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Old 4th May 2021, 7:54 pm   #40
dave walsh
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
Posts: 5,814
Default Re: When were ring mains introduced in domestic housing?

The question of disruption, destruction, cost and upheaval might actually be more problematic in more recent days than "back in the day". Others have pointed out that surface wiring and cables behind door architraves etc was often used to "modernise". Even in more recent days I've seen properties "ringed" with surface mount sockets , switches etc and cables in matching trunking although I'm not a particular fan of those unless it's [say] a Workshop.

I had a Victorian house in the mid eighties which was [effectively] one quarter of the original building. Just a large "three up" and two down really but containing the original staircase for the whole building, high ceilings, mouldings etc. I got some [high] quotes for a re-wire but the only people really prepared to consider the job would clearly have also cut and chased the period details to death .

After some exploration under floors etc, I decided that I would have a go myself by finding concealed routes in the structure [you could do DIY electrics then]. I was very pleased with the final result as there was little evidence of a re-wire. All it took really was some thought, patience and the deployment of a few longer cable runs "behind the scenery" instead of ugly chases and breaking through decorative plasterwork. I finished up with a couple of "rings" to serve the total floor area.
It was a very satisfying exercise! In the overall context, the extra cabling cost was fairly irrelevant.

Dave W
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