Radial vs Ring in a standard 3 bed

[Scott Jacob]

Afternoon all.
I normally cable my first fixes in a standard 3/4 bed as follows:

Ring up
Ring down
Kitchen ring.

I was at a trade show the other day and got talking to a few people and they said they only use a ring in the kitchen. Radials up and down. Got me think what’s the standard? I know there’s a max length for a radial circuit even though i can’t remeber it as I don’t normally use them. What do you guys use as I’m on a first fix atm and taking a leg back to the board from my upstairs circuit is going to be hell.

Cheers

 

[Pete999]

Afternoon all.
I normally cable my first fixes in a standard 3/4 bed as follows:

Ring up
Ring down
Kitchen ring.

I was at a trade show the other day and got talking to a few people and they said they only use a ring in the kitchen. Radials up and down. Got me think what’s the standard? I know there’s a max length for a radial circuit even though i can’t remeber it as I don’t normally use them. What do you guys use as I’m on a first fix atm and taking a leg back to the board from my upstairs circuit is going to be hell.

Cheers

What size radial 20Amp or 32Amp are you referring to? or I think, alliterating to.

 

[John Preston]

Surely if you were going to use a radial for up and down then you would need more than one radial for up and more than one for down? Easier to run a ring for each! Not a lot of saving when you think about it unless there is some other reason of course?

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

To be fair, what modern 3 bed house needs a 32A ring these days! Litrelly everything is low wattage. As for your question, id install a ring for all 3, still not sold entierly on 4mm radials

 

[Red Tony]

Scott, keep doing what your doing mate I'm the 3 rings type. Ive done work for a bro in law landlord who scrimped that much I had to argue for it as he wanted me to use as little t+e as poss.

 

[MJPD29]

I also install a ring for all 3 and won't be changing any time soon

 

[Deleted account]

I'm in the ring or 4 mm radial for kitchen and radial for up stairs and radial for downstairs brigade.

Not a fan of rings.

Edit: the upstairs and downstairs radials would be 2.5 mm

 

[telectrix]

on an average house, i'd install a 32A rfc for kitchen , then 2 or 3 16A radials for the rest of the house. apart from the kitchen, rest of house will never pull over 10A unless there's some wacky plant growth.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Ringadingding for me

 

[telectrix]

Ringadingding for me

bloody overkill in most domestics.

 

[Dustydazzler]

bloody overkill in most domestics.

Small house 3 bed or less one general ring and one kitchen ring

Large house 4 bed or more up ring , down ring and kitchen ringadingding

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

My kitchen has been running on a 16A ring or 8 months and not tripped yet. I miscounted breakers and cant be bothered changing it.

Washer
Tumble Dryer
Microwave
Kettle
Air Fryer
Toaster

You will be amazed at how little more than 2 items are used at once

 

[Dustydazzler]

Back in the heady days of the 16th Ed , I used to run a separate 16a radial for a fridge freezer socket on the non rcd portion of the board...
Those were the days

 

[Midwest]

To be fair, what modern 3 bed house needs a 32A ring these days! Litrelly everything is low wattage. As for your question, id install a ring for all 3, still not sold entierly on 4mm radials

Having just read my fuel bill, averaging £90 a month for lecy (we got gas heating), I need to run some bigger cables.

 

[telectrix]

our pad has 2 radials for the whole house. this was because it was rewired about 20 years ago by Mrs.Tel's dad and brother, (both Polish with no conception of rings). in 12 years i been here, new CU with RCDs added by me, not had a trip except when a bulb has blown.