connections behind radiator

[IanJ]

To make room for a new doorway, I need to move a phone socket and a power socket about 18 inches horizontally along a wall, then (later) a radiator too.

I'm intending to make the connections in the original (recessed) back boxes, then cover them with white plastic blanking plates. Cables will be run in plastic trunking.

The blanking plates with connections behind will eventually have the radiator in front of them. Clearance behind rad will be about 30mm to the wall, so about 25 mm to the blanking plates.

Am I right in thinking there will be no problem with the heat from the rad affecting the connections behind it?

Cheers

 

[Adam_151]

As behind a radiator is not really accesable, you need to give thought to the type of connection you will use, I'd personally use insulated crimps on the power socket, applied with a proper rachet crimp tool, and for the phone, solder and heatshrink

 

[Big_Spark]

The connections should not be behind the radiator.

 

[IanJ]

Why not?

 

[softlad1971]

How would you get to the joints when it comes to any testing or fault tracing?

 

[crystal ball]

How would you get to the joints when it comes to any testing or fault tracing?

Take the rad off, probably easier than lifting carpets and boards looking for JBs

 

[IanJ]

Yep - and the joints would be in sunken boxes behind blanking plates, so they'd be easily accessible once the rad was off (i.e. not JBs buried in plaster).

I know this isn't a great solution - but in the small space I have, there's no-where else for the rad to go. Is there anything in the regs to say this can't / shouldn't be done?

Thanks

 

[Big_Spark]

Whilst not strictly breaching the Regs, it is not following their spsirit either. If someone, an electrician, came ot undertake a PIR..do you really expect him/her to go taking radiators off the wall to undertae an inspection??

Why not simply move the Rad over slightly so they are not covered by it.

 

[IanJ]

The current (single) rad would have to cover the connections to make room for the proposed new doorway (in a small hall, hence the limited space).

I have a look for a narrower double rad - might just clear the connections to leave them accessible (sockets would still need to be moved to make then useable).

Cheers

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I would be concerned about the ambient temperature factor for the cable in surface trunking that close to a radiator...

 

[Big_Spark]

The current (single) rad would have to cover the connections to make room for the proposed new doorway (in a small hall, hence the limited space).

I have a look for a narrower double rad - might just clear the connections to leave them accessible (sockets would still need to be moved to make then useable).

Cheers

Do you realise you can get vertical radiators?

Such as This one

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Vasco and Acova have dozens of different designs of vertical radiators, including some with a quarter-round plan that will fit into very little space in a corner.

Not as cheap as Screwfix of course...

 

[IanJ]

Great! Thanks for the tips.