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What cable and sockets in your dedicated radial?

Mike Reed said:
What do you call a blind stag? (Ans: no idea). Boom boom!

How about 6x 10mm2 + 2 x 6mm2 (one for each piece of kit) into 8 way c.u. with individual RCBOs (combo of MCB + RCD). No sockets. Total overkill but it seemed to make sense when I had a full Naim amp/tuner set-up. Still, doesn't eat anything and rather useful at times despite going nearly all valved (incl. CDP)



Not sure about this; 'extension'? Radials are not extensions like spurs but separate entities, eff. from meter to hifi.

Yes, I know what a radial supply is. I meant the wiring and connections are part of the supply to the equipment, ie an extension of it.

Believe me, if you're going to install a proper dedicated radial system, you don't cut corners and/or use substandard stuff; as in anything electrical, really, but somehow, one's hifi takes precedence over one's kettle and microwave; at least, mine does, though my total house rewiring is only 2 decades old.
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Mike Reed said:
What do you call a blind stag? (Ans: no idea). Boom boom!

How about 6x 10mm2 + 2 x 6mm2 (one for each piece of kit) into 8 way c.u. with individual RCBOs (combo of MCB + RCD). No sockets. Total overkill but it seemed to make sense when I had a full Naim amp/tuner set-up. Still, doesn't eat anything and rather useful at times despite going nearly all valved (incl. CDP)



Not sure about this; 'extension'? Radials are not extensions like spurs but separate entities, eff. from meter to hifi.



Believe me, if you're going to install a proper dedicated radial system, you don't cut corners and/or use substandard stuff; as in anything electrical, really, but somehow, one's hifi takes precedence over one's kettle and microwave; at least, mine does, though my total house rewiring is only 2 decades old.
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I was referring to existing installations both commercially and domestically. Frankly some of the bodges i've seen make my hair stand on end particularly where someone had connected a ring main onto the supply side of the consumer unit...
 
Mike Reed said:
I might if I understood the reasons for the question.
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I'm installing a HiFi radial.

The electrical meter box is full, so I'm planning to install a box containing a small Hagar (or similar) CU on the outside wall.

Take an outdoor cable along the wall 6 metres and in to supply a single socket.

I have 6 Naim boxes that need mains power - previously using a 4-headed Graham's hydra, and Naim Powerline and a CHC Powerblack cable.

After this I will either use a 6-headed hydra or a mains block and 6 single cables.
 
Johnjo said:
If it were me I’d be using stranded cable rather than solid core twin and earth, solid core tends to sound hard and brittle in comparison. I don’t particularly like screened mains cables either as they tend to damp dynamics but do drop background noise. It depends what you’re trying to achieve. I would also choose an RCBO over a fuse for the circuit protection device.
Any good quality consumer unit and socket outlet, unswitched might be better.

Cable suggestion would be something like this in 6mm2 or 10mm2 if it will fit in the sockets.

https://www.designacable.com/h07rn-...MI06CItfXt-AIVzNPtCh1mAgR6EAAYASAAEgIAjfD_BwE
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Thank you - these ideas are very welcome.
How does it work to choose an RCBO over a fuse for the circuit protection device?
 
Beobloke said:
(1) We’re out in the countryside, our electricity is delivered on an overhead line that dates back to the Middle Ages and power cuts are fairly frequent, so no amount of fancy foo cabling and sockets is going to put back what doesn’t arrive at our fuse box.
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Highly recommended to have a decent SPD on that, imported lightning surge down a power line can easily fry your equipment.
The 18th edition of the IET regs includes SPDs.
 
Beobloke said:
I don’t have a dedicated hi-if spur for three reasons:

(1) We’re out in the countryside, our electricity is delivered on an overhead line that dates back to the Middle Ages and power cuts are fairly frequent, so no amount of fancy foo cabling and sockets is going to put back what doesn’t arrive at our fuse box.

(2) I use equipment that is properly designed, and can cope with any fluctuations in the mains

(3) I have far better things to spend money on, like records, beer, petrol, and broken B&O items.
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My car's suspension is properly designed. I still.know when I've driven through a pot hole.
 
Curtis said:
[QUOTEGo on, how'd you know without trying, esp. as it's a doddle for you.:) Assuming the kit is of sufficient quality to merit this dedicated supply of course./QUOTE]

Fortunately my kit is designed properly.
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My car's suspension is designed properly. I still.know when I've driven through a pot hole, though.
 
JimDog said:
Thank you - these ideas are very welcome.
How does it work to choose an RCBO over a fuse for the circuit protection device?
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For exterior cable installation you’d be better using 3-core hi-tuff or steel wired armoured cable as it offers additional mechanical protection, 6mm2 or 10mm2. All Consumer units are pretty much of a muchness, they’re all pretty cheaply made now IMO. The surface contact area of an MCB or RCBO is greater than a piece of fuse wire that’s why I suggested it. Using an RCBO negates the need of an upstream RCD I the consumer unit.
 
Ian G said:
Your cars suspension and a radial circuit are not really analogous.
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They can both create shocks though, Ian.:D


JimDog said:
I'm installing a HiFi radial.

The electrical meter box is full, so I'm planning to install a box containing a small Hagar (or similar) CU on the outside wall.

Take an outdoor cable along the wall 6 metres and in to supply a single socket.

I have 6 Naim boxes that need mains power.
Click to expand...

I'm a bit confused here but maybe you mean that your consumer unit is full. Also, assuming your existing meter and c.u. is inside (garage maybe?) why not simply get another multi-way c.u., install a few radials with RCBOs (as I mentioned on page 1)? Dunno; maybe you have a strange supply which is outside, in which case an armoured cable, as mentioned, is necessary. Maybe it's for more convenient routing to your hifi room. In this case, I've known others take the cable straight from the meter (vis junction box) and put the c.u. inside adjacent to the hifi.

However, standard practice is radials 96mm2 or more) to separate c.u. (much better than 'sharing') with RCBOs; tails to junction box the that connected to the meter as currently by tails (25mm2?) This was (and is?) the norm for those with Naim kit i.m.e., which does benefit from a properly dedicated supply.
 
Hooch500 said:
I suppose by extrapolation it's not entirely irrelevant given it's an extension of the supply chain back to consumer unit. God knows the bit in between gets enough discussion. Trust me there are plenty of substandard cables, sockets, poor connections etc. I did some work for my partner in her old house, two sockets had no earth, one had pos and neg reversed and most of the connections in the consumer board were slack.
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All I can suggest is it must have been installed by a cowboy sparks, could never have tested or signed off that circuit properly from day one!
 
Hooch500 said:
... two sockets had no earth, one had pos and neg reversed
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Be happy then that you don't live in mainland Europe. In most countries you can turn the main socket either way, and, earth, why would you want that outside of the kitchen or bathroom? :(

Some audiophiles even goes to the trouble of twisting the main socket for every connected box to figure out if it sound better this or that way!
 
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