13 Amp Socket System

[Jeff Gaines]

I need around 10 x 13 Amp sockets for all the kit in my home entertainment system, all low current stuff but hard to keep things tidy with a trailing distribution board.

Is there anything that allows easy flush mounting of this many sockets without having to wire each individual socket?

Many thanks.

[Theo]

You can get rack PDUs for up to 20 sockets:

but they aren't flush mounted, they're expecting to be screwed to a rack. I suppose you could recess them.

You can also get busbar trunking systems, but again not flush:

Theo

[Jeff Gaines]

Many thanks Rod & Theo :-)

[Dave Plowman (News]

Surely the amount of work needed to wire them is tiny compared to the building work needed for flush fitting?

[Robin]

I'd assumed "wiring" included getting 5 x 2-gang back boxes and sockets evenly spaced and aligned, something I'd not find easy (especially with crumbling walls).

[John Rumm]

One option is to hack out required area of plaster for the whole assembly - don't worry about the individual outlines. Then join up the metal back boxes with conduit bushes and couplers - that will set the spacial relationship of them all neatly and precisely. Now fix them to the wall as a block, then finally plaster in the gaps.

[John Rumm]

Apologies for posting in the wrong place, but I can't see the original post...

I tend to fined it easier to mount a trailing multiway socket onto/near the equipment rack, then connect all the mains leads locally, with excess flex neatly bundled, then just have the single mains flex run off to the socket.

(it also scales better when you need 40+ sockets rather than 10!)

[Tricky Dicky]

If you are concerned about spacing back boxes neatly, then there combinations of 35mm and 47mm deep boxes that are mounted on a plate see below;

I suspect you will have to order these through an electricians supplier. As for the wiring up the new MK sockets with the Wago type terminals would be a doddle.

Richard

[Dave Plowman (News]

TLC do double twin gang boxes - and also spacers for ganging boxes together. If you want more than two 2gang touching.

[Dave Plowman (News]

I cut odd all my 13 amp plugs and replaced with IEC. They take up a lot less room - and are adequate for pretty well all AV equipment.

[alan_m]

Connect the back boxes together before fixing

Example idea

Then consider it as one backbox.

I've done this with three 2 gang back boxes using glued wooden spacers on the bottom half of the box - the top knockouts grommeted with a bit of conduit over the wires before plastering the gaps.

[Chris Green]

I did that a few years ago - and then undid it all back to standard BS1363 sockets. Using IEC sockets means that you can't easily plug other things in temporarily and/or you can't take items of your IEC plugged equipment elsewhere. Yes, I know there are ways around both of these but I just found it was easier in the end not to bother with IEC sockets.

[Robin]

Can you point me to them as I can't find them on their site?

[Steve Walker]

I can't help with 10, but MK does modular faceplates (2 x 3-gang) that will actually take two rows of four sockets. They also do paired, 3-gang back boxes to match.

Alternatively, they do 2 x 2, 2-gang back boxes, that will take 4 normal, 2-gang sockets and paired 2-gang back boxes. So you would only have to line up two "back boxes" to position six 2-gang sockets.

[Robin]

Thanks. I'd never seen/noticed the 4 x 2G plates

I don't consider myself time poor/money rich enough to pay £30 for 5 double sockets to save a few minutes.

[Owain Lastname]

Spacer is

Can't see double-twin boxes; double + single are

4 x double are here but states suitable for the multi-format plate only

Significantly cheaper if Screwfix have it in stock "Unfortunately after having this plastered into my new extension I find that it is impossible to have two double outlets be it power or modular plates for network/aerial outlets attached (all bought from Screwfix) because 1 plate completely fills the lateral space between the two outlets."

This is an alternative which may take 2 x standard doubles

I don't see them being much easier than a row of back boxes joined by conduit/couplers and flushed into the wall and they do involve a lot of damage to the brickwork.

Owain

[Robin]

Thanks. A very different animal from the MK 2 x 2 plate Richard posted.

[Tricky Dicky]

From experience the problem with those spacers is that they can only be linked by the fixed lugs so the maximum that can be linked if using back boxes with adjustable lugs is just two boxes.

Richard

[newshound]

My computer desk is (sort of) done that way. The other thing you can do if you really need wall mounted sockets is to fix a multi-way socket into the wall, discarding the lead and wiring it up to the cable. For a stud wall, you can set them more or less flush, with a little ingenuity. Or surface mount them under a small shelf, if appropriate.

[alan_m]

Often the problem with having one socket above another is when the equipment has a wall wart which is longer than a standard 13A plug.

Also a consideration when positioning the fitting of flush sockets - not to close above a skirting board. I'm currently helping friends move between rented properties and the positioning of some of the electrics seems a bit weird: some sockets at head height, light switches at different heights etc.