Tradesmen get really defensive at amateurs DIY'ing, particularly plumbers/electricians, but let's get real - It's all super simple really & every house is pretty much identical to every other one - this isn't a highly complex nuclear power station. Join wires together securely, don't mix them up, don't damage anything, read the instructions where required - done.
My immersion heater also has one of these switches with a 13amp fuse in it. The plug gets incredibly hot. The fuse is all black and the ceramic is burnt. It sometimes causes the main fuse box to trip the switch for the boiler. I've replaced with the same Amp fuse, and soemtimes works, sometimes stops working. The timer will spin and turn the boiler on in the morning, and other times it just stops working. I feel like a 15amp fuse should be used if 13amp cant handle it.
Safely isolate and remove that immediately. An immersion should have it's own independent supply cable and in a 16 amp mcb. Hopefully some idjiot hasn't wired it from a mains socket circuit. The fcu needs to be changed for a 20 amp double pole isolater switch. One with a Led/neon indicator is good as you'll have an indication as to if the tank is on or off. Hopefully your immersion is also on a timer.
Excellent and well explained video. I want to use one of these inside my house to control an outdoor socket, so that I can switch the outdoor socket off when not in use. Would it be acceptable practice to run some 2.5mm twin and earth from an internal socket to the fcu and then connect Flexi cable to the load side of the fcu to pass through the outside wall to feed the outdoor socket?
Can you use this but instead of an appliance for another double socket (the supply being from a double socket in the garage) and to be completely safe use this fused spur and the load going to another socket? Thanks
If I was making this vid I'd have stripped some extra earth sleeving off the appliance cable and pretended I hadn't forgotten to get earth sleeving for the feed. ;)
Hi Robbi this is the easiest I've seen to understand. I need power for a shower pump only line I have is a single supply to vanity light near by. I am.planning using this and disconnection of light. What I want to know is how can I also provide power for the vanity light? Many thanks Nic
I’ve got a fused spur that I need to wire up. Just to be clear the ‘In’ N and L are for the wires from the socket I’m coming off and the ‘Load’ is from the wire that connects to the appliance that I’m powering?
Those automatic wire strippers will strip the main cable pvc. Makes a much neater job than pulling the earth and then snipping the excess with cutters.
A bit off topic. But why do they sell plugs in UK with 13A fuses installed? You would think they would leave them empty so you can put the appropriate fuse in yourself, my friend bought a replacement rubber plug for an inspection lamp and he left the 13A fuse in it, shouldn't he have put a 3A fuse in?
Thanks for you excellent videos Allen. I want to put up a pendant light over a dining room table. There is a nearby floor socket, which is fused. Can I tap this socket to power the light? I also want to put a switch on the wall above the socket to turn the light on and off. Thanks in advance David
Great video - I have a fused switch unit with a neon light that stays on even when the unit is switched off and no power is going to my hob. Any advice on what is wrong? Thanks
I have an fcu running from a 2 gang socket in small box room the fcu is supplying a wall lamp with pull cord can I run another fcu into existing one to freed outside security light
In South east europe stores have difrent sockets from inside it is not so easly to change sockets anymore only telehpne socket is easy on new Models parts for Rj11 copper cables.
How 20Amp fuse differ from 13Amp fuse. Is it that if you have a large heater unit consuming more electricity you need bigger fuse on the switch? Because I suspect that if the switch smells while it's on and it's getting really warm that's because the fuse inside the switch on the wall is weak/low?? I might be wrong.
