Hi
I just bought a 1930's semi and about to renovate. I will need to rewire and also want to modify with new sockets and circuits. The walls are lath and plaster and as trying to recess sockets (they are all surface mounted) would be a pain I wanted to know the legality or possible problems of either:
Mounting the new sockets into the (to be renewed) skirtings?
Fitting floor sockets into the floorboards like you see in offices etc..?
Cheers
It's not so bad. I'd persist with this option.
Christian.
Scotland (just in case it's different anywhere else).
I came across this in a house I bought and I wanted it rewired. The local electrician (nice chap), said there were no rules and regs against fitting a socket onto the skirting (approx 3 years ago), and this is where I had them fitted. This is old fashioned skirting that is quite tall. It came up because a surveyor had mentioned it but the electrician was adamant that there are no rules against fitting sockets onto skirting.
The studs in a lath and plaster wall are normally quite close to each other, so you could try and find them with a diy metal detector and then cut and fix you back boxes to them. Normal metal back boxes are just about the right depth for the old lath an plaster, so the face plates are normally just right on the surface. It's a better method than trying to cut holes through the laths and being left with springy bits to try and repair. Your socket might end up a few inches away from the point you wanted it to be exactly, but it's a lot less hassle in the end.
I don't have the regs book to hand, but the Onsite Guide has this to say:
7.3.5 Accessories for general use,such as...socket outlets, are required by Building Regulations to be located so that they can be used by people whose reach is limited. A way of satisfying this requirement is to install....socket outlets at a height of between 450mm and 1200mm from finished floor level.However Appendix 8 then says 'The Building Regulations are not applicable in Scotland where the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations apply. The Scottish regulations do not have minimum heights for accessories, installations are required to generally comply with BS7671'.
I would suspect that most properties (other than recent new builds) don't comply with the 450mm minimum.
HTH,
Chris.
Also, Part M doesn't apply in all cases.
Christian.
This is Part M of the Building Regulations. It only applies to new buildings, and not even to extentions of existing buildings (unless the building is new enough that it applied when originally built).
Don't agree that recessing the sockets in the lath and plaster is necessarily a pain. I would serious consider cutting out between studs, fitting a batten and replastering. Its not that difficult to repair small areas of plaster.
I wanted to know the legality or
If you want sticky out sockets to be knocked off by the vacuum cleaner, go ahead. And while you are at it why not mount the sockets upside down so that the cables don't foul the floor.
Trip hazard.
Alan
What about complete refurbishment, including rewiring, of an old property? They seem to count that as 'new'; does it apply in this respect? I'm currently converting a 1900's property from scratch, and the BCO (bless her cotton socks) has insisted on all sorts of horrible stuff like 250mm of roof insulation (notwithstanding the external walls being only 9" thick, solid construction) and 21st-century soundproofing on what will be a new party wall (notwithstanding the existing party walls on either side being so thin I can hear my neighbour on the loo) and requiring a bespoke staircase so large and cumbersome that it takes up half the property to achieve the required headroom etc etc etc..... anyway, she hasn't commented on the sockets, which I've fitted 7" above the ground, where I like 'em.
David
looks bad having holes in the carpet. I dont see anything wrong with surface sockets... so not sure what the deal is really.
Regards, NT
Easy peasy. Use an ordinary steel backing box - 35mm deep is easiest to fix. Cut the hole to the exact size - best to drill some 'finder' holes so you don't have to cut half laths. Then fit battens - about 25 x 25mm 150mm long vertically either side of the hole on the backs of the laths - screw through from the front using brass screws. Then fix the box to the battens
- you'll probably have to drill extra holes in the box to line up with them. Make good the screw holes with filler. It sounds more fiddly than it is - if you've got several to do you can make a batch of battens and drill all the boxes at once. A G clamp is handy for clamping the battens in place while you screw them to the wall. This will make the socket fixing as strong as the wall.
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