Good afternoon,
I have just purchased a 1920's terrace house. The condition of the electrical cable itself is fine so doesn't require replacing however the set up of the circuit is in a very poor configuration and needs changing.
It's 2.5mm T&E and supposed to be on a "radial" circuit however it clearly doesn't conform with regs. This is protected by a 20A type B MCB which keeps tripping. It doesn't come as a surprise considering how overloaded it is.
Ideally, I would rip all the cable out and increase the diameter of the cable however I do not have the budget to do so. I have come up with some more budget friendly ideas in the photos below.
Could you please kindly review the photos and let me know if you think my 2 different options will be ok and which one you would choose. If you have any other ideas feel free to say.
Thank you.
Photos in link below:
Current configuration - https://ibb.co/58fc30k
Option 1 - https://ibb.co/jkYmqy9
Option 2 - https://ibb.co/Jqsd2G5
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Hi Stefan ,
So from the drawings you have provided looks like you know a little… they look like college examples with that said …. option 1 is compliant you could have a 20amp radial for bedroom sockets also you could create a new ring final circuit for the kitchen and spur the loft but with that said I normally divide the house sockets up ie ring final circuit up ring final circuit down all depends on size of house ect ect there are lots reason we calculate loadings and you have the classic scenario of rewiring circuits there’s no easy fix it needs to comply most importantly you need to be safe!
Kind regards 👍
Answered16 November 2021
8
Anonymous user
That circuit is perfectly adequate for load and short circuit and DOES conform with Regs. A 2.5mm2 T&E cable can be wired as a radial with a 16A or a 20A mcb protection. If its tripping regularly it will be because of a fault other than overload. My advice would be get an electrician to check the circuit for you.
Best place to start would be a condition report. That way you can determine if what’s existing is actually safe. No point adding additional cables to make rings if the existing cable isn’t in great condition. A condition report will highlight this
The rule you must follow when wiring new circuits: The load must be less than or equal to the breaker capacity and the breaker capacity must be less than or equal to the cable capacity.
LOAD < BREAKER < CABLE CAPACITY.
Remember cable capacities vary due to installation method! Use your cable capacity tables :-)
