Switched spur?

[Grumps]

My FIL has a kitchen cupboard and a fridge mounted inside it. After 20 odd years he's decided to get another fridge, but now he wants to be able to isolate (turn off) the fridge from outside of the cupboard. The fridge has a fitted 13A plug, and he has access to the sides of the cupboard (for mounting a suitable switch). There is a socket inside the cupboard which is on a ring, and has a spur taken from this to another socket. What's the best solution to this?

[Slider]

Take a spur from the spur'd socket to a FCU. Then you can add another socket from the FCU.

[fictitiousemail]

If the socket which is on the spur is nearby and accessable to switch it off could you not use it ..even if you need to cut the plug off the fridge flex and pass the flex through a hole in the cupboard . If the socket isn't nearby could it be moved nearer the fridge ? Someone else will correct me but the spur could be removed and replaced by a switched fuse connection unit above the worktop.I'm assuming the fridge is below a w/top.

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 11:50:56 -0000 someone who may be "Grumps" wrote this:-

Assuming that the fridge is plugged into the socket inside the cupboard.

1) install a new unswitched socket inside the cupboard, with a cable to: 2) install a double pole switch on the side of the cupboard, with a cable to: 3) replace the existing socket inside the cupboard with a fused connection unit.

Things mounted on kitchen units are sometimes considered not to be part of the fixed wiring. I'm not convinced but it is certainly worth ensuring that cables are adequately supported.

[BigWallop]

As fridges are an appliance that is powered up and forgotten about until they breakdown, what is the reason for the new remote switched connection?

If the socket is behind the fridge and is difficult to gain access, then a simple single socket extension brought out to the front of the fridge, would be the easy way to fix the problem.

One safe way to gain remote switching, is to remove the original socket and connect all the wiring together, along with a new cable for a remote Double Pole Switch on the outside of the cupboard. Install an Unswitched Socket from the Double Pole Switch to the new position inside the cupboard. The remote socket and the existing spur are still active on the ring circuit and are not affected by the changes Use a blank plate to cover the existing socket box, which still allows access for maintenance of the connectors you used.

[Grumps]

Thanks to all for your replies.

Dunno. I'll ask.

[Man at B&Q]

Or need defrosting if it's actually a fridge freezer or has an ice box.

MBQ

[jgharston]

But then you use the functional switching on the front of the appliance, not the isolation switching on the inaccessible socket outlet.

-- JGH