When it comes to rewiring I follow the school of thought that you can't have too many sockets... With this in mind I have always been fairly generous when it comes to sockets in a lounge for a TV so as to cover all the extras: STB, BR/DVD, surround sound etc.

The thing is; even putting in, say, three doubles, I've found the need to use a multi-way extension lead anyway and so for my next rewire I'm thinking I might just put one double socket in and then use short extension leads for everything given that they are all relatively low powered consumer electronic devices (i.e. not space heaters). This will then free up wall space for other sockets I generally need e.g. surround sound terminals, lighting points, Ethernet sockets etc.

I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?

On 05/02/2019 16:49, Mathew Newton wrote:
When it comes to rewiring I follow the school of thought that you can't have too many sockets... With this in mind I have always been fairly generous when it comes to sockets in a lounge for a TV so as to cover all the extras: STB, BR/DVD, surround sound etc.

The thing is; even putting in, say, three doubles, I've found the need to use a multi-way extension lead anyway and so for my next rewire I'm thinking I might just put one double socket in and then use short extension leads for everything given that they are all relatively low powered consumer electronic devices (i.e. not space heaters). This will then free up wall space for other sockets I generally need e.g. surround sound terminals, lighting points, Ethernet sockets etc.

I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?


Nothing wrong with treating the media stack as a single device with
internal (extension lead) power distribution - I do it all the time.

You can even use IEC bars for extra compactness (at the expense of
sticking new plugs on everything)

--
Email does not work

You can even use IEC bars for extra compactness (at the expense of
sticking new plugs on everything)


Yuo end up with a miss match of different plugs and wall warts (at one time
I would have been anal and changed them to look the same. Now - I would go
with a multiway strip and try to hide it.

On 05/02/2019 16:49, Mathew Newton wrote:
When it comes to rewiring I follow the school of thought that you can't have too many sockets... With this in mind I have always been fairly generous when it comes to sockets in a lounge for a TV so as to cover all the extras: STB, BR/DVD, surround sound etc.

The thing is; even putting in, say, three doubles, I've found the need to use a multi-way extension lead anyway and so for my next rewire I'm thinking I might just put one double socket in and then use short extension leads for everything given that they are all relatively low powered consumer electronic devices (i.e. not space heaters). This will then free up wall space for other sockets I generally need e.g. surround sound terminals, lighting points, Ethernet sockets etc.

I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?

I only have one double, but I use a master-slave adapter so that
everything (woofer, TV, Blu-ray box, chromecast, WIFI AP) turns-on when
I switch-on the AV amp. I think the only thing that's permanently
connected to power is the freeview receiver.

Mathew Newton laid this down on his screen :
I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too
many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?

Locations are my priority, you cannot beat having at least on outlet
where you need it, so as to minimise on long extension leads. If
multiple outlets are needed in one location, then they will be certain
to be low power needs, so a plug in multi-adaptor is usually fine. Says
he who at a rough count 50 actual outlets or more, scattered round the
house, my two workshops the garage and the garden.

On 05/02/2019 16:49, Mathew Newton wrote:
When it comes to rewiring I follow the school of thought that you can't have too many sockets... With this in mind I have always been fairly generous when it comes to sockets in a lounge for a TV so as to cover all the extras: STB, BR/DVD, surround sound etc.

The thing is; even putting in, say, three doubles, I've found the need to use a multi-way extension lead anyway and so for my next rewire I'm thinking I might just put one double socket in and then use short extension leads for everything given that they are all relatively low powered consumer electronic devices (i.e. not space heaters). This will then free up wall space for other sockets I generally need e.g. surround sound terminals, lighting points, Ethernet sockets etc.

I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?


Well...


I have managed to entirely get rid of all the clutter by the simple
expedient of having a smart TV ethernetted to my home network with
ALL the DVDs and, as of today, ALL the CDS on the server..

OK I probably need to add an amp for the speakers, but the TV can play
everything, so no need for a tuner or CD player.,.

So: My Pcs play music and watch vidoes by te simple expedient of having
access to the file store of them.

My main Hifi since last weekend has a raspberry Pi accessing the network
AND radio across the internet, and feeding it to a hifi amp and
speakres. Web interface controls that so a mobile phone works OK as a
'remote'.

The TVS get radio off air, and get music and videos from te server via DLNA.

I suddenly have shelves for CDS and DVDS that I simply don't need....

And only one socket needed at the TV, or if I add the big amp and
speakers, 2...


--
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

Adolf Hitler

I put in three double sockets and currently only have one socket free which will eventually be used when I can afford a sound bar. To make the row of sockets as compact as possible I arranged the back boxes so that the front plates fitted side by side. To achieve this I riveted the sockets onto two strips of metal with 14mm between them and mounted the whole lot as one unit this ensured easy levelling and accurate spacing.

Richard

In article ,
Harry Bloomfield writes:
Mathew Newton laid this down on his screen :
I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too
many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?

