Yes, that's certainly a horse of a different color, but they are somewhat valid points on power distribution as well.
We have HV rings distributing power around cities, so some may ask why I don't like LV rings within a house. The difference is that those HV rings are PoCo controlled, and closely monitored for loads at strategic points.
By contrast, the LV domestic ring could develop a break in continuity and run like that for a considerable time, perhaps overheating the cables regularly but always just escaping a fire. Then somebody finally throws a hefty load on an already hot cable and that's the final straw.
And as we've discussed in the past, even with good ring continuity, it is still possible (even if the IEE considers it unlikely) to put a heavy enough load at one end of a ring to overload the short side of the cable while still not exceeding the 30A OCPD rating.
I can see this happening where the main panel is in the kitchen (fairly common here) and the washer, dryer, dishwasher etc. are all on outlets very close to one end of the ring.
* Another note for our U.S. friends: Washers and dishwashers here typically incorporate a 3kW heating element, so the load is considerably higher than an American washer.
[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 05-28-2004).]
