Running single cable from Socket?

[TheEsoo]

Greetings all,

I'll try not to bore you with the details but I recently bought a new TV cabinet, all is good except it's that snug a fit in the alcove I can't plug anything in Now my great idea to get round this was to hack off (carefully of course..) the skirting board on the opposite wall - this would leave enough space to move the unit across and plug things in.

Well, my girlfriends dad has another solution (he's a bit of a handyman) - he wants to put a blank faceplate with a hole on it over the current double socket. Run a single wire from that socket round the side of the unit into a six plug adapter. Is this safe? (he's a fireman so I would assume he's confident it's not going to burn the house down?)

I'm guessing that he's going to cut the plug off the adapter and wire the three wires into the respective points inside the (soon to be covered) socket?

 

[westie101]

Erm so where is the fuse that is in the 13A plug going to go?

In effect you will have an unprotected (well OK it will have a 30A fuse or 32A circuit breaker) length of flex, which will certainly a fire risk!

 

[riveralt]

Why doesn't he just replace the double socket with a single 13Amp fused connection unit and run the flex cable from that?
That way the flex cable is protected by the 13Amp fuse.

 

[ericmark]

Double socket boxes will not take a normal fused connection unit (FCU). But you could use a grid switch unit which allows all sorts to be included. You could then have a fuse etc and feed a remote socket.

Some socket units do have built in fuses which again would work.

However some way there must be a limiting device to stop overload

 

[riveralt]

Double socket boxes will not take a normal fused connection unit (FCU).

Finicky

Okay then replace the double socket and back box with a single back box and FCU.
Alternatively.... extend (slightly) the back box with one of these.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/appleby-galvanised-steel-dual-35mm/48234

This way you keep a socket and get an FCU!!

 

[JohnW2]

Why doesn't he just replace the double socket with a single 13Amp fused connection unit and run the flex cable from that? That way the flex cable is protected by the 13Amp fuse.

A very sensible suggestion but, given that there is so much interest in MIs here, my experience is that (for whatever reason) extension leads almost invariably come with MI which says that they should not be fixed-wired.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[plugwash]

IMO manufacturers instructions should be taken seriously but not literally. Those statements are pretty clearly there because it's easier to say "don't do X" than it is to say "here is how do do X safely"

A FCU is electrically equivilent to a plug and socket so if an extension lead can safely be supplied by a plug and socket it can safely be supplied by a FCU.

 

[JohnW2]

IMO manufacturers instructions should be taken seriously but not literally. Those statements are pretty clearly there because it's easier to say "don't do X" than it is to say "here is how do do X safely". A FCU is electrically equivilent to a plug and socket so if an extension lead can safely be supplied by a plug and socket it can safely be supplied by a FCU.

I agree entirely with the common sense of what you're saying, and would (indeed have) happily hard-wire an extension lead. However, many people here (and, indeed, BS7671) appear to believe in taking the MI literally - particularly when it explicitly says "Do not do X". Given that we are talking about a practice which can be argued to be non-compliant with BS7671 (because of the MI) what would you say about it in a PIR?

Kind Regards, John.

 

[TheEsoo]

Why doesn't he just replace the double socket with a single 13Amp fused connection unit and run the flex cable from that?
That way the flex cable is protected by the 13Amp fuse.

It might be something along those lines, he just gave a brief overview and I did google to see if I could find any kind of products but since I don't have the specific terms I was shooting in the dark really.. Now I have the term FCU it sounds more like it - he did say it would be turned on and off from that - would that still be just cutting the plug head off an adapter and coming through the FCU? I'm assuming this is safe then..

 

[riveralt]

You want something like this type of FCU - its double pole and gives you the flex outlet facility.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/mk-13a-dp-sw-fcu/13479

The issue of cutting the plug off the extension cable is probably against the manufacturers instructions, but as said earlier you are simply replacing a plug with an FCU both protected by a 13amp fuse.

 

[xr4x4]

Why can't you just 'plug in' a 4-6 way extension lead and have this on top of the cabinet?

Whatever way you do it, FCU or plug top your going to have an inacesable fuse behind the cabinet.

You could remove the socket plate, extend the ring up to a new socket higher up. Put a blank plate on the old socket back box.

 

[TheEsoo]

Hmm, apparently he's not using a FCU, he;s just going to blank it off (and drill a hole in it..?)

I'm slightly confused, although he did re-wire his whole house and it was signed off as perfect by a sparky so..?

I'll post a photo as he's doing it tomorrow I think (I have little or no say in this whole exercise. I was quite happy to saw off the skirting board!!)

 

[riveralt]

Hmm, apparently he's not using a FCU, he;s just going to blank it off (and drill a hole in it..?)

Well he is an idiot - how is he going to fuse down the extension lead to 13Amps?

I'm slightly confused, although he did re-wire his whole house and it was signed off as perfect by a sparky so..?

If this is an example of his work I would steer well clear of his house.

I'll post a photo as he's doing it tomorrow I think (I have little or no say in this whole exercise. I was quite happy to saw off the skirting board!!)

If he is doing it as you have described then keep a fire extinquisher nearby....... Oh hang on isn't he a fire officer - well he will be able to park the extinquisher outside

 

[TicklyT]

Can you use a hole saw or jigsaw to cut a carefully positioned hole in the side of the cabinet, so you can put a plug into the socket from inside the cabinet?

 

[xr4x4]

Is it still possible to get extension leads with fuses built into them?