Kitchen appliances

[Eddielee]

I have recently moved into a new house the layout is one ring feeding all sockets including kitchen but the also see
A to be two dedicated fused switches that seem to run back to the CU on ther own fuses one feeds a switched fuse for washing maching the other is labeled fridge it's a switched fuse but the socket it feeds is blanked off my question is I need to plug the washing machine and dishwasher in next to each other can I turn the dedicated fused switch from a single outlet to a double ? Hope that mahes sense ?

 

[telectrix]

a pic would help. as i see it so far, you have 2 fused connection units. each will be fused at 13 A and each should feed a single socket outlet.

 

[malcolmsanford]

I have recently moved into a new house the layout is one ring feeding all sockets including kitchen but the also see
A to be two dedicated fused switches that seem to run back to the CU on ther own fuses one feeds a switched fuse for washing maching the other is labeled fridge it's a switched fuse but the socket it feeds is blanked off my question is I need to plug the washing machine and dishwasher in next to each other can I turn the dedicated fused switch from a single outlet to a double ? Hope that mahes sense ?

Can I assume when your saying fused switches you mean these type of things.

You say they seem to run back to your fuse board, ok you need to confirm that they actually do. Most times these type of units are taken off the ring, so you need to confirm where they go

Are you saying that your w/machine and fridge connect straight into these?

Not sure where the blank socket is here, perhaps we need to come back to that.

Once you establish where these units are fed from, and what size cable supplies it. and what size fuse/mcb controls it we can follow up with answers.

I'm not going to go down the road, of get a sparks in yet, but do you feel competent to do electrical work, it looks easy but it really isn't

 

[jase]

whats the power rating of a washing machine and dishwasher? could you feed a double socket from a fusespur?

 

[Eddielee]

As in the picture I have 2 13a fused switches that both feed single sockets they def run back to the CU its 2.5mm cable and there own trips I think I can simplify my question the single socket that the washing machine plugs into can I turn that into a double to plug my dishwasher in the washing machine is 1700w and the dishwasher is 1800w so 3500 in total can 2.5 handle this if so maybe I change the fused switch to say 20a ?

 

[malcolmsanford]

OK well those sockets are protected by not only the 20amp fuse/mcb in your CU, but also a 13 amp cartridge fuse in that switch fuse, it's called a switch spur, and then another fuse in the plug that goes into you socket.

No having just one of these controlling both your d/washer and w/machine will more than likely cause you no problems, but one day you may find that if you had both units on at once, and both call for heating the water, an old fuse in the switch spur can blow, so what your suggesting is not unsafe, but down the road could lead to replacing a blown fuse.

As for now your socket screwed is into a box buried in the wall this would be a single box, and you will need to either cut in a new box, or carefully fit a surface double socket over the box, this though would most likely push the machines well away from the wall, so which ever way you choose it will be a chew

 

[telectrix]

a quick fix would be to put the washing machine and fridge on one FCU with a double socket and the dishwasher on the other, as the fridge load is small compared to the w/m and d/w. or you could scrap the dishwasher- waste of space anyway. takes longer to load and unload than washing and drying the dishes the proper way, in the kitchen sink.

 

[Eddielee]

Hi thanks. All the fridge can not go next to the washing machine do that's out the mcb/fuse in the CU is only 16 a as far as I can see so is there no way I can run both these machines together on that socket ? I can spur of a near by socket on the ring main and put another fused spur in although this is going to be a pain . So is there def no way of upping the 13a. Fused switch to 20a to be honest I really don't understand why someone has run two direct lines into the kitchen this way would really like my kitchen on a separate ring but I think this is going to cost mega bucks

 

[telectrix]

if you post your location, a forum member may be near to you to pop over and have a look.

 

[Eddielee]

Worcester that would be great because to be honest I think the e tricks in here are pretty screwed there seems to be 3 fused switches in the bathroom not feed anything and there all live ?

 

[jase]

let me get this straight, you have 2 switched fusespurs, they have a feed each from the fuseboard, and they have an MCB each in the fuseboard.
You want to put the washing machine on one, and a dishwasher on the other one.
have i got all the infomation right?

 

[Eddielee]

Nope want to put dishwasher and was hinging machine on 1 only the other is other side of the kitchen

 

[TPES]

Who ever has wired this has done a ring final circuit, and then ran radials for your appliances, each on there own FCU for ease of isolation.

This has become common now in certain new build developments, (to run radials for kitchen appliances) I'd say good practice as to not increase the chances of overloading the RFC also if you have a fault on the RFC you won't be without kitchen appliances

I don't see any problem in changing the S/FCU to a 20a DP isolator then the single socket below to a double socket, your 2 appliances will take just under 16a so should be ok on the MCB and you won't overload CCC of the cable.
Don't forget to re-label the CU for the new socket

 

[TPES]

It is recommended that appliances with heat elements over 2kw be on there own dedicated circuits