Unsure about house wiring

[johnboy4809]

Hi all,

I am looking to put some concerns to rest and seek your good peoples advice. I am not an electrician by trade. We have bought a house-and had the garage converted to family room with downstairs toilet and utility room. this conversion runs from a small sub consumer unit replacing the old garage fused one. my concern is that the electrician has run a radial off a socket on the ring. I though this wasn't allowed and only one spur socket from a ring unless it goes through an FCU but then isn't advisable as it can unbalance the ring. Currently i have a radial containing a socket for a washing machin socket for dryer and then four double sockets. Im realy concerned about the load on this radial. I have spoken to the electrician who said I'm talking rubbish and its in regs. he has also put me a new celling light in bathroom but just left all the cables connected by wagos loose and unsupported in the loft. I thought regs was it had to be in a box. As the light is within a special area am i not allowed to put these cables in a box myself. there is other things that have concerned me and getting no help from NICEIC who have said i need to get him back to put it right but after I also found hed left a bare live cable next to my hobs gas main I dont want him to set foot in the house.

Before i get someone else in i want to know what you guys think as i dont want to be told again its in regs if it isn't

And finally three way switching by intermediate switch is possible isnt it, he has told me three way is impossible

 

[buzzlightyear]

what about ringing the trade & standards ,and see what they say .we are only seeing one side of the story .so we start hang the guy!

 

[elsparko]

go round the electricians house and beat him up in front of his family , thatll learn him

 

[Adam W]

As you've worded the situation I would agree with your concerns, however it sounds very strange that this guy has spurred several sockets from a ring final - are you sure it's not a separate radial?

Leaving a "bare live cable" anywhere is obviously dangerous wherever it's left, gas pipe or otherwise; how have you checked for voltage?

Clearly intermediate switching is a thing hence the availability of intermediate switches - could this guy mean that adding a switch would be difficult in this situation?

 

[HandySparks]

What's the circuit breaker rating protecting the ring circuit with the unfused spur?

 

[Risteard]

Currently i have a radial containing a socket for a washing machin socket for dryer and then four double sockets.

[...]

And finally three way switching by intermediate switch is possible isnt it, he has told me three way is impossible

Firstly, I'm not clear as to whether this is a radial socket circuit or whether it is an unfused spur with multiple outlets from a ring final circuit.

Secondly, in a sense he is correct. Two-way and intermediate switching still only switches in two ways (although from an infinite number of positions). There is no such thing as "three-way switching". It is called two-way and intermediate switching.

 

[elsparko]

Firstly, I'm not clear as to whether this is a radial socket circuit or whether it is an unfused spur with multiple outlets from a ring final circuit.

Secondly, in a sense he is correct. Two-way and intermediate switching still only switches in two ways (although from an infinite number of positions). There is no such thing as "three-way switching". It is called two-way and intermediate switching.

well its not infinite , but you could have bloody lots of intermediates

until we prove infinity exists it is just a finite amount, until then it is just a mathematical tool

 

[Octopus]

yes we have the install paper work but its been made invalid as I had another company fit me a smoke alarm radial,

How has the EIC that the original spark provided been made "invalid" by somebody adding a smoke alarm radial?

That doesn't make sense....

 

[Octopus]

thanks guys for your replies, the smoke detector company said they can come and do a formal installation check for £80 and that will inclused inspecting the install to offer recommendations and a quote on remedial works.

Do you own a 1 bedroom flat?

£80 is not enough for a proper inspection of a house IMHO....

 

[johnduffell]

An unfused spur should feed 1 single or 1 double socket Appendix 15 (informative) Regulation 433.1.204 page 453 BS7671

The electrician concerned sounds like he's not got a clue, but according to the main section of the regs you can connect what you like to a fused spur so long as what's on the spur is unlikely to cause an overload (and of course the fault disconnection time/zs is alright)

The informative guidance is just the recommended way to apply these. But if you wanted you could spur 10 FCUs running small extractor fans or any other circuit that meets the design principles.

Re unbalance, once I was bored and worked out how unbalanced the load would have to be to overload one 20A leg of the ring, and it turned out there would have to be pretty large loads within a few metres of the DB.