In your esteemed estimation, does a cooker switch _have_ to be on a 50mm back box or will a 40mm do? I ask as I'm moving mine to somewhere different on a stud partition and can't find any 50mm dry lining back boxes. The old one was 50mm and screwed to a noggin but I don't fancy nailing a noggin at the new location.
In terms of amount of cable, I'm running 3 x 6mm, one from the CU and one to each of the oven and hob.
Antony
The only reason such deep cooker boxes are used is so there's plenty of room for the cables, if you have enough room for the cables in back of your 40mm box then no problem!
A lot depends on your cooker switch style, and whether you're using a 1G switch or a 2G switch with or without a socket.
Cheap plastic accessories stick out the front a bit more and therefore often (but not always) use less depth behind.
Fancy accessories - flat plate types in particular - often use more depth behind, though some brands are better than others.
If using a 1G format, use the deepest box you can find as there's less room for error.
Next worst is the 2G switch-and-socket format.
Likely to be roomiest is the 2G switch-only.
Don't be tempted to cut the cables so short that there is no room for you to get the screwdriver in to properly tighten the terminals.
I have recently fitted a 2G switch-and-socket flat plate unit into a
35mm galvanised box. One incoming and one outgoing cable. I wouldn't, out of choice, do it again as it was a *very* tight squeeze. I have a 2G 45mm (IIRC) dry lining box in the car, but I'm blowed if I can remember where I got it from. Probably TLC. Screwfix don't seem to stock them any more.On a related subject, Screwfix sell a lot of Volex fancy faceplates which claim that the sockets will fit into a 25mm backbox. Don't be fooled. The instructions with the fittings require the box to be 5mm below the plaster surface so you're going to be knocking out chunks of wall anyway. Might as well fit 35mm. 25mm (from experience again) is extremely tight, even where there's just one incoming and one outgoing cable.
Oh yes, and it sounds like your work will come under Part P. Are you aware of the implications of that?
Hwyl!
M.
Fix two wood battens either side of the hole to the back of the plasterboard, drill some suitable holes in the back box if there aren't any already, and screw it to the battens. When you fit the accessory, you'll have the strongest combination possible with a plasterboard wall.
If you screw the battens through the plasterboard, use brass screws as ordinary ones will rust and pop the filler. But you'd probably get away with no nails or similar if you clamp the battens until it dries, and then drill pilot holes for the box fixing screws.
I always use this method for plasterboard as I don't like dry lining boxes.
Sure am. :(
If I may bring up a point for discussion here, if you do something in your kitchen or bathroom and didn't inform the council or get an electrician to test it for you, who would know?
Even if someone did notice their had been 'alterations', if you said you got someone in but couldn't find what you did with the test certificate how would they prove otherwise?
I'm not advocating people break the law here, I am just curious as to how they intend to enforce it?
This has been done to death here - google the newsgroup archives - but for a start, you'll find modern cable has "2005" embossed along its length. Won't help the Powers That Be much right now, but it will be reasonably effective by a few years' time.
David
The installer is required by law to keep a copy. You mean you can't remember who did the work?
Enforcement at the point of use.
1: in the event of a sale, and especially with the "homesellers' pack" suggested by our favourite politician, anyone wanting to buy your house will also want to have written confirmation that any work done which does not have certification was done before 2005. If you falsely state that it was and are subsequently found out, it's your lookout. If you admit to work done ignoring Part P then you'll end up paying for inspections and/or insurances.2: in the event of a fire or other serious incident, the authorities are pretty good these days at discovering causes, and lawyers are pretty good at chasing anyone who can reasonably be suspected of being "liable".
It is (a little bit) like driving without insurance. Until something happens and you need to prove your cover, who's going to know?
Hwyl!
M.
You mean you've never heard the saying "honestly, it was already like that when I got here"?
;-)
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