Ask The Trades - Print Page

Ask The Trades
https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Electrical Questions >> House nearly completely rewired (Lights to go!) https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1092255327 Message started by Owen on Aug 11^th, 2004, 9:15pm

Title: House nearly completely rewired (Lights to go!)
Post by Owen on Aug 11^th, 2004, 9:15pm

OK, so we just had the house rewired. Ill give ya an overview:

First: Leccy comes to replace CU and connect up new Kitchen ring that the fitters added

3 Weeks after: Board comes to replace meter, brings 16mm tales but leaves new tails that the leccy who replaced the CU naughtily put in (25mm and brand new - Old tales were puny and with the added load of the new stuff it NEEDED to be replaced before it burnt off its RUBBER sheath!)

1 Month after: Another leccy comes and rewires all the rings. Some things to point out:

Downstairs sockets were radial (!!!!! :o :o)
There was this wierd joining contraption in the wall that did NOT look safe - exposed wires all over and breaking the single spur rule by far! 1 in to supply, 2 brought off for sockets
You know the contraption I mentioned earlier? Well, off this the imersian heater controls used to be fed, off which THE IMERSIAN HEATER ITSELF WAS FED! Also, some crackhead lecky said it was OK to run sockets off the imersian heater spurs! EEEK!!!!!!!!
Some of the sheathing had melted in places
Earths were sheaved NOWHERE

It was old Black Indian Rubber >:( Yack!
Multiple strands of Tin Plated Copper

Glad its all out now.

Can I ask just one question: Is it legal to place 2 earths in one sheath (The earths are UNtwisted)

Title: Re: House nearly completely rewired (Lights to go!
Post by The_Trician on Aug 11^th, 2004, 10:31pm

Not sure what you mean? Why would you want to?

More info please.

TT

Title: Re: House nearly completely rewired (Lights to go!
Post by plugwash on Aug 11^th, 2004, 11:57pm

i think he means when bringing 2 T&E into a box funnign both thier earths in the same sleeve to the terminal

Title: Re: House nearly completely rewired (Lights to go!
Post by bright_spark on Aug 12^th, 2004, 12:40am

On new sockets they have two earth terminals and 1 earth from each leg of the ring should go to each, but most sparks pace them in one sleeve and one terminal as a rule.

bright-spark

Title: Re: House nearly completely rewired (Lights to go!
Post by ban-all-sheds on Aug 12^th, 2004, 6:38am

wrote on Aug 11^th, 2004, 9:15pm:

Downstairs sockets were radial (!!!!! :o :o)

Why is that so shocking?

Quote:

There was this wierd joining contraption in the wall that did NOT look safe - exposed wires all over and breaking the single spur rule by far! 1 in to supply, 2 brought off for sockets

But there is no such rule with radial circuits...

Quote:

You know the contraption I mentioned earlier? Well, off this the imersian heater controls used to be fed, off which THE IMERSIAN HEATER ITSELF WAS FED! Also, some crackhead lecky said it was OK to run sockets off the imersian heater spurs! EEEK!!!!!!!!

Provided the circuit is properly designed to cope with the loads, why not? BTW - they aren't spurs, they are legs.

Title: Re: House nearly completely rewired (Lights to go!
Post by Owen on Aug 12^th, 2004, 11:26am

wrote on Aug 12^th, 2004, 6:38am:

Why is that so shocking?

This is an ex council house - They normaly wire them up with downstairs and upstairs on one ring, so downstairs being radial is unusual. I think maybe someone at one point split it and added an upstairs ring - Leaving downstairs as radial

Quote:

But there is no such rule with radial circuits...

Point taken

Quote:

Provided the circuit is properly designed to cope with the loads, why not? BTW - they aren't spurs, they are legs.

Well, I dont know about you, but with the state of that contraption in the wall, I wouldnt want ANY sockets fed off it!

It was 2 plastic joiners seperate, one wire comming in (feed) 1 going through wall to living room, one going up to dining room socket, one going down and through to Imersian heater control (Converted to socket), With one leg off that to Imersian heater (Converted to socket upstairs).

Looks dodgey to me ;)

Oh, the contraption had Electrical Tape covering exposed wires at end

Ill have to get my digicam working and show you the thing ;)

Title: Re: House nearly completely rewired (Lights to go!
Post by L.Spark on Aug 15^th, 2004, 1:32am

Ref Sleeving, Most sockets do not have two earth terminals, most have one, often dual earth sockets cost more, altho double earth appears to be getting more common.

if there is only one terminal, both should be sleeved individualy just the same, and run into the shared terminal.

With regard to Owen's post, some of it does indeed sound a tad worrying, but as BAS has pointed out this could not nessicaraly be the case, and what may look dodge from only a small ammount of experience may be peftectly ok.

But the camera sounds good, take us some pics and we can help you upload them, and give a definate answer on some of that.

Title: Re: House nearly completely rewired (Lights to go!
Post by Lectrician on Aug 15^th, 2004, 8:51am

Also, be aware if you ask the wholesalers for a twin earth terminal socket. They invariably give a 'clean earth' socket thinking thats what you meant!!

Clean earth sockets have two terminals, one connected to the pins, and the other to the fixing lugs. The pin one for the clean earth and the other for the protective earth.

The other simply has 2 connections on the same earth bar, to take the two seperate earth from the ring/radial. This is to comply with the fairly new 'high protective conductor current' regulation.

Most circuits will be fine with a bog standard socket, and its up to you if you sleeve the earths together of seperatly. For fault finding etc, seperatly is best.