Socket inside disused chimney breast

[richards1978]

We currently have a disused chimney breast (capped and sealed), and would like to a have a socket fitted inside it to power either some light features, and maybe at some point a TV above the fireplace or an electric wood burner (mainly for the flame effect) - but that would be something much further down the line.

I'll be getting an electrician in to fit it, but before I try and contact one, I thought it best to try and understand what I can actually ask for and get an idea of the work (i.e. cost) involved, and how to make sure it's future proofed to be able to use it to power an electric fire or a TV.

So is this legal to do, or is it a non-starter?
Could they just add another socket into the ring (the ring main wires are pretty accessible if you lift the current flooring, due to a chunky gap on the edges of the subfloor) or would there be any additional rules involved, like it needing to be on its own circuit etc that would make it a costly job?

Thanks

 

[Taylortwocities]

Adding a new socket to an existing ring is reasonably easy to do. The existing circuit must be protected by a 30mA RCD.
The only way to get a cost is to ask some friendly sparks to give you a quote.
Every house is different and there’s too many variables to suggest a price including location, access, and the work load of your chosen electrician.

 

[ebee]

All other things being equal it would be ok if a fire is never to be fitted or very unlikely be fitted unless any undue heat will always be far from the socket and that capping from rain is very likely to remain adequate protection from water ingress or if it fails would be immediately noticeable etc etc etc.in fact all the things you would check for and consider with any other socket in any other location including adequate zones and/or adequate protection .

If the risk of it being used whilst in any potentially dangerous condition/position then your selected electrician will advise accordingly. Therefore any one of us professional electricians would assess the requirements and advise you what is possible and what is not depending on your actual requirements and any alterations that need to be made in order for a safe result.


It all depends.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Disused chimneys must be ventilated; not sealed.

 

[SUNRAY]

Disused chimneys must be ventilated; not sealed.

you need to stop the water getting in

 

[EFLImpudence]

you need to stop the water getting in

Without sealing the chimney.

It must be ventilated.

 

[Jurassicspark]

+ If you do decide to ventilate, then make sure you ventilate with cold exterior air and NOT warm moist interior air which WILL cause condensation as the warm moist air from inside your house meets the cold surfaces of the inside of your chimney.

 

[SUNRAY]

I can see this will turn into another 'old chestnut' so I'll keep my own 3 personal solutions of damp problems to myself.

 

[richards1978]

For the chimney comments, describing the chimney as capped and sealed is a bit of an understatement, as it is capped off at the ground floor ceiling height, and has been completely dismantled above that. It therefore doesn't reach the outside of the building, and on the ground floor it is basically just a dirty/sooty brick alcove built into one of the walls.

If I understand the wiring comment above correctly, it sounds like there is nothing stopping me from getting a socket fitted inside the actual "chimney" off the existing ring main (the ring main is already on a 30mA breaker). It's the socket potentially being trapped (and inaccessible) behind an electric fire that seems to be the big problem (presumably as I wouldn't be able to switch it off if anything goes wrong without cooking myself), and a decent sparks should be able to propose a solution to this.

Thanks all

 

[richards1978]

Quick update on this - The view from an electrician I had round was that as the old chimney is now basically just a brick alcove and has no exposure to the outside, fitting a indoor socket in it is fine. However, he said that if there was ever the chance that it might be used to power an electric "wood burner" / heater or similar, then as the socket would be hidden behind the heater and I would not be able to reach round and switch it off in the event of a fault, then I would need an accessible "DP Switch" somewhere nearby to isolate the socket - similar to how appliances in kitchens are set-up.

This all seems quite sensible to me, and I'm sure the DP switch could be put near one of the existing sockets and be of the same style, so it doesn't look out of place.
Just thought I'd see if anyone has any other suggestions or concerns on this, as I have just never seen anything like this fitted in a lounge before.

 

[FrodoOne]

Disused chimneys must be ventilated; not sealed.

As is usual in such circumstances, one must ask
"By what Authority, Law or Regulation?"
is this so?

 

[Mottie]

If I understand the wiring comment above correctly, it sounds like there is nothing stopping me from getting a socket fitted inside the actual "chimney" off the existing ring main (the ring main is already on a 30mA breaker). It's the socket potentially being trapped (and inaccessible) behind an electric fire that seems to be the big problem (presumably as I wouldn't be able to switch it off if anything goes wrong without cooking myself), and a decent sparks should be able to propose a solution to this.

We have a false chimney breast in our lounge (so in effect, no different to what you have) with a socket inside to power an electric coal effect fire with a fan heater. Only ever used the heater a couple of times when heating was broken so it's mainly for show. The socket inside is fed from a switched spur on the side of the breast which is connected to the downstairs ring.

 

[ebee]

Providing that the socket itself and therefore any plugs in it are not subjected to excessive heat then it seems to me to be a good idea to have a DP switch in a more accessible safe postion to control it . Likewise some slight ventilation to avoid it becomming a dead air space too.

 

[richards1978]

We have a false chimney breast in our lounge (so in effect, no different to what you have) with a socket inside to power an electric coal effect fire with a fan heater. Only ever used the heater a couple of times when heating was broken so it's mainly for show. The socket inside is fed from a switched spur on the side of the breast which is connected to the downstairs ring.

View attachment 360293
View attachment 360295

This is perfect - as it's almost identical to what we will have.
Any electric "wood" burner we fit will also be mostly be used for decoration and lighting effects rather than actual heating, as we'll be relying on the central heating to do all the heavy lifting on warming the room.

It's always reassuring to know other people have taken the same approach.

 

[EFLImpudence]

As is usual in such circumstances, one must ask
"By what Authority, Law or Regulation?"
is this so?

It is not a matter of law or regulation but physics. Google it.