Anyone know how to get the front off this?

[Taylortwocities]

I might as well go the whole hog and hire a mini digger....

Can you explain what you are planning to do with a large pig and a small Australian?

 

[conny]

I might as well go the whole hog and hire a mini digger....

Can you explain what you are planning to do with a large pig and a small Australian?

Do you REALLY want to know?

 

[thomo27]

Hi all,

In the house I'm in all the kitchen sockets are like this...

Untitled

• uptown47
• 24 May 2012
• 1

There is no visible screws etc.

I presume they are stuck on with sealant or something??

But I just wanted to see if anyone had come across anything similar and whether they could advise how to remove them??

I don't want to damage the socket front as I remove it.

Many thanks

John

best thing for those mate is a 50mm wall paper scraper ....

 

[uptown47]

Thanks for all the great replies to this topic.

I managed to remove the front yesterday and do the job. It just pulled off and was held on with 2 clips.

The actual socket was a special type to allow the fitting of this front (i.e. it wasn't retro-fitted to a normal socket).

Anyhoo... I'm now the proud owner of a double outside socket and, just to celebrate, I mowed the lawn yesterday in the sunshine.

All I need now is to save up for some outside 'air play' speakers and we'll be able to sit out, listen to some tunes with a glass of wine and enjoy this great weather we're having.

Thanks to everyone for all their help.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I'm now the proud owner of a double outside socket

Did you apply for Building Regulations approval first, as the law requires?

Did you check that the socket in the kitchen was not a spur?

Does the socket circuit have RCD protection?

Did you do polarity, continuity and loop impedance tests?

 

[uptown47]

I didn't apply for Building reg approval.

The socket in the kitchen isn't a spur, it is from it's own breaker in the distribution board (it used to be the washing machine socket).

The outside socket has RCD protection.

Did a continuity test. Tested the RCD. Didn't do polarity / loop impedance tests.

It's perfectly safe. Thank you for the advice.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The socket in the kitchen isn't a spur, it is from it's own breaker in the distribution board

What size cable and breaker rating?

Didn't do polarity / loop impedance tests.

It's perfectly safe.

Because of the former you can't be sure of the latter.

 

[uptown47]

The socket is fed from a 16A breaker (standard 2.5mm cable) in the distribution board. Then, in the socket is this....

Untitled

• uptown47
• 26 May 2012
• 1

Which then feeds the outside socket.

I don't think there's any issues with this at all.

What do you think?

Cheers

John

 

[timbim]

Ah, the old "If it's plugged in it's not fixed" line...

 

[uptown47]

Ah, the old "If it's plugged in it's not fixed" line...

Regardless of whether I'd made it fixed or "plug in" it would still be perfectly safe and electrically sound.

Unless I'm missing something major here??? Feel free to let me Timbim. I'm always open to learning something new and expanding my knowledge of these things??

 

[timbim]

Technically, alterations of the nature you describe require notification to building control. If you're not an electrician registered with one of the certifying bodies, then you need to notify them prior to commencing the work, they need to accept that you can complete the work, and then they need to inspect it when you're done. And then you need to pay their fees.

The other option is to use a registered electrician.

Or just cut the crap and do it. Certainly with what you've done, it's easy enough to remove when you leave, so no-one will be any the wiser.

 

[uptown47]

The thing is, I always do try and do things "by the book" and I looked into the regs before putting this socket on and (as far as I could tell) I didn't need to inform building control.

Unless I'm mis-reading the regs for Scotland??

Can someone tell me any different?

Cheers

John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No - you're right - SBR are different. Sorry about that - dunno how I missed your location, but then collectively we do it all the time it seems.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

It's a little bit different in Scotland but they still go through a warranty procedure and even if a warranty is not required you must still comply to the relevant standards, such as BS7671 and building regulations.

It is open to interpretation, as is part p in England and Wales.

If you look at schedules 3 at the end of this PDF it may help, it may not!
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/217736/0092252.pdf

 

[uptown47]

No - you're right - SBR are different. Sorry about that - dunno how I missed your location, but then collectively we do it all the time it seems.

You didn't miss my location mate, I only updated it last night.

It was still set to "Lancashire", which is where I'm originally from but I've been living in Fife now for over 5 years.

PrenticeBoyOfDerry, that is the same document that I read before I did the work. It says "New power socket outlets" don't require a warrant unless they are fitted in a flat (we live in a 2 storey house). (page 8.).

As you say though, there is a lot of the regs that are open to some interpretation and could be argued several ways.

Whenever I do any DIY safety is absolutely paramount. I would never do any work that I thought could potentially endanger me or my family. In fact, I would argue that I am more careful than *some* registered electricians because it is my home that is being worked on.

I've seen some shocking examples of work in this house that have been done by officially registered tradesmen.

I do really appreciate all the comments etc from this thread. It is reassuring to know that I'm doing things right and, if I wasn't, it would be good to find out where I'm falling short.

You will all be pleased to know that I've fitted a load of outside lights on my tree in the garden this morning.....

....but before the barrage comes in....

..... they're only solar.....

Cheers

John