Two Spurs from A FCU Spur

You would have to tell us a bit more about where you took the spur from; Ring final? Radial? Picture of the CU would help.

 

If the donor socket is not a spur from the ring ,just extend the ring.

 

Only diy here but, like sticking my nose in now and again !!

With current set up of running 2 double sockets from a 13A FCU, highly unlikely you can have three machines running without blowing the fuse

Check ratings plate on all 3 machines - it’s the Watts your looking for, add up total wattage and divide by 230 (volts) -that will give you how many Amps the machines will draw, if all running at same time. Most power used when machines are heating water and/or drying (machines are cold fill only now days, generally)

So a total of 3,000 watts from all three machines will be (roughly) 13A limit for fuse. Fuse may well handle a bit more power than exactly 13A but it’s pushing it

Highly likely that all three machines combined wattage is way higher than 3,000 so there lies the problem

The ‘lone socket’ feeding the FCU - is this not a part of the ring itself ? If yes - and would need testing to confirm this, then best option is to extend the ring and include the two additional sockets as part of the ring , and no need for the FCU so no power limit (within reason) Or is the lone socket a spur itself ?

Final point - regardless of above, not best practice to run two high power machines from one double socket - seems weird but better off to run these machines from single sockets as many double sockets, although generally known as ‘13A sockets’, aren’t designed to run two appliance both drawing 13A each - will work but may suffer from overheating the socket

I believe there are some sockets designed and rated at 26A ? Maybe MK, but often recommended to install single sockets for such appliances

Happy to be corrected on any of the above from the pros if I’m wrong - just have a diy interest in leccie stuff

Good luck and please fit grommets to all cable knock outs in metal back boxes, thanks

 

If the socket you have "spurred" from is part of the ring final it is easy enough to incorporate the new sockets into the ring final and do away with the FCU. For this to fully comply with current standards your existing RCD is not compliant as it is not type A, this would need a complete consumer unit replacement.

 

With respect, really don’t think you should be carrying out this work at all going by your questions above

Ok, the forum is for asking questions and seeking advice, but rather different if asking ‘best emulsion for my ceiling’ or ‘how to hang a door’, etc compared to the leccie work your attempting and what could potentially go wrong here with such limited electrical knowledge and I assume, lack of test equipment ?

Sometimes better to ‘bite the bullet’ and accept you need to get a pro in for certain jobs

 

Well that's just a load of old nonsense

 

Ring circuit where? Kitchen can draw a lot more power than other rings powering small items like phone Chargers etc

washing machines and driers etc are quite hungry on the juice they require and also with motors that have momentary inrush currents. Also the issue that they stay on drawing power over long periods of time. You can try a time delayed 13A fuse to see if it’s just the inrush currents blowing it. If not not it may mean running a separate radial circuit to them, on a higher amp breaker

 

Think time delayed fuses are called slow blow fuses

 

The whole lot needs ripping out as it’s not fit for purpose.

The comments about time delayed and slow blow 13 amp fuses should be totally ignored, along with the comments from “Robyn”.

 

You cannot definitely tell this needs "ripping out" without seeing it. I am an expert

 

You can remove the fcu but need to check if you have upfront RCD protection on circuit.

 

No.

 

Won't take an electrician long to test that circuit and incorporate them into the ring final. The old RCD may be an issue if they insist on it being compliant with current regulations.

 

And why would that be? Did you have a detailed message about the details of the mX load no one else has seen? So really you can’t formulate any opinion on anything.

 

@CBE

You have nailed the issue there, the problem is overload, the not a fault, so the speed the fuse blows at is irrelevant.

As it is the 13 amp fuse will happily carry 20 amps without blowing, so the cable and fittings are already at their maximum capacity.

 

Can you even get a "slow blow" BS1362 fuse?

 

how do you know that the current is not ok and the inrush current just pushes it over the top? Without knowing the specs of any of the appliances?