Spurs from a Junction box on a Ring

[Martin Dawes]

Not being able to access the JB is non-compliant yet not an issue affecting safety. I'd mark it non-comply and move on as you can test the sockets that are spurred and all seems good.

 

[roukel01]

Joint boxes under the floor have been going on since time began, they satisfied the regs up until the end of the 16th Edition, as long as you are not adding to the joint box, then it can continue to stay there and no one has to worry about it. I put more faith in the old style screw joint boxes than I do these Wago things.

 

[freedomrun]

Well, it does seem that my thinking on JB's under floors and the spurs from a JB on a ring are all within the regs, i will mark the position of the JB on my cert and my Test results prove the install is safe. Would anyone else agree with the previous post that i should mark as non-comply due to the fact that i cannot inspect the JB in it's present position. I have not issued a cert with a non-comply on as yet & how does this affect the Cert? What do most Sparks do when this situation with JB's occur (ignore it maybe as long as Test Results are OK) - i am only trying to do the right thing according to the Regs at the end of the day. Any thoughts please?

 

[pushrod]

What exactly is the cert for ? - i don't think you have said, unless i have missed it.

 

[nick611]

jb,s under a floorboard floor are easily accesable thers no problem there

 

[chiplard]

When they are installed they may be easily accessible but a lot of people nowadays tend to have laminate / tiled floors thus making them inaccessible. Do you guys think that this should be a question that the home owner is asked before doing the work or would it be a case of 'well it was accessible when i installed it' ?

 

[freedomrun]

The Job is a new CU & issue of EIC. In my opinion - you cannot try to second guess what the owner or owners of the property in the future will do, so in this situation i asked the customer if he was happy for me to take up some boards over the JB to access it, but he was dead against it as my Test results are fine and show the install is safe - this leads back to my original question about Spurs off a JB on a ring final and access problems. If i was fitting a JB to a Circuit, then i would ensure that i or anyone in the fututre could access it, otherwise make the circuit with maintenance free connections at that point where a JB is required to comply. The problem is with older pre 17th Reg installs like the one i'm working on, it does seem that if the JB is under wooden flooring, then it can be accessed, the fact that the boards have not been cut before for access makes no differance, as long as the JB's position is recorded.

 

[telectrix]

agree with your last post. the JB is accessible. i would just note it as you say.

 

[roukel01]

You've done a board swap and worrying about someone elses joint box?? When I swap a board, I won't waste the time and effort worrying about whats under the floors in the roof space or anywhere else for that matter, unless test results suggested otherwise. Like I've said in my previous post, only YOUR work needs to stand up to 17th edition regs, JB's under the floors are perfectly OK in older editions of the regs and you need say no more about it.

 

[nickblake]

if you think about it the old JB's were rated at 30 amps ,use that on an old 3036 30 amp fuse and add the correction factor of 0.725 then the JB is under rated so if you do get a fault with all the connections that are in it the terminals could overheat so as it should be 1 socket 1 spure and maintainance free jb's if under floors still prefer them to be accessible

 

[freedomrun]

It does concern me that when i do a CU swap, i then issue an EIC that says all the Circuits connected to it are now to the new regs, so if i have to do some extra work to make the install comply, then that's what has to be done - my name & my details are on the EIC after the work is completed. My problem with the new regs and old JB's and access problems are that any old work that does not meet 17th Regs can be rectified to comply - but a previous post is also correct in saying that as long as the Test results are OK, then why waste time working out what JB's may be hidden away that you cannot access, i can only do what is reasonable and ensure is safe.... i suppose.

 

[Andyfm]

Going back to your original question, I was taught (Years ago) that only one spur cable can be joined at any point, JB or consumer unit, otherwise you could get four or five cables behind sockets or in the CU feeding different spurs as well as at JBs