moving a plug socket along the wall

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I am putting an internal doorway in my house but there is a plug socket in the way. how would you go about moving the plug socket along the wall a few feet? Is it difficult? thanks in advance.
 
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the difficulty depends on how the existing wiring is done.

How many cables are there in the socket?
Which direction do the cables come from?
What are your floors made of?
what is the walll made of?
 
Hi. I would like to do the same thing and would like to know some advice before I do.

I have looked at the wiring inside the double plug socket and the wires come from the floor. There are 5 wires in total. 1 x Green, 2 x Brown and 2 x Red.

If the wires have enough lag would it be quite easy to move a plug socket over a foot or two? The wall is drywall.

I have a metal detector which should help make sure there are no pipes or wires where I want to move it to.

How would I patch up the hole left by the old plug socket?


Many thanks for your help and time
 
you didn't say what sort of floor you have

do the cables come up from the floor?
 
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Firstly, if this work is in a kitchen or bathroom, then you should be aware it would be notifiable under part P of the building regs.

Brown, Red and Green are not normal colours, are you sure it's not Red, Black and Green/Yellow (it sounds like you've got two cables with the earths put in the same sleeve). A photo might help if it's not clear.

If it comes up from the floor, then you might be able to move it if there is some slack on the cables - you'll have to lift the floorboards and have a look. One important thing to remember is cables have to be in safe zones (horizontally across from and vertically above and below an accessory, plus a few others) - so you can't for example run them diagonally if they aren't long enough to go straight up.
 
from the insulation colours, I wonder if they might be old rubber, which changes over time? This will not be good.
 
Sorry this was my bad. I must have still been a little tired this morning from waking up. Wires are in fact 2 x Red, 2 x Black and 1 x Green/Yellow. Yes I believe you are right the earth cable shares the same sleeve.

The cables seem to come from the floor as they come out the bottom of the metal casing the wires are in.

The room where I want to move the plug socket is in a bedroom that has wooden floor boards with carpet. Would it be a difficult task to lift the carpet up and floor boards if I need to cut the wires some slack? Would I need to take the skirting off?

It sounds like it's going to get a little messy. At least I'm repainting the room afterwords.
 
if the carpet is on Grippers you can probably lift it and roll it back. You need to know if the floor is floorboards or a big piece of chipboard. Unless you are lucky and it has been cut open before, you will need to cut a section out. This is best done with a circular saw using a TCT blade set to just under 18mm depth of cut. It is very hard work cutting a floor by hand.

You need to establish where the cables come from. Quite likely one will com from the left and one from the right, but you won't know until you look. This will affect how easy it is as a DIY job. If you have to join the cables under the floor this needs a special tool to do it properly so you may be better off finding a recommended local electrician. Ask if he is a member of a Competent Persons Scheme, and how long he has been a member before you ask him round. If you have cut up the floor and prepared the wall that will save his time and your money.
 

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