What are the regulations regarding moving an electric wall socket about
6 inches horizontally from where it is now? I read somewhere this is
taboo. What is involved...soldered joints etc?

In article .com,
says...
What are the regulations regarding moving an electric wall socket about
6 inches horizontally from where it is now? I read somewhere this is
taboo. What is involved...soldered joints etc?



If the drop, or rise, of the cables still falls within the boundaries of
the socket plate, you're fine. If not, then the cables should either be
buried deeper than 50mm into the wall, or given suitabel prtection along
their whole length (like heavy gauge steel conduit, rather than the thin
steel capping). This is to stop a screw or nail being inserted into the
cable at some later date, because nobody had any idea where it was.

If you have to join new lengths of cable on, and the joint will be
inaccessible afterwards, the only options permitted are soldering (can be
difficult to make a suitable joint, or crimping (using decent crimps, and
a ratchet type crimper, rather than the cheapo squeeze together ones sold
in car accessory shops). The crimps should then be suitably insulated,
ideally by using heat shrink sleeving over each crimp individually, then
a second layer covering the whole shebang, making sure that it covers
both cable sheaths. Remember to put the HS sleeving on before crimping
the joints!

Gary Cavie wrote:
In article .com,
says...
What are the regulations regarding moving an electric wall socket about
6 inches horizontally from where it is now? I read somewhere this is
taboo. What is involved...soldered joints etc?

If the drop, or rise, of the cables still falls within the boundaries of
the socket plate, you're fine. If not, then the cables should either be
buried deeper than 50mm into the wall, or given suitabel prtection along
their whole length (like heavy gauge steel conduit, rather than the thin
steel capping). This is to stop a screw or nail being inserted into the
cable at some later date, because nobody had any idea where it was.

This *isn't* required because the buried cable will be running
horizontally from a visible fitting (the moved socket).

You can just chase a channel and bury the cable.


If you have to join new lengths of cable on, and the joint will be
inaccessible afterwards, the only options permitted are soldering (can be
difficult to make a suitable joint, or crimping (using decent crimps, and
a ratchet type crimper, rather than the cheapo squeeze together ones sold
in car accessory shops). The crimps should then be suitably insulated,
ideally by using heat shrink sleeving over each crimp individually, then
a second layer covering the whole shebang, making sure that it covers
both cable sheaths. Remember to put the HS sleeving on before crimping
the joints!

It might alternatively be possible to put a junction box where the old
socket was with a cover plate over it so it is accessible. No special
wiring techniques are then required.


Strictly, as this is modifying a ring circuit, I suspect it's caught
by the new Part P regulations so you should call your local building
inspectors and tell them. I'm sure they'll be really hppy to hear
from you.

--
Chris Green

In article .com,
wrote:
What are the regulations regarding moving an electric wall socket
about 6 inches horizontally from where it is now? I read
somewhere this is taboo.

If it isn't it should be. Some pratt leckie in the past
apparently moved our cooker switch about 12" to the left,
just with a horizontal cable, leaving the vertical cabling
in the original place.

Some kitchen work last year resulted in a nail through
the vertical cabling.

What is involved...soldered joints etc?

I don't have the bottle to dig out and see how that
leckie did the join.

--
Tony Williams.

The message .com
from contains these words:

What are the regulations regarding moving an electric wall socket about
6 inches horizontally from where it is now? I read somewhere this is
taboo. What is involved...soldered joints etc?

If it is a matter of moving it to make it accessable the easy
alternative is to leave it where it is and spur off another socket
alongside. If alongside happens to be on the line of the ring cabling
(unlikely) it is easy enough to add an extra socket to the ring. Adding
extra sockets means you escape the problems of extending/replacing
existing cable runs.

--
Roger

wrote:

If the drop, or rise, of the cables still falls within the boundaries of
the socket plate, you're fine. If not, then the cables should either be
buried deeper than 50mm into the wall, or given suitabel prtection along
their whole length (like heavy gauge steel conduit, rather than the thin
steel capping). This is to stop a screw or nail being inserted into the
cable at some later date, because nobody had any idea where it was.


This *isn't* required because the buried cable will be running
horizontally from a visible fitting (the moved socket).

This may on may not be true...

You can run horizontally *or* vertically from the visible socket plate.
So if the original wire runs up or down the wall to the socket you can
move it up or down easily enough. If it runs horizontally to the socket
then you can move it side to side. However you can't move a socket with
a vertical cable run horizontally since the bulk of the hidden wire run
will no longer line up with the socket position.

One way round this is to simply add another socket in the new position
and connect it to the existing one. That way the wire runs will line up
with a socket regardless of the location.

Strictly, as this is modifying a ring circuit, I suspect it's caught
by the new Part P regulations so you should call your local building
inspectors and tell them. I'm sure they'll be really hppy to hear
from you.

This is explicitly excluded from part P since it is a "minor work".


--
Cheers,

John.

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In article , says...
Gary Cavie wrote:
In article .com,
says...
What are the regulations regarding moving an electric wall socket about
6 inches horizontally from where it is now? I read somewhere this is
taboo. What is involved...soldered joints etc?

If the drop, or rise, of the cables still falls within the boundaries of
the socket plate, you're fine. If not, then the cables should either be
buried deeper than 50mm into the wall, or given suitabel prtection along
their whole length (like heavy gauge steel conduit, rather than the thin
steel capping). This is to stop a screw or nail being inserted into the
cable at some later date, because nobody had any idea where it was.

This *isn't* required because the buried cable will be running
horizontally from a visible fitting (the moved socket).

You can just chase a channel and bury the cable.

Sorry, my bad wording. I meant the original cables in the wall, dropping
to the existing socket, and assumed that the original socket was to be
done away with. In this case, the original cables could be dropping
outside the permitted zone of the socket, and doing a dog-leg in the
cable to reach the new socket would not be allowed.



If you have to join new lengths of cable on, and the joint will be
inaccessible afterwards, the only options permitted are soldering (can be
difficult to make a suitable joint, or crimping (using decent crimps, and
a ratchet type crimper, rather than the cheapo squeeze together ones sold
in car accessory shops). The crimps should then be suitably insulated,
ideally by using heat shrink sleeving over each crimp individually, then
a second layer covering the whole shebang, making sure that it covers
both cable sheaths. Remember to put the HS sleeving on before crimping
the joints!

It might alternatively be possible to put a junction box where the old
socket was with a cover plate over it so it is accessible. No special
wiring techniques are then required.

Again, I assumed that the original socket box was to be filled in and
plastered over - all my assumptions! I agree that if the original box is
just to be cover-plated, and ring extended, then it's dead simple. Not
too sure off the top of my head, whether you can terminate a ring in a
JB, then spur a single cable out of it? Common sense says that it's no
different, and possibly even a bit better, than spurring out of a socket
outlet, but then...



Strictly, as this is modifying a ring circuit, I suspect it's caught
by the new Part P regulations so you should call your local building
inspectors and tell them. I'm sure they'll be really hppy to hear
from you.



Minor works if it's just spurring from the existing, and leaving the
original in place, unless it's in a kitchen of course!

Funny enough, it is in a kitchen and the existing socket is just inside
the righthand side back of a gas hob! That is why I want it moving!!!
Thanks so far for the replies.

Funny enough, it is in a kitchen and the existing socket is just inside
the righthand side back of a gas hob! That is why I want it moving!!!

The fact that it is in a kitchen means that legally, you must submit a
building notice application. You'll probably find it costs:

2.00 for the socket (or reuse old one)
1.00 worth of cable
0.50 of crimp terminals
100.00 for inspection.

Bargain.

Christian.