Last month I had to have a damp course on my front room, originally the damp man said he would change my very old sockets for the type which fit into the wall. However he forgot to tell his plasterer this and when I reminded him he said i would have to ask the person I employed to do the skirting boards to sort them out, he said he had left enough cable for this, however they would not be the type flush with the wall, rather the box type which stick out. I don't mind that type so I wasn't too concerned. The carpenter came to fit the plugs an had said that the plugs shouldn't be fitted to the skirting board, they should be fitted to the wall. I now have plugs which are poking out of the top of the skirting board and dangling inthe air with a fat wire behind then which is too long and too fat to even place the plugs against the wall anyway. What should I do and who should I call to come back and sort this out? Is it safe to put the plugs on the skirting boards anyway? I would be so grateful for any advice...
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Hi, no sockets should be left dangling in the air - it's dangerous. All sockets, unless replacing current fittings, should be 50cm up the wall. I'm sure the damp course guy should finish the job if that's what he quoted for. However you should use a part p registered electrician.
Answered1 July 2013
12
Anonymous user
The reason this horror & scaremongery of sockets in or on skirtings started, was when 13A flush sockets first started appearing (I guess early 50's) chippys, builders & some sparkys removed the old surface mounted 15A outlets and chiseled a neat socket size hole in the skirtings to flush mount them, no back box. Also almost 100% of these new fangled 13A sockets were MK which had exposed terminals on the open back. A mounting pattress was supposed to be used if the outlet was mounted on a flammable surface but as these cost almost as much as the socket only good sparkys fitted them, once again leaving the open backs with exposed connections. None of these methods meet today's standards but a normal pattress or metal flush box with a socket fitted is perfectly acceptable as long as its not going to get knocked.
Hope this helps
Answered1 July 2013
11
Anonymous user
At last someone got the recommended height of socket outlets right which is 450mm from the floor, no it doesn't have to be an niceic installer there are other schemes that offer the exact service, napit, elecsa all will be same.
Answered23 July 2013
8
Anonymous user
Hi Lisa, having plugs on skirting boards isn't unsafe, they may look odd and out of place if he's moved them and they are loose in anyway then it could be dangerous if knocked. I would get him back to do the job correctly and make sure it's tested by him as well and paperwork given to you, I'm presuming he's a registered electrician. Hope this helps, good luck. Regards Jeh
First and foremost it's likely that the plasterer/builder/carpenter etc has broken the law as its very unlikely that any of them are part P building regulation certified electricians! This puts you in a difficult position as technically building regulations have not been complied for the alterations carried out so far, and if they so wish, your local authority (LABC) could prosecute you as the householder and fine you up to £5000. (see link below for more information).
http://www.donttakethep.co.uk/
As such you must and should only ever hire a "registered electrician" to carry out electrical works. With regard to sockets in the skirting board, these are considered to be non-compliant with the current 17th edition of the BS7671 wiring regulations as they are below the minimum mounting height of 150mm. Also if they were flush fitted in the wooden skirting without a proper metal back box they are also considered to be a fire risk.
Ideally new flush metal back boxes should have been chased into the wall before the new render and plastering was carried out and the wiring concealed as this would have been the simplest and cheapest option at the time. Although if you're happy for surface mounted sockets to be fitted it's not too much of an issue for an electrician to sort it out now.
Do yourself a favour and stop messing around with these cowboys who should not be touching electrical wiring in the home and hire an NICEIC Part P registered electrician. You may well find that he/she will have to re-do some of the work if the junction boxes are not of the maintenance free type and/or are not accessible. Depending on how the cables have been extended, the ring continuity could been broken, so this will need to be checked and tested. Similarly if your existing sockets are not RCD protected then a new fuse box with RCD protection will have to be fitted so that the alterations to the sockets can be signed off as compliant with the regulations.
Sorry it's not good news, but I hope this helps explain the situation.
Answered1 July 2013
5
Anonymous user
You can use trunking to run your cable to the socket on the required height, standard is 450mm from the floor, not recommended on skirting board as it can cause danger and will be difficult to use.
Lisa,
My recommendation would be to have an electrician to carry out a site survey to assess the work required and then provide a quotation. It sounds like one non-electrical trade is passing the issue to the next one.
Regards,
Chris
