Is this safe?

[UnusualCapybara]

Have just started tearing down my old kitchen and when I removed the cupboards it revealed what looks like some very half hearted electrics and polyfillering.

From what I can tell, whoever did this has run the flex from the back of the plug socket, carved a shallow channel up the wall and covered with some plastic trunking, and run into a junction box. It did run into a scarily loose fused switch for the extractor fan which I have now removed.

My question is - Am I safe to go ahead and have the channelling etc plastered over then just have an electrician connect my new extractor hood to the junction box? My concern is that I get the plastering done only to be told by the electrician that this isn't an approved way of doing things and end up ripping it all out.

Untitled

• UnusualCapybara
• 7 Nov 2013
• 1

 

[securespark]

Where are you going to put the new fused switch for the extractor?

Are you leaving the undersized PVC flex in circuit?

 

[plugwash]

Using flex for fixed wiring isn't forbidden per-se BUT given the overall low quality of workmanship I would highly doubt whether the flex is of a suitable size to be used directly on a ring circuit.

Also the location of that capping seems to be only barely sufficient to make sure the cable ends up in the safe zone. Also if flex is red/black/green it means it is very old and may well be beyond it's useful life.

Overall it's a pretty horrible job and if you are going to be having a plasterer in i'd rip it out and do it properly first.

 

[ericmark]

With out a tape measure hard to say but it looks as if the cables are not in the permitted areas.

Look at Wili here and decide if in permitted areas or not.

 

[UnusualCapybara]

You've raised good questions actually and one I had overlooked is the fact that the new hood will be a chimney type so having the JB and fused socket at that level is going to be horrible.

I think I'll just rip it out and have the sparky put in a new fused switch somewhere more discreet or at worktop level.

As you say, the quality of the work doesn't inspire me to trust it!

Thanks for the guidance

 

[EFLImpudence]

Who mentioned flex and undersized?

Anyway, for the little work involved, have it done correctly.

 

[plugwash]

Who mentioned flex and undersized?

The original poster said it was flex.

Undersized is an assumption on my part based on the fact that 2.5mm flex is relatively rare (not unheard of but not something i'd expect a bodger like this to have handy).

 

[EFLImpudence]

Oh yes, I did read it several times. Sorry.

 

[mfarrow]

FIL uses flex to mean any kind of cable . To be honest what's sticking out looks more like white sheathed T&E.

 

[JohnW2]

FIL uses flex to mean any kind of cable .

I suppose he's not totally wrong - I've yet to see any cable in a domestic environment which is not, to at least some extent, 'flexible'

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

FIL uses flex to mean any kind of cable .

I suppose he's not totally wrong - I've yet to see any cable in a domestic environment which is not, to at least some extent, 'flexible'

Kind Regards, John

I tend to agree I remember my boss getting some 185mm flex to supply a concrete pump now that was not what I would call flexible it was a beast. One poor guy spent best part of a day trying to fit a plug to one end only to then be told Nuclear Electric as it was then would not permit the use of flex on the site with the exception of mobile cranes which ran on tracks where the tracks were cordoned off with scaffold barriers.

When I left site it was still sitting there on the drum. Did not even weigh it in.