Should my boiler spur have 2 supplies? The fused spur fuse keeps blowing after a small chain fell behind the programmer on the back plate. Ever since the moment you attach any controller even a new one it just blows the fuse. Currently using the boiler with a spur swich directly
Hi, great vid. I have a fused spur socket already installed but no cooker extractor hood. If I want to install and hide cooker extractor hood cable through the drywall and bring it through the back box is that ok? If not, what specific size / number cable do I need to run from the fused spur, through the dry wall to the cooker hood? Thanks
Hi Allen, I've got a Flushed FCU to supply the Dishwasher. The incoming cable is installed through the wall. I'm struggling to understand how to run cable to from Dishwasher to flush FCU. pls advise. Thanks
The existing cable is in the wall? Chase the wall out and lay cable in wall with conduit/capping over the top and install plug socket ideally in an adjacent cupboard
I’ve got this cable going from a switch to the bathroom above and there is a switch there too,it’s where immersion heater was,so if I want to run a 1.5 mm cable from there under bath through wall to an outdoor security light is it this fcu I need with a lower amp fuse in it? Because the cables for this switches is thicker I thought maybe it will blow the bulbs in my outdoor light, or would it be better to go in loft and tap into a 1.5mm cable instead
Currently have an fcu with 5 amp fuse. To service a light switch for spotlights. I want to add a double socket from the fcu. Can you confirm if it’s the “supply” terminals I use and swap fuse to 13 amp when adding double socket. ? Thanks
Can the supply be from a ring mains in a kitchen? So being supplied directly to the FCU from the consumer unit? And can I link one FCU to another FCU directly? (One for washing machine, one for cooker hob and one for fridge freezer)
+Connor Spragg thanks for the comment well it is good practice to protect appliances, the way i do it is put a spur for each appliance at socket level above the worktop then a socket on the load side of the spur under the counter to plug the appliance in. With regards to the cooker your should really run its own feed from the consumer unit and have a 45 amp cooker switch socket level and a 45 amp cooker outlet plate under the counter for the cooker to be wired into hope this helps.
So if I wanted to convert a plug socket into a FCU with Flex outlet, I would put the LNE wires for the socket into the Supply LNE and for the Load LNE I would put the wires from the appliance into it, right?
I need to add 1 or 2 sockets in the loft. I’m planning to tap into a ring main 2.5 T&E in the loft. I’ll cut the cable and install both those ends into the supply side then add a length of spur cable into the load side and then onto a spur socket. Is that right? It’s a bungalow by the way
I'm trying to connect a cooker hood to one of these recommended by the instruction booklet. The appliance doesnt have an earth cable but the supply does, will this cause any problems? It says not to earth it.
Tom sandford where a live goes an earth must follow but make sure the cooker hood is double insulated or carries the symbol a square within a square if it does not show this mark it must not be used unless the cable is renewed
Oi Matey I had to give you a thumbs up for video ,But if I was deaf and watched the demonstration and installed the earth without Sleaving ,and all the residents were deaf in the home You would Deaf and Dead residents In the home and they would probably go blind from the shock , Lol
+Gavin Rackett yes should be if the appliance has know earth usually means its double insulated which means it docent require an earth have look in the instructions.
Hi, My unit won't close, it appears to have lost the thread connection and wont go back in- we've tried brute force and endless screwing to no avail- can you help? Thank you
Dear Allen, I hadn't considered this, I don't understand how this happened as we did exactly as you did in the video. I'm unsure the screw fitting will come out, we tried for ages and I'm not sure that was an option. We'll try though. Thanks very much for getting back to us.
wire your armoured into Garage Consumer Unit Fuse Box with RCD + 2 MCB's, But really better getting a pro.electrician to do rating's, earth loop test and install..
I have one of these that was installed for me incase I installed and extractor fan, it's always been switched off yet I opened it to find there is already wiring in the "load" connectors, where I wanted to wire up a new cooker hood, do I remove the wires already occupying the load connectors and if so how do I make the ones I remove safe?
what is meant by SPUR? THIS socket how many amp? this one we can only use for Fcu or Washing machine, dish washet, cooker unit, water heater.? please reply
Please can you help me I would really appreciate your advice as I’m stuck on what I should do. Can I connect both my fridge freezer and duel fuel cooker to a 13A switched fused spur on a double socket or would it overload it? Below I have taken the time to get all the technical spec for each appliance from the manuals American fridge freezer BEKO Pro ASDM241PX 230v voltage 50hz frequency 150w wattage 0.85A current The fridge freezer has a standard 1.5mm twin&earth cable with 13A plug on it Duel fuel cooker (gas cooker, electric oven) Kenwood CK305-1 230v voltage 50hz frequency 2270w wattage The duel fuel cooker has no cable or plug on it but the manual saying to add 1.5mm twin&earth cable to the feeder cable connection which is on the rear of the cooker and the other end Must be connected to a 13A switched fuse spur outlet. In my kitchen where I want to place both appliances I have few normal non spur sockets plus I have a 13A switched fused spur outlet that is connected to a single socket, I’m thinking to change that single to a double socket so I can add the cooker and fridge freezer to it or could I add just the cooker to that and just plug the freezer to a normal non spur/non fused spur socket? Hope this all makes sense...
