Extending cable

[paul_round]

Any thoughts on this cable extension? Is it safe? Should it be replaced?

 

[Mottie]

Doesn’t look too clever. Can you remove the joint by replacing those two cables with just one?

 

[ericmark]

I am sure you know the answer, but as to is it safe, seems little likely hood of fire, as nothing around it seems flammable, and as long as RCD protected unlikely to become live, however it is likely to fail, so clearly needs correcting.

 

[plugwash]

Any thoughts on this cable extension? Is it safe? Should it be replaced?

Per BS7671 joints must always be in a suitable enclosure. For joints that are not accessible for inspection there are further restrictions.

Wago and similar spring-loaded terminals are fine in a generic box for accessible joints but by a strict reading of BS7671 are only allowed for inaccessible joints when they are used as part of an approved maintinance free junction box. There isn't really much of a safety justification for that though, and at least in owner-occupied properties BS7671 is not law. An inaccessible joint made with Wagos in a generic box is not something I would worry about from a safety perspective.

Unfortunately to the best of my knowledge all the maintinance free junction boxes on the market are designed to be installed in a building void, not to be burried in plaster.

Another issue is that there are rules on where concealed cables are allowed to be run. Cables are allowed to run vertically or horizontally from accessories and in a few other defined locations, but in most cases if you remove an accessory the associated cables will no longer be in a safe zones and will need to be relocated.

The very least I would do is make sure that the earth connection to the box is good (it's hard to tell from pictures if the box is corroded or just dirty) and put a blanking plate on the box.

If you don't want to have a visible blanking plate then IMO you need to look at where the cables run from and to and re-run them. Ideally all the way from one end to the other, but if that is not possible then with joints in more appropriate locations.

 

[chivers67]

The back box is rusty and has obviously been wet at some point due to how close it is to the floor by the looks of things but it's quite difficult to see. What is this feeding some kind of kitchen island?

 

[paul_round]

It’s just going to a relocated double socket. The room in question has had the floor level raised to match the room next to it.