Moving sockets up - Wiring Question

[nero44]

Hello,

I have a few sockets in my skirting board, which I am planning to move up into the wall to regulation height within safe zones. I've done one already and it was actually pretty straight forward despite my lovely lath and plaster walls...

The sockets are on a ring main, but the cables coming up from the floor were very short. So what I have done is put each end of the cable into a wago box and ran two separate cables up to the pattress box, where they are joined together at the socket. Squeezing two wago junction boxes through a 1 gang socket hole with limited cavity space was a bit fiddly. However, I did this to make it clear that the new socket is on a ring main and not a spur off another socket. In case anyone opens the socket for inspection they will see two cables.

Was this overkill or should I continue doing this for the other sockets I plan to move? It would have been much easier to use just one junction box connecting the ring and running just one cable up to the socket.

 

[ericmark]

This has always been a big question, do you allow for people latter not doing their job? If one can have a double socket on a unfused spur, then why not two single sockets? The answer given in collage when I asked was if you open a socket and see two cables, then you know it is not an unfused spur.

However we should always test before extending, so we would know if on a ring by testing.

But sad fact is people don't test, they take chances. However to your question there is really no right and wrong either way.

 

[Murdochcat]

There is no such thing as regulation height for existing and old old properties - only for new builds

There are 3 things to consider:

1. Does the property actually need a rewire?

2. How do you plan to test the changes?

3. Do the socket circuits have rcd protection?

 

[nero44]

Thanks for the responses.

Definitely a ring. Testing has been done by an electrician, I had a full EICR after I had some solar panels+batteries installed. Curiously, I got a C2 on some of my sockets that are in the skirting board. Some sit comfortably in large victorian skirting boards (I do not plan to move these) and some do sit quite tight on a narrow modern skirting board and I can see how it can cause plugs to bend onto the carpet floor. Those are the ones I want to move up. I am aware regarding regs for older properties... but I had some unrelated refurbishment works done, which included the installation of 13a switched fused spur on a related wall, which the installers have done 450mm off floor. So might as well my socket up to the same height so it looks neat and clean.

An older EICR from the previous owner had not highlighted any of this, but they were commissioned by an Estate Agent to help put the property on the market. So I don't quite trust the reliability...

Anyhow, it sounds like there is some reason to go with two way wiring and it's not much extra work. Decorating afterwards and getting a good fixing on lath and plaster is more time consuming.

 

[Murdochcat]

You really need to get an electrician to retest the circuit after you’ve finished and checked there aren’t issues you’ve introduced

 

[blup]

Hello,

I have a few sockets in my skirting board, which I am planning to move up into the wall to regulation height within safe zones. I've done one already and it was actually pretty straight forward despite my lovely lath and plaster walls...

The sockets are on a ring main, but the cables coming up from the floor were very short. So what I have done is put each end of the cable into a wago box and ran two separate cables up to the pattress box, where they are joined together at the socket. Squeezing two wago junction boxes through a 1 gang socket hole with limited cavity space was a bit fiddly. However, I did this to make it clear that the new socket is on a ring main and not a spur off another socket. In case anyone opens the socket for inspection they will see two cables.

Was this overkill or should I continue doing this for the other sockets I plan to move? It would have been much easier to use just one junction box connecting the ring and running just one cable up to the socket.

Extend the incoming cable from the nearest convenient point of the existing ring under the floor, using a maintenance free JB, chase and fit the new sockets and cables where you want them, then re join the ring with another jb at the next convenient point under the floor.

 

[Ragnar_AT]

If there‘s enough space in the Wago box for four cables and six connectors I don‘t really see why you‘d need two boxes instead of extending both ends of the ring in one box. After all it‘s only one circuit.

 

[nero44]

If there‘s enough space in the Wago box for four cables and six connectors I don‘t really see why you‘d need two boxes instead of extending both ends of the ring in one box. After all it‘s only one circuit.

Thanks, yes the box should have enough space, I used wago 221 and the corresponding maintenance free jb. However, on that first one the cables coming from the floor were so short and I felt it was safest to use what I had first to allow for a proper connection. Did not want to yank on that wire too much to cause sheath damage somewhere. I am still waiting for parts, but if other sockets have a bit more give on the ring I will consider running all through one jb.