Tip from an electrician

Colour_Republic

wallbash wrote: »

Agree totally about gas

But my argument is that I have 'played' with electrics for over 35 years , I know my limits .
I won't have some bright spark .... in an office now telling me I cant .
Just because I have not got a 'bit' of paper.

As I agree with you, but sadly I live in the UK where the punishments for people that think for themselves or have any form of common sense carries a custodial sentence

wallbash

Cant recall anyone , working on there own house having been prosecuted yet , but I might well be wrong.

There was that case with a gas explosion a few years ago.

BillTrac

First please don't get me started on Part P! As a time-served sparkie with 35 years experience, to be told I have to either pay £450 per year, or pay some numpty £50 a pop to pass my work it really gets my back up(can you tell?;))

Anyway, can I ask the OP why spurs? One spur I could understand just connect into the nearest socket. But if you are having several spurs and the distances aren't too great why not expand the ring circuit? Then you will only have two cables at each socket, and you know it is the better way.

Another suggestion might be to use a 30Amp junction box. Ring cables into the JB, add the spur cable then you only have a single cable to worry about. Not the best method, but a method after all

mikey72

BillTrac wrote: »

First please don't get me started on Part P! As a time-served sparkie with 35 years experience, to be told I have to either pay £450 per year, or pay some numpty £50 a pop to pass my work it really gets my back up(can you tell?;))

Anyway, can I ask the OP why spurs? One spur I could understand just connect into the nearest socket. But if you are having several spurs and the distances aren't too great why not expand the ring circuit? Then you will only have two cables at each socket, and you know it is the better way.

Another suggestion might be to use a 30Amp junction box. Ring cables into the JB, add the spur cable then you only have a single cable to worry about. Not the best method, but a method after all

Not the right method either.

waynehayes

mikey72 wrote: »

Not the right method either.

Why so? It's perfectly acceptable to spur from a junction box.

mikey72

waynehayes wrote: »

Why so? It's perfectly acceptable to spur from a junction box.

Single socket through a junction box, or several spurs through a 13A fused outlet, not a couple of spurs through a 30A junction box.
The junction box has to be accessible for inspection as well, not hidden under the floor, or in the wall somewhere.

waynehayes

mikey72 wrote: »

Single socket through a junction box, or several spurs through a 13A fused outlet, not a couple of spurs through a 30A junction box.
The junction box has to be accessible for inspection as well, not hidden under the floor, or in the wall somewhere.

I didn't realise OP was adding more than one spur from the same socket. Indeed, the number of spurs off a single fused outlet is in theory unlimited.

wallbash

The junction box has to be accessible for inspection as well, not hidden under the floor, or in the wall somewhere.

Not one for following all the regs to the letter, could somone clarify that posting .
I am not disputing it , not mocking it , just genuinely would like some clarification.

mikey72

All connections should be able to be inspected, so junction boxes should not be used where they are not accessible, or it is not obvious that they are there.

YorkshireBoy

wallbash wrote: »

Not one for following all the regs to the letter, could somone clarify that posting .
I am not disputing it , not mocking it , just genuinely would like some clarification.

As with most things in this field it's open to interpretation. For example, the Regs don't (I believe) define "accessible", although the term is used in Reg 526.3

There's some discussion* on this topic on the IET forums, and some examples of 'opinions' given by NICEIC inspectors. Google 'junction boxes accessible' for more info, and/or see here.


* Including the use of 'permanent' joints such as crimping and soldering, which would mean the joint did not need to be accessible for inspection.


Disclaimer: Although I'm a fully qualified electrical engineer, domestic/commercial work is not my field...process control and materials/mechanical handling is.