N.O.E King yes you can put both in a double socket off a 13a spur as the cooker is 9amp and the fridge is 0.6 amp so yes you can run both of a double socket from a spur
Allen Goldsmith thank you so much for your advice! I have had a few people say it should only go into a isolated cooker circuit switch but from what I researched that is for heavy duty electric cooker that can reach high amps upto 30a is that correct? Also is there an option I can connect a less powerful cooker like mine with 1.5mm twin&earth to a isolated cooker switch which has 6mm twin & earth or would you add a 6mm to the cooker instead of 1.5mm then to that switch? I’m feeling if my cooker has a fault it will only cut off if it reaches 30A which sound dangerous as mine only requires 13A I’m i right?
N.O.E King if you do 2270 divided by 230 = 9.8 amp So if everything is full wack it will draw 9.8amps the fridge is 270 divided by 230 = 1.1 amp so say 10.5 amp so that’s the most it will draw and you have 13 amp fuse in the spur so it will be fine also the cooker will have a thermostat init so it will cut in and out. It will draw a lot when it initially heats the elements up. Anything over 3kw (13amp) will require it’s own circuit
Allen Goldsmith yes this makes perfect sence ,I am just trying to see if it’s possible to connect this cooker to a isolated cooker switch also as it’s closer to my kitchen window if not I don’t mind adding a cooker hood and have it further away next to my fridge. Will my 9.8amp cooker work in a isolated 30amp cooker circuit outlet Will there be any problems ?
N.O.E King well if you bring it off a cooker circuit and wire it in 1.5 the cooker circuit could be backed by a 30amp fuse and 1.5 is only rated at 16amp so personally I would put it on the spur at the end of the day you have to protect the cable as an over rated breaker will burn the cable out if overloaded
Hi, I have 3 Earth wires in my FCU, 1 with load, 1 with supply and 1 connected to the box, but only 2 earthing connections, does it matter with what connection I pair the the earth wire connected to the box?
+Barrie Underwood well if you have 2 earth wires 1 from the supply and 1 from the load put them into the earth connection on the FCU along with the earth from the box. The earth from the box is there just incase a live conductor breaks or is damaged and touches the metal box it is so that the box does not become live.
Ah, ok then sorry I thought you were deliberately being an idiot! Yeah, if you google what I said it is pretty obvious - folding over the conductors yes. I just get really wound up with poor electrical tutorial videos like this one that don't follow the regs and are unsafe. Ultimately, it costs people safety and in many cases their lives.
I can only assume you are not an electrician because there is so much wrong with what you have demonstrated. If you do claim to be an electrician then your level of skill/competence is all but non-existent.
So im putting in an extractor hood and it says that it must not be earthed and im stumped. Do i just cut the earth cable all the way back on the twin an earth cable or still put it in its earth terminal as the actual extractor fan cable only has a live and neutral
if the hood doesn't not have an earth means it is double insulated which means it doesn't require an earth, the earth from the twin and earth put into the earth terminal. Just in case later down the line you change the hood and that requires an earth it is there for it. Hope this helps
hiya, ive put a light on the roof of my shed ( inside that is ) :-]. so i have twin & earth hanging from that, i have the same exiting my fused switch spur & a single gang light switch ready to be wired in ! so my question is how do i complete the set up ? thankyou,
+dave brown hi thanks for the comment, so what you are saying is there is a cable hanging out the light? and there is a spur and a light switch and you want to wire it all up??
well if you take a 1.5mm cable out of the spur and take it to the light switch, put the brown in the COM of the light switch then get a connector block and put the blue into that, then take a cable from the switch to the light put the brown in the L1 of the switch and the blue into the connector block and put the earths into another another connector block and that should work.
