Socket Ring Main Cable Size

The main purpose of a spur is adding an extra socket on to an existing ring main circuit.

Socket ring main cable size.

A separate ring main is usually installed on every floor of a given property to make sure things are kept safe and it is only when for example a spur socket additional socket is added on an upstairs ring main to feed a socket or light on a downstairs circuit that things can get tricky. The ring starts at the consumer unit also known as fuse box distribution board or breaker box visits each socket in turn and then returns to the consumer unit. For the rules that govern how tis can be dne please. Its simplicity makes it a great arrangement for that use.

In this video i show how to wire a spur socket to a ring final circuit using 2 methods 1. As you can see it eliminates the need to wire a socket all the way back to the a consumer unit but the nearest ring main socket is used instead. The ring is fed from a fuse or circuit breaker in the consumer unit. Ring mains may have spurs off them either they can be spured from an existing socket or from a junction box there is importantly over the whole ring the total number of spurs must not.

It is not particularly difficult to extend a ring main but you must remember that certain rules apply about the floor area and length of cable one ring main may serve and use. These rules apply to spurs also. Ring circuits are commonly used in british wiring with socket outlets taking fused plugs to bs 1363 because the breaker rating is much higher than that of any. The diagrammes below show how you can break into a ring main with junction boxes to.

These rules can be found in our ring main project. The cable size is important it has to be either 2 5sq mm or 4 0sq mm twin core and earth these are rated in free air at 24amps or 32amps respectively.