I have just bought a house & as i knew that I needed a new fuse box and some extra sockets I asked an electrician for a quote. He told me I have to have the existing sockets that are positioned in the skirting boards removed & any new sockets fitted into the wall above the skirting board. I don't really want to have the existing sockets removed & the skirting boards patched up unless I have to but I've been unable to establish if this is a regulatory requirement. I am happy for the extra sockets I want to be added above the skirting board & the existing ones kept where they are, if this is possible? Just want to ensure I am meeting regulations & there are no problems if I subsequently sell the property.
Existing sockets in skirting boards
- Thread starter scrivel
- Start date
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Regulations aren't retrospective but you may have to consider the age and condition of cabling to these sockets. It's most likely to be rubber.
This may be an issue when your consumer unit is changed if testing of that circuit isn't favourable.
All new additions would need to comply with the latest edition of BS7671 (17th).
This may be an issue when your consumer unit is changed if testing of that circuit isn't favourable.
All new additions would need to comply with the latest edition of BS7671 (17th).
The requirement for the sockets to be a way up the wall is in a part of the building regs that applies only to new builds and refurbs, not to rewires,
However, the wiring regs require the sockets to be positioned so they won't be damaged by, say, being hit by the vacuum cleaner, and also so that the flex connected to the plug is not strained or damaged by being bent at too tight an angle due to the sockets being too close to the floor. Even though there is (arguably?) no requirement to bring the existing sockets up to current regs, it makes sense to do so for these reasons.
So the sockets should be ideally be moved, but they only have to go just above the skirting board, so there need be no visible damage to the walls/wallpaper, if done carefully. You would probably need to sand/fill/repaint the skirting but that shouldn't be a problem IMO (it wasn't for me when I did mine).
However, the wiring regs require the sockets to be positioned so they won't be damaged by, say, being hit by the vacuum cleaner, and also so that the flex connected to the plug is not strained or damaged by being bent at too tight an angle due to the sockets being too close to the floor. Even though there is (arguably?) no requirement to bring the existing sockets up to current regs, it makes sense to do so for these reasons.
So the sockets should be ideally be moved, but they only have to go just above the skirting board, so there need be no visible damage to the walls/wallpaper, if done carefully. You would probably need to sand/fill/repaint the skirting but that shouldn't be a problem IMO (it wasn't for me when I did mine).
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I reckon Gary has it. Because of the damage from vacuum cleaners etc, sockets have not been put into skirting boards for many many many years, so unless the installation was done by someone very old fashioned, it is likely to be extremely old, and fall short of modern standards. If any of the old cable is rubber, it will be perished by now and in a very unsatisfactory condition (PVC cable has been in use for at least 40 years).
If you have just bought the house this is the ideal time for a rewire. It will not get any cheaper over time, and I expect ytou will be wanting to redecorate and modernise to your own taste, so any damage to plaster or woodwork will be less of a worry now than later.
If you have just bought the house this is the ideal time for a rewire. It will not get any cheaper over time, and I expect ytou will be wanting to redecorate and modernise to your own taste, so any damage to plaster or woodwork will be less of a worry now than later.
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