You may all remember some months ago we had quite a discussion about the ring circuits used in British homes. Well, I've just run across an example of why I don't like them.
I added some lights and did a main panel replacement at a house, and as a matter of course I checked continuity on the ring before reconnecting to the new breakers. Hot and ground were fine, but there was no continuity on the neutral.
I traced it to a broken neutral between two countertop outlets in the kitchen.
The point is, that this could have been in this condition for years, with the possibility of overload on a cable if someone had connected heavy loads all on one side of the break (quite possible from the location of the fault).
Rings used in HV area distribution are fine: They are under control of trained engineers and have current monitors around them so that any fault will show up immediately.
Domestic rings are another matter entirely, as there could be a break on the hot and a break on the neutral yet all outlets will still be energized.
Just my opinion, but I finding this sort of fault just comfirms my belief that we should abandon them.