Locations are my priority, you cannot beat having at least on outlet
where you need it, so as to minimise on long extension leads. If
multiple outlets are needed in one location, then they will be certain
to be low power needs, so a plug in multi-adaptor is usually fine. Says
he who at a rough count 50 actual outlets or more, scattered round the
house, my two workshops the garage and the garden.

There's a good wiring regulation in many of the US states.
You must be able to plug in an appliance positioned anywhere
around the edge of the room with a 6' lead, without the lead
crossing a doorway.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 05/02/2019 19:53, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I put in three double sockets and currently only have one socket free which will eventually be used when I can afford a sound bar. To make the row of sockets as compact as possible I arranged the back boxes so that the front plates fitted side by side. To achieve this I riveted the sockets onto two strips of metal with 14mm between them and mounted the whole lot as one unit this ensured easy levelling and accurate spacing.

Accurate spacing until someone wants chrome sockets fitting.

OK. So not at your place but many of the places I have worked at :-(


--
Adam

On 05/02/2019 20:43, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
Harry Bloomfield writes:
Mathew Newton laid this down on his screen :
I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too
many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?

Locations are my priority, you cannot beat having at least on outlet
where you need it, so as to minimise on long extension leads. If
multiple outlets are needed in one location, then they will be certain
to be low power needs, so a plug in multi-adaptor is usually fine. Says
he who at a rough count 50 actual outlets or more, scattered round the
house, my two workshops the garage and the garden.

There's a good wiring regulation in many of the US states.
You must be able to plug in an appliance positioned anywhere
around the edge of the room with a 6' lead, without the lead
crossing a doorway.

How strict are they on that? For instance to do that in my living room
would require one of the sockets to be positioned right where is the
obvious location for a radiator.

SteveW

On 05/02/2019 18:56, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Mathew Newton laid this down on his screen :
I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have
too many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket
*locations*'?

Locations are my priority, you cannot beat having at least on outlet
where you need it, so as to minimise on long extension leads. If
multiple outlets are needed in one location, then they will be certain
to be low power needs, so a plug in multi-adaptor is usually fine. Says
he who at a rough count 50 actual outlets or more, scattered round the
house, my two workshops the garage and the garden.

I have six spreaders just at the back and side of my computer desk. It's
a two person desk from back in the days of clerks in offices, two
pedestals and a top about 1.8 by 1.2 metres. Two "tower" desktops, two
laser printers, A4 scanner, negative scanner, Microserver and still
plenty of room for a laptop or two plus working space.

On 05/02/2019 19:53, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I put in three double sockets and currently only have one socket free which will eventually be used when I can afford a sound bar. To make the row of sockets as compact as possible I arranged the back boxes so that the front plates fitted side by side. To achieve this I riveted the sockets onto two strips of metal with 14mm between them and mounted the whole lot as one unit this ensured easy levelling and accurate spacing.

Richard

Stereo has its own socket, with strip extension fixed to the back of the
stand.

TV/Blue-ray/Freeview/Satellite/Firestick/Soundbar/local Ethernet switch,
use another strip within the TV stand. That means only one power lead,
one antenna lead, three satellite cables and one ethernet cable to the
unit, allowing it to be wheeled far enough to clean behind or access the
back of the TV. Individual power leads would make it too unwieldy.

It also means that I can swap the lot to the other end of the room if
required - as has been done a couple of times when we decided to
rearrange the room - although that does mean losing one satellite
connection, which isn't really necessary anyway.

SteveW

On 05/02/2019 16:49, Mathew Newton wrote:
I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket*locations*'?

I have a trailing lead mounted on the back of the TV stand.

Everything else is plugged in there, so you can't see the wallwarts.

There's only one wire going to wall socket.

Oh, and a UHF lead. And an Ethernet cable!

Andy

After serious thinking Andrew Gabriel wrote :
There's a good wiring regulation in many of the US states.
You must be able to plug in an appliance positioned anywhere
around the edge of the room with a 6' lead, without the lead
crossing a doorway.

A very sensible rule. Has a minimum, every room in my home has as a
minimum two outlets, in opposite corners so there should be no need for
trailing wires. Most have more, kitchen has around 16 outlets, some of
which are double.

In the past, when ever I felt a need for another socket, I would add
one as part of decorating process.

On Tuesday, 5 February 2019 20:43:38 UTC, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

There's a good wiring regulation in many of the US states.
You must be able to plug in an appliance positioned anywhere
around the edge of the room with a 6' lead, without the lead
crossing a doorway.

Sounds sensible, and a worthwhile rule of thumb to consider.

Thanks everyone for the comments. It seems there's near unanimous agreement that short multiway extensions leads for AV/etc kit are the way to go!

"Mathew Newton" wrote in message
...
When it comes to rewiring I follow the school of thought that you can't
have too many sockets... With this in mind I have always been fairly
generous when it comes to sockets in a lounge for a TV so as to cover all
the extras: STB, BR/DVD, surround sound etc.

