Hampshrie electrician, A1 Elec-Tricks carry out all electrical installations, repairs, maintenance and testing including socket repairs throughout the Hampshire area.

Sockets

In most homes throughout the Britain, standard wall sockets are often connected to a ring circuit or a ring main. In a domestic home, a ring main is responsible for the supply of electricity to the sockets and fixed appliances of a property.

The ring circuit is created inside of the ring main of a property when the cable from the initial consumer unit or appliance leads to the first socket, it then continues onto the next, and the next, circulating until the cable once again reaches the initial consumer unit. This means that the ring main is consisted of each socket in a property having two cable routes leading back to the supply.

In more traditional properties, any cables connected to a ring main are fed through cavities in a wall, into the back of the socket. In new homes, this isn't classed as standard practice. Cables in a cavity can often become wet, ultimately allowing moisture to be able to enter the socket.

If your old house requires rewiring, Hampshire electricians A1 will ensure that new cables will be run through proper ducting and insulation in the walls or under your floorboards.

Each ring main is fitted with a 32 amp fuse or a trip that is installed in the consumer unit in order to protect it. In more modern installations, a device known as a Residual Current Device (RCD) trips the entire electrical system if it should detect a fault. Across Southampton, electrical installations by A1 Elec-Tricks are carried out once and left for years without a second thought.

Any large electrical household consumer products such as the likes of cookers and showers tend to use up a lot of the power in a property, and as a precaution, should not be connected directly to a ring main, unless they use under the amp current rating of the circuit (currently at 30). If these appliances are directly linked to a properties' main electricity ring, it will often cause trips in the consumer unit and reduce the number of other appliances that can be used at the same time.

These should be connected to the consumer unit using a specified fuse or trip and cable run. Ideally, in all modern properties, there should be two different routes - one for each floor. If there is a large amount of electrical equipment used in specific rooms such as kitchens, having a ring specific for that room can be beneficial. If you have any questions about this, Southampton electrical installations experts, A1 Elec-Tricks are happy to help.

Sockets are not to be installed in rooms where moisture occurs regularly, such as bathrooms. Any light switches should also not be anywhere near specifically wet areas of bathrooms, instead, they must be installed out of the room or using a pull cord for installations in the rooms' ceiling.

If you require any services regarding the installation, re-wiring of, or any general work concerning sockets, please don't hesitate to contact us.

We operate throughout the Hampshire are for for more information, see our Areas Covered page.