Change an existing spur point into a single power socket

[JEMM]

I had a kitchen extractor fan which was wired into a fused spur. The fan broke and I removed it but the spur is still wired up and isolated. I want to put my t.v. on that wall. Can I safely remove the front of the spur and add a socket to the exiting wires to plug in the t.v.....or would that be dangerous?!

 

[wingcoax]

Fused connector? Yes you can.

 

[JEMM]

So do I just remove the front cover of the spur point and wire the socket right in? Don't want to set the house on fire!!
Thankyou

 

[ColJack]

Fused connector? Yes you can.

you're making a leap of faith there Wing..

for all we know it could be off the lights..

does it come on with the lights?
most likely not but something that should be asked..

 

[JEMM]

It was originally spurred off an existing socket but the kitchen was rewired and the socket removed but the fan was still operating at the time so the wiring was left going directly into the spur with no other sockets on that. I feel sure it must be on the socket ring, not the lights. It was an electrician who wired it all up originally so surely he wouldn't have taken it off the lights. It was a 2 speed wall fan so that would have been too heavy for the lights wiring would it not?

 

[ColJack]

no, wall fans aren't that big..
if the socket removal has caused the route of the cable to now fall outside of the "safe zones" then rectifying action must be taken.. ( please see the WIKI for information on "safe zones".. )

 

[dextrous]

Er, kitchens are meant to have an extractor fan separate from the hob hood anyway, aren't they?

 

[ColJack]

that would probably depend on whether or not it has an opening window for ventilation.. same as any other room that creates steam and has strong smells created in it ( and potentially explosive gasses as well )

 

[JEMM]

It's wasn't a cooker extractor, just a 2 speed wall fan to ease condensation. I have a cooker hood above the range which is at the other end of the kitchen.

 

[JEMM]

There's a large window and my back door is always open when I'm in. The fan was a useless thing that was hardly ever used. Think that's why it stopped working, seized up! I just want to be sure that I'm not causing a fire hazzard by changing the spur to a socket. This is an old house and I really don't want to start knocking holes in the brick wall to put in an additional power point if I can use what's already there.

 

[conny]

Switch off the mcb's one at a time and see which one makes the fcu 'dead.
This will tell you what circuit it is on and if it comes off the lights or ring main.

 

[JEMM]

Thanks. I had thought of that but I'll need to wire it up to the socket first because there's no way of doing that at the moment. The wires are isolated and nothing is powered by that spur to find out if it's active. I'll let you all know how it goes once I do it. Thanks for all the replies so far.

 

[sparkyspike]

the spur is still wired up and isolated....

...but I'll need to wire it up to the socket first

Your info is a bit confusing.

What do you mean by a spur? Do you have a fused connection unit wired into the same circuit as the sockets?

Did the fan connect directly into this fcu, or was it wired into an outlet plate higher up?

In other words, do you want to remove the fcu and replace it with a socket? If so, what cables do you see behind the fcu?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

same as any other room that creates steam and has strong smells created in it ( and potentially explosive gasses as well )

I've been in rooms with strong smells and explosive gases, but no steam.

 

[JEMM]

Yes, fan was wired directly into the fused connection unit, no added plate, no switch on fcu, just a box with wires and a fuse. Yes, I want to use the existing wires in that box to wire in a socket. Can't remember what the wires were like when I isolated them, been a few months now. I'll have a look tomorrow when it's light enough to see with the electricity off. My big torch seems to have disappeared, probably to one of my daughters' homes along with everything else!!