Electric washing machine & drier

Question

I have a double plug connected to the ring from which I want to spur another double plug. In one of those two double plug I want to plug a washing machine and a drier separately. Is this safe to do? What's the recommendation?
Cheers

Raymond · Accepted Answer

Hi Albert , is this ring main a kitchen ring main ? , also how many other heavy duty appliances do you have on that ring main , that will be used at the same time as the washing machine and dryer., and as long as you keep the circuit to a ring main , and it’s backed up by a 32amp breaker, preferably an rcbo, then everything should be fine.
Regards 
Ray

Christopher · Answer

Hi Albert rule of thumb is one spur of a socket on a ring circuit. As long as is a ring and not overloaded then a single spur should be fine. Also would recommend it is fed by 32 amp MCB RCD protected or RCBO.
Kind regards Chris

George · Answer

Firstly you need to ensure the ring circuit is in tact and that it is part of the ring as opposed to already being a spur. If it is a ring circuit and has RCD protection, correct overload protection and ideally surge protection (although not essential). Then you can spur off once per point from the ring. You can use 2.5mm twin and earth as the overload protection is provided by the maximum if 2x13A plugs at the end. This is why you can only spur of once and that point is really important. 
If you’re burying the cable in the wall, ensure you check you are within zones. As always, I would recommend using a qualified electrician.

Luke · Answer

Hi Albert,

It's perfectly fine to spur from a ring main to 1 additional point (a double socket is one point). Should you need to run out more than one point you would need to install a 13 amp fused spur outlet first.

Thanks

Paul · Answer

I would recommend you turn the 2 sockets into the ring as a spur on a washer and dryer will draw too much current

Anthony · Answer

Yes it will be safe to do so  it’s always better to spread the load amongst sockets if possible

Claud · Answer

Ideally it should be part of the ring but it depends on what the loading for the washer and dryer is. We can arrange a free quote to check the works to give you some peace of mind?

Thibaut · Answer

Hi there,

Spurring off a socket on a ring is permitted by the wiring regulations - however, you are limited to one unfused spur per socket.

Therefore you would need to make sure the socket you are spurring off is not already a spur, otherwise you would need to either extend the ring (i.e. not spurring, but including the new socket in the ring) or install a 13 A fused spur ahead of the socket you are spurring off, and then the number of sockets allowed downstream of the fused spur is unlimited. But in that case that extra double socket would be limited to 13 A, which probably means you wouldn't be able to run both the washing machine and drier at the same time.

However, permanently connecting equipment rated above 2 kW to a ring final circuit is not advised, and installing a separate dedicated circuit for it would be recommended, so please do check the power rating of your appliances.

Finally, ring circuits rely on effective load spreading around the ring to be safe, so if you do connect your new appliances to the ring, it is advised to make sure that they are connected as close to the centre of the ring as possible, so that the two legs of the ring carry a siilar current, therefore avoiding one leg carrying most of the load and potentially overheating the cable.

I hope this helps.

Any furhter question, please do get in touch.

Samuel · Answer

Incorporate new socket as part of existing ring (:

Electric washing machine & drier

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