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| Thread ID: 66706 | 2006-03-05 01:41:00 | House Electrics | barcarth (9913) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 435554 | 2006-03-05 01:41:00 | Hi, I've recently bought a house and am a bit concerned about the state of the electrics. As far as I can tell, all the lighting is wired on a single circuit to a 10A fuse and all the sockets are on a single circuit to a 32A fuse. The cooker is on its own 32A fuse. Can anyone tell me if these ratings are normal? Also, are there limits on the number of sockets allowed on one circuit, or the number of light fittings? I'll get an electrician in if it's unsafe, but I'd rather avoid the expense if things look normal! Thanks for your help. |
barcarth (9913) | ||
| 435555 | 2006-03-05 01:47:00 | If in doubt get an inspector in to check it. Modest costs. If its been a shonky job you may have no insurance - and down the track may be no house. | Scouse (83) | ||
| 435556 | 2006-03-05 01:55:00 | It's probably "safe". The lights should be OK, anyway. How many power points are on the other fuse? A 32 amp fuse indicates that's it's "reasonably" modern. If all the wiring was in conduit I might get suspicious. :D | Graham L (2) | ||
| 435557 | 2006-03-05 02:01:00 | :) | barcarth (9913) | ||
| 435558 | 2006-03-05 02:06:00 | It's probably "safe". The lights should be OK, anyway. How many power points are on the other fuse? A 32 amp fuse indicates that's it's "reasonably" modern. If all the wiring was in conduit I might get suspicious. :D Well it's a 3-beroomed house. I'd say there are probably 15 sockets or so on the circuit. I was just thinking that there was a risk of overloading if say I had the washing machine and dryer on, along with a few radiators in winter. That's why I wondered if there was a recommended limit to the number of socket outlets on a single circuit. Thanks for the help. |
barcarth (9913) | ||
| 435559 | 2006-03-05 02:07:00 | If in doubt get an inspector in to check it. Modest costs. If its been a shonky job you may have no insurance - and down the track may be no house. Yes I agree, but I'd like to gain a bit of knowledge as to what is and isn't standard, so that I'll know if any wiring I encounter in the future, looks dodgy or not. Immediately running for an expert, only to be told "yes it is safe" or "no it isn't" doesn't teach me anything! The introduction of laws to improve safety by requiring a qualified electrician to carry out domestic wiring is a good thing. But stopping people from learning about domestic wiring is bad. I think that everyone should be encouraged to know as much as possible about electrics - that has to improve safety! For example, I can't find any books on sale giving a general overview of domestic wiring. Cheers, B. |
barcarth (9913) | ||
| 435560 | 2006-03-05 02:12:00 | I'd say it's a little bit unusual to have such a minimal switchboard. There would usually be one fuse/breaker per room with power points. This is a house, not a sleepout? :D My shed has two circuit breakers for power, and one fuse for lights. Edit: 15 sockets on one circuit? WOW. That's a bit extreme. Admittedly, most loads are small these days ... but. :D It might be worth getting it looked at. I |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 435561 | 2006-03-05 02:26:00 | I'd say it's a little bit unusual to have such a minimal switchboard . There would usually be one fuse/breaker per room with power points . This is a house, not a sleepout? :D My shed has two circuit breakers for power, and one fuse for lights . Edit: 15 sockets on one circuit? WOW . That's a bit extreme . Admittedly, most loads are small these days . . . but . :D It might be worth getting it looked at . I That's what I was thinking too . Thanks, I'll get someone to have a look . |
barcarth (9913) | ||
| 435562 | 2006-03-05 04:26:00 | As a retired Electrician I would say, "Get It Checked As Soon As Possible". It does not sound right, to me, for an NZ house. 15 outlets on a UK Ring Main circuit with each Plug seperately fused would be Ok. However I have not seen this type of installation in NZ. Get a known Sparkie to look the house over & ask him for a current " House Warrant of Fitness". It will cost you an Hours Money, but at least you will know, & sleep sounder. Poppa John :thumbs: :2cents: |
Poppa John (284) | ||
| 435563 | 2006-03-05 04:57:00 | There has been a semi-official interpretation of the Standards/Wiring Regulations that accepts that you can wire a house with just four circuits, one each for the range and water-heater, suitably rated; one for the lighting in 1 . 5mm TPS protected by a circuit breaker appropriate to the maximum allowable load; and one in 2 . 5mm for daisy-chained power circuits, similarly protected . The theory was that it would be electrically safe because the breakers would trip if the homeowner tried to use too much load on the lighting or power circuits . Now, this is possibly (but marginally) acceptable in theory, but in practice what happens is the homeowner complains about one or other breaker tripping and either a sparky come in and plugs in a higher-rated breaker, or the homeowner does it himself . I have personally seen the results of this: Because of the in-wall insulation, the cables should be derated but neither the electrician nor the homeowner thinks of that, consequently, I have seen two 1 . 5mm cables melted together and shorted . If it was a 1 . 5 or 2 . 5mm power circuit, the first time the homeowner tries to run a clothes drier at the same time as a heater and a few other appliances, the breaker trips and the same cable-melting scenario will be repeated . Technically legal, but a tragedy waiting to happen . Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
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