Calling all electricians - urgent question pls!

travel_freak

Hi

We're just changing old plastic sockets for silver ones.

All have been fine but we've come to one double plug socket which only has ONE cable in the wall. All the other double sockets have had two cables, so that we are putting two of each wire (Live, Neutral and Earth) into the terminals in the socket.

Pls can anyone explain why this one only has one cable in the wall - and is it a problem to replace with another double, wiring it as the last people did the plastic one?

Electrics are all off at the mo so if anyone is online and can help that would be great.

Many thx!

shandypants5

Its probably a "spur" thats where someone branches off from the main "ring main" circuit.

One of your other sockets most likely has 3 sets of wires (2 from the ring and 1 from this spur)

You have to be carefull how much load you put at the end of a spur, are you replacing a single with a twin?

BillTrac

Generally power outlets should be wired in a ring..ie the cable leaves the circuit breaker board, travels in and out of each socket and returns to the same connection. Sometimes they may be wired as a radial circuit where the cable leaves the circuit breaker board, travels through each socket but does not return from the last socket. Thus the last socket will have only one cable. And sometimes where a socket has been added at a later date it may be "spurred" off from an adjacent socket and you will have three cables at one socket and one at the added socket. Perfectly safe if done correctly.

And it doesn't matter if the sockets are single or doubles.

Are there two cables at all sockets, or do you have one with three cables?

edit..shandypants beat me to it..lol

shandypants5

Sorry just re-read your post. you are just replacing like for like so all should be OK.

But.... I have had problems with badly wired spurs in the past and I allways like to find out where they are wired from for my own peace of mind.

Sometimes you can find people have spurred off an existing spur and this can be a fire hazard.

travel_freak

Hi

Thanks for the quick replies - yes it is just like for like: the existing one in the wall is an ordinary double socket and we're replacing it with the same, just in silver.

This is the only socket in this room. We did another room yesterday (kitchen) and from memory they all had two cables.

I guess I'll just hope for the best and that the existing wiring was done correctly. Certainly we've had no problems with it but are just smartening up to silver rather than the plastic ones.

I just panicked a bit because I only saw one cable and thought this meant there could only be a single socket there.

We will hardly be using this socket anyway only probably for a radio or TV so the load shouldnt be much.

Thx again.

travel_freak

Hi again,

Just another very quick question. Next job is to hang a ceiling light. The light says that it must NOT be earthed.

At the moment there is just a bulbholder and looking at that it just has live and neutral running to it. The earth is just tucked up into the hole in the ceiling. Can I just leave the earth where it is, not attached to anything?

I know that it shouldn't be attached to the light as the light tells me this but should the earth be put into one of those little white plastic terminal box things just so it's going somewhere?

Just not sure whether to leave it dangling so to speak is safe?!

Many thx.

shandypants5

No just leave it as it is its fine.

macman

travel_freak wrote: »

Hi

Thanks for the quick replies - yes it is just like for like: the existing one in the wall is an ordinary double socket and we're replacing it with the same, just in silver.

This is the only socket in this room. We did another room yesterday (kitchen) and from memory they all had two cables.

I guess I'll just hope for the best and that the existing wiring was done correctly. Certainly we've had no problems with it but are just smartening up to silver rather than the plastic ones.

I just panicked a bit because I only saw one cable and thought this meant there could only be a single socket there.

We will hardly be using this socket anyway only probably for a radio or TV so the load shouldnt be much.

Thx again.

The no. of cables bears no relation to whether it is a twin or single socket. Two cables indicates probably on a ring main, one indicates probably on a spur. But I stress probably. No way of knowing without testing them.
Sorry, but is it wise to be working on a ring main given your lack of electrical knowledge?

DCFC79

Why dont you get a parky in to do the work, be much safer thing to do

zax47

DCFC79 wrote: »

Why dont you get a parky in to do the work, be much safer thing to do

So he can shout at them for walking on the grass?

{sorry - couldn't resist}