How Do You Run An Electric Supply From A Junction Box To Two Sockets?
The two wires are probably the legs of the ring main. Breaking the ring main is not such a straightforward job as it may seem unless you are aware of the Regulations and can comply, or are willing to break the law. The safest thing you can do as an amateur is to run spurs from the existing sockets. If it is a single outlet then you can fit a single socket on a spur. If it’s a twin outlet then you can run a double socket on a spur. The spur wires should be 2.5mm twin+earth. You will need some green/yellow sleeve to sheath the bare earth conductors. The new wiring will be brown, blue and green/yellow. The old will probably be red, black, bare or green/’yellow. These must be connected with brown-red, blue-brown, and earths-earths. The regulations require that a Permanent (not a freezer sticker or post-it) label be attached to the box with the joint to show that the wire colour codes change at the point. The regulations are very strict about what you can and cannot do with domestic electri
The first thing to do is correctly identify the two wires as definitely being on the same circuit. If, as it sounds, they are the two legs of a ring circuit, then you need to be sure that you have a complete ring before you proceed. To check this, turn off the power, open up a socket, disconnect all six wires, and using a continuity meter, measure between the two live wires, the two neutral wires, and then the two earth wires. The readings should be about 1Ω. The live and neutral pairs will be similar, and the two earth wires will be a fair bit higher. If you get no continuity then you have a break or you have not identified the ring. So, you next need to decide how to connect to the ring your new sockets. If the easiest way is to connect to loose cables under the floor, then you MUST use a permanent joint. A junction box with screw-type terminals (like the brown or white round ones you get) are NOT permanent joints and shouldn’t be used. Not unless the joint is permanently accessible.
