Electrics and Concrete Floors

[hansPulesh]

Hi all,

I went to see a house which was for sale yesterday afternoon. Some of the electric sockets are in the wrong places. If I was to buy it, I'd want to change a few of these around.

However, when I lifted the carpet to see if there was any access to plumbing pipework, I realised that the floor was concrete.

How easy/expensive is it to update electric cabling with concrete floors? How could I add a few extra sockets around the house?

Many thanks.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

If you have a concrete floor and no access beneath such as cellar.
Then it is very likely the service cable/pipework drop down to the accessory points.
It is not difficult to add extra sockets providing you comply to the permitted safe zones/routes of cables. This can be found in WIKI and all newly installed sockets and newly buried cable are very likely to require RCD protection.
//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:walls
//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:route

 

[hansPulesh]

Thanks for that, when you say accessory points - what are these? How would I know where they are? How would I find and then use these?

The current fuse box is in a cupboard under the stairs. All of the cabling travels upstairs from the fuse box and so I'm guessing that it has been passed into the ceiling and dropped down to the sockets from here. But with this arrangement, I'd have to chase out walls etc to add more sockets and was wondering if there was an easier way of carrying this out?

Unfortunately, there is no cellar either.

Many thanks.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Thanks for that, when you say accessory points - what are these? How would I know where they are? How would I find and then use these?

These are the sockets/switch/outlet plates etc.. Fitted to the walls

The current fuse box is in a cupboard under the stairs. All of the cabling travels upstairs from the fuse box and so I'm guessing that it has been passed into the ceiling and dropped down to the sockets from here. But with this arrangement, I'd have to chase out walls etc to add more sockets and was wondering if there was an easier way of carrying this out?
Unfortunately, there is no cellar either.

The only way to avoid chasing walls out to add sockets would be to use a surface mounted method, either clipping the cable directly to the walls or using containment such as trunking/conduit and using surface mounted back boxes/pattress .

NB: When terminating/routing cable to existing socket circuits, you must confirm what circuit you are installing to, and apply the correct techniques to either maintain the integrity of the circuit or comply to the correct safe methods of spurring from them.
Also any methods of jointing the cable in hidden inaccessible locations. must comply to a maintenance free method.
It sounds like you may need to do some research into the wiring regulations prior to proceeding with this task!

 

[hansPulesh]

Thanks for that again.

 

[OwainDIYer]

The easy answer is skirting trunking.

 

[Steve]

My house has concrete floor, and for my own comfort and to make life easier for all concerned I had it rewired and skimmed/patched up before I moved in. I had about 8 chases down my living room walls, it looked like a war zone. Thankfully my spark had a wall chaser which cuts two grooves down the wall, then follow up with an SDS chisel bit to chase in between, nice and tidy. Don't let your spark use a hammer and chisel! Your plasterer won't like that one bit. And it'll take him 3 weeks instead of 2 hours.

Took about 4 days all in. I shall do the same with my next house.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Don't let your spark use a hammer and chisel!

And don't let him use a chasing tool if you've already moved in...

 

[RF Lighting]

I use my chasing machine in furnished houses. As long as you've got a good vac it creates LESS dust than stitch drilling or hammer and chisel.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Chasing machine or ok, providing you are sure all existing cables and pipework are where you expect them to be, other than that I am happy to hammer out a chase and creates very little if any more debris than a chase machine. It is the condition of the walls that determine the amount of mess.