Capping off unused wires

[misstyson]

Hi there,

I am decorating my spare room as a surprise for the other half but there are wires that did supply bedside lights that are no longer required. Can I cap these wires off so they are not a fire hazard (and then make good the hole they came through and is there any tool or gadget i can use?

Thank you in anticipation
Eve

 

[plugwash]

The problem with capping off wires and burying the result is that the safe zones in which concealed cables are allowed to run without additional protection measures are normally defined by the accessory. So if you get rid of the accessory and cap off the cable you will most likely end up creating a situation which violates BS7671.

So you really need to figure out where the cables are fed from and disconnect them there.

Once the cable has been disconnected I would use a peice of terminal block to short all the conductors together to reduce the chance of the cable being inadvertantly re-engergised in future and to trip a breaker if someone does try and re-energise it.

 

[misstyson]

Thank for that, it's very helpful. Do I need to hire an electrician or would an odd job person be able to manage?
Eve

 

[Johnmelad]

Thank for that, it's very helpful. Do I need to hire an electrician or would an odd job person be able to manage?
Eve

Legally, no but how would you know that an odd job man would be up to the job and be capable of testing his work?