Quick question on wiring regs

Jul 15, 2023 Last reply: 3 years ago 4 Replies

Situation: I'm making and fitting kitchen floor cabinets around a cooker and have knocked-off the plaster from the area behind one of the cabinets so I can get it a little further back (yes, I should have made the cabinet slightly shallower :-( ). The 4mm T&E runs in the plaster across this area to the cooker outlet, which is behind the cooker. The back of the cabinet is 19mm melamine-coated MDF. The cabinet will be fixed to the wall.



Question for those more familiar with the regs than me: is there anything in the regs that means the T&E needs to be protected where it runs behind the cabinet?


As long as the cable runs in a safe zone then it should be OK. However, if you as you say have stripped the plaster away exposing the cable, and if the cabinet is sitting/pressing on it then that probably will not meet the regs.

Richard

Protected from what?

Assuming that the cable runs in the same direction as it previously did then there is not a problem.

"covered with plaster" is not considered as protection for a T&E cable so sitting behind a cupboard is fine.

If there's anything sharp on the back of the cabinet that might press on the cable, I'd be tempted to put a metal plate, like a mending plate for furniture, to bridge over the gap. Just so that any forces are distributed away from the cable.

Theo

Thanks! That confirms what I thought would be the case.

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