The thing is; even putting in, say, three doubles, I've found the need to
use a multi-way extension lead anyway and so for my next rewire I'm
thinking I might just put one double socket in and then use short
extension leads for everything given that they are all relatively low
powered consumer electronic devices (i.e. not space heaters). This will
then free up wall space for other sockets I generally need e.g. surround
sound terminals, lighting points, Ethernet sockets etc.

I was curious what others think/do?

What you are proposing, plug boards where there are multiple devices.

Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too many sockets' it
should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?

Yes, but I knew that when I designed and built the house.
Socket locations in all chunks of wall and in more than
one place on long walls, tho I dont have many long walls,
only really with the one long kitchen wall. Its got 10 socket
locations, half of the under the benchtop for the dishwasher,
those bar fridge sized freezers I no longer use much etc.

On Tue, 5 Feb 2019 08:49:37 -0800 (PST), Mathew Newton
wrote:

When it comes to rewiring I follow the school of thought that you can't have too many sockets... With this in mind I have always been fairly generous when it comes to sockets in a lounge for a TV so as to cover all the extras: STB, BR/DVD, surround sound etc.

The thing is; even putting in, say, three doubles, I've found the need to use a multi-way extension lead anyway and so for my next rewire I'm thinking I might just put one double socket in and then use short extension leads for everything given that they are all relatively low powered consumer electronic devices (i.e. not space heaters). This will then free up wall space for other sockets I generally need e.g. surround sound terminals, lighting points, Ethernet sockets etc.

I was curious what others think/do? Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too many sockets' it should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?

Two double wall sockets but only one double in permanent use. One with a 12 way
IEC socket adaptor the other with a 10 way 13A extension socket mainly for wall
warts (10 way because with the offset bodies you can only manage to fill around
half of them)

--

On Wed, 6 Feb 2019 12:01:29 +1100, 2987fr, better known as cantankerous
trolling senile geezer Rot Speed, wrote:

What you are proposing, plug boards where there are multiple devices.

Perhaps rather than 'you cant have too many sockets' it
should be more 'you cant have too many socket *locations*'?

Yes, but I knew that when I

Darn! ...and this thread was Rot-free, so far! tsk

--
FredXX to Rot Speed:
"You are still an idiot and an embarrassment to your country. No wonder
we shippe the likes of you out of the British Isles. Perhaps stupidity
and criminality is inherited after all?"
Message-ID:

Mathew Newton wrote:

When it comes to rewiring I follow the school of thought that you can't have too many sockets...

I knew it'd involve a multi-way socket in any case, so just put 1x mains
(plus 4x coax, 2x ethernet, 1x phone)

In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:
Nothing wrong with treating the media stack as a single device with
internal (extension lead) power distribution - I do it all the time.

Sockets for mine are on their own radial.

You can even use IEC bars for extra compactness (at the expense of
sticking new plugs on everything)

Some things - like say a PVR - may have room for an unswitched IEC outlet
on their back panel. Or even two.

--
*Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Tricky Dicky wrote:
I put in three double sockets and currently only have one socket free
which will eventually be used when I can afford a sound bar. To make the
row of sockets as compact as possible I arranged the back boxes so that
the front plates fitted side by side. To achieve this I riveted the
sockets onto two strips of metal with 14mm between them and mounted the
whole lot as one unit this ensured easy levelling and accurate spacing.

TLC sell linking bars to space steel back boxes accurately.

--
*One of us is thinking about sex... OK, it's me.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Mathew Newton wrote:
On Tuesday, 5 February 2019 20:43:38 UTC, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

There's a good wiring regulation in many of the US states.
You must be able to plug in an appliance positioned anywhere
around the edge of the room with a 6' lead, without the lead
crossing a doorway.

Sounds sensible, and a worthwhile rule of thumb to consider.

But don't forget a hoovering socket. Unless you've gone cordless. ;-)

--
*Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Be nice if wall warts were available with an IEC plug. They'd likely need
to be a different shape to a 13 amp one to stack, though.

--
*Lawyers believe a man is innocent until proven broke.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Wednesday, 6 February 2019 14:06:19 UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Mathew Newton wrote:
On Tuesday, 5 February 2019 20:43:38 UTC, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

There's a good wiring regulation in many of the US states.
You must be able to plug in an appliance positioned anywhere
around the edge of the room with a 6' lead, without the lead
crossing a doorway.

Sounds sensible, and a worthwhile rule of thumb to consider.

But don't forget a hoovering socket. Unless you've gone cordless. ;-)

Or for a dyson charger ;-)

On Wednesday, 6 February 2019 14:06:19 UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
But don't forget a hoovering socket. Unless you've gone cordless. ;-)

A previous flat was so small I could hoover all of it without unplugging the hoover.

Owain