from one double socket and it's nowhere near being overloaded. OTOH heating appliances typically use a lot of power and two 2kW heaters would be too much. Check the specs!

 

[floydyboy]

When installing socket outlets, they should be wired to suit normal usage and not 'tailored' to your own particular expectations, as other people will not know about these. However, one point spurred off a ring point is perfectly normal and correct, whatever it is anticipated to be used for, subject to the proviso that there are no more spurs than ring points in total.

Electronic goods generally use very little power, typically 10-100W each, so you can run a dozen X-boxes and a dozen blu-rays off one socket. Look at the rating plate for more info and add up the wattages / currents. My electronics workbench has about 40 pieces of equipment run from one double socket and it's nowhere near being overloaded. OTOH heating appliances typically use a lot of power and two 2kW heaters would be too much. Check the specs!

thank you very much for the clarification! I'm a bit happier fitting the box now as I was in two minds of running the spur off a less used socket elsewhere in the house, but as there is no high power units running off either sockets, that is good news! Thanks again

 

[Spoon]

If you are adding a new socket directly behind an original socket then maybe you can just add it to the ring and not making it a spare. If you have two cables going to the original socket ( which you should have, for the socket to be on the ring ) then you could (if there is enough slack ) take one of the cables off the socket and wire it to the new socket. Then list link the original and new sockets. Hope this makes sense.

 

[floydyboy]

Thanks all for the replies. There wasnt enough slack for me to add it onto the original ring so I just did it as a spur. Wired it all up as normal. For some reason however, when I went back downstairs, I flicked the sockets back on, and no sockets in the whole house was working! The only thing that had power was the lights!

Had to call my usual sparky and he came when I was out, he said he flicked a switch and it came back on....but all switches were on! I still do not know what ''switch'' he put on as when I left the house, everything was back on, but no power to any sockets.

The electricity box that comes into the house with the number readings on, had a solid red light on it, and when I came back after my leccy had fixed it, the red light was then flashing instead of solid. Any ideas what may have happened? Everything is working as normal now including my new socket. Strange!!!!

 

[NDG Elecs]

The main RCD protecting several circuits probably tripped, which may not from a quick visual scan be obvious. I am not questioning your competence but are you sure each spurred socket you are doing is coming off the ring? Have you checked end to end continuity at each existing socket before adding a further socket from it. A lot of socket circuits get added to willy nilly without confirming the suitability of the point where it is being extended from.

No idea about the red light flashing on the meter.

 

[LankyWill]

Id advise a visit from a leccy, i mean no offence but how are you going to guarantee a decent install? It sounds like a few hours work for a local electrician. Think of it in car terms- i could put my tyres on without torque'ing them but later on when they come off whilst doing 94mph on the m5 and i die, i will have wished id got a professional to do it? might seem simple but one mistake could cost you your property.

 

[telectrix]

Thanks all for the replies. There wasnt enough slack for me to add it onto the original ring so I just did it as a spur. Wired it all up as normal. For some reason however, when I went back downstairs, I flicked the sockets back on, and no sockets in the whole house was working! The only thing that had power was the lights!

Had to call my usual sparky and he came when I was out, he said he flicked a switch and it came back on....but all switches were on! I still do not know what ''switch'' he put on as when I left the house, everything was back on, but no power to any sockets.

The electricity box that comes into the house with the number readings on, had a solid red light on it, and when I came back after my leccy had fixed it, the red light was then flashing instead of solid. Any ideas what may have happened? Everything is working as normal now including my new socket. Strange!!!!

the led on the meter should be flashing. the faster the flash, the more leccy you are using. this is nowt to do with your original post
though. the answer to that is that Spurs are a football team based just north of some big city down south.