Need to move socket, but how?

[JoeJoe]

Situation is as seen in the diagram here:

is on a ring main, socket2 a spur off it so that they are on either side of a brick wall. The feed for socket2 runs directly through the wall from the back of socket1's back box to the back of socket2's back box.

Both sockets are raised some 0.5m above the floor, with the cables fed from under the floor and buried in the wall (plastered in).

The problem:

- A new radiator is going to be installed right in front of socket1.

- We must retain socket2

- Ideally I want to keep socket1, just move it approx 1m to the left.

- There is easy access under the house - all is on ground floor.

- If at all possible I don't want to have to run new cables up the wall on socket2 side.

What would be the best solution?

My plan:

- Crimp cable under the house to extend it

- Add socket2 to ring main by running extended cables up the wall on socket1 side and then through the wall to socket2

- Plaster/fill in back box of "old" socket1. As in

this be legal/safe? I intend to use heat shrink tubing and have the crimping done under the house. The wall is of "standard" width/depth.

[Bob Minchin]

I'd use socket back box for all the crimps and interconnects to the relocated sockets and close it off with a standard blanking plate.

Whether or not this meets regs I don't know but at least you would have access to the connections in the event of a problem later as well as an obvious clue for future owners.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You don't need to use crimps under floorboards - these are considered 'accessible' A junction box will be fine.

[JoeJoe]

Thanks for that - that was also my initial plan. However, I cannot see the benefit of this as the only difference will be that the crimped cables will be inside an invisible and inaccessible back box...

Seen electricians burying crimped wires under plaster/in wall many times, so no real advantage I thought.

Therefore I am just trying to find out if my suggestion is within regulations.

[JoeJoe]

Are you sure of that? Will save me the hassle of having to buy the Crimper, crimps and heat shrink tubing...

I could have sworn that years ago a spark told me the opposite - that was under nailed floorboards - in my case there is a 1m+ high clearance under the boards, with a hatch for access.

[Tim Watts]

On Friday 18 January 2013 15:01 JoeJoe wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Technically he's wright.

But I would still use a maintenance free junction box (eg Hager-Ashley) or crimps. The regs are a minimum - does not mean you should not aim to be better where it's sensible to do so.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes. I'd also rather you used a good quality JB rather than crimps, as there are lots of poor quality crimps and crimping tools on sale.

He was making up his own regs - nothing new there.

Generally in a house, the only place crimps are mandatory if they are going to be plastered into a wall.

[ARW]

How many ways can you be right?

I also would use the maintianance free JBs.

[ARW]

:-)

[JoeJoe]

Thanks again.

I quite fancy trying my hand at crimping though ;-) Well, it is a good excuse for acquiring some new toys...

BTW, what size/diameter heat shrink tubing will I need for a 2.5mm cable and a 1.5mm cable (in mm)? Only information I found was that 2.5mm needs

12.7mm (0.5 inch), but they all metric anyway.

[Tim Watts]

On Friday 18 January 2013 23:03 JoeJoe wrote in uk.d-i-y:

If you hunt around you can find good rachet crimps for reasonable money. Do not use "scissor" crimp tools (ie what Halfords sell) - they are crap and will not work sufficiently well.

Not sure - 12mm diameter sounds plausible. You could get an assorted mixture of short lengths - useful stuff to have a bit of anyway.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If you must, don't buy a kit of assorted ones. All of those I've seen tend to be of poorer quality than buying a pack of one size. And get a decent ratchet crimp tool. TLC sell both.

[Chris J Dixon]

I had to intervene when the electrician was rewiring my kitchen lights, whilst the ceiling was dropped, and was about to locate a screwed junction box right underneath the bathroom fitted cabinets.

Chris