Socket Heights and Switches

[eyeofthebeholder]

Hi Guys,

Another regulation question....

I will be installing 6 double power sockets behind what will be a TV/AV 'centre' in the room. They will be mounted on a board with several other points for networking, speaker distribution, aerials etc. These sockets will be covered by a board with a cable outlet at the bottom to hide them from view (this will have vents installed for any DC adapters that are plugged in).

Due to the amount of sockets I would like to mount them from the floor upwards, rather than from 450mm.

I have heard that if you install a socket below 450mm or above 1200mm you can install a switch/fused switch for that socket. If I am correct, if I did this, I would require 6 switches to switch off all the sockets as each would be classed as a spur.

If the above correct, can anyone think of another way of doing this as I do not want a load of sockets halfway up my wall!

Thanks for your continued help!

Adam.

 

[megawatt]

12 sockets ... What are you creating?

Could always forget spurs and run a dedicated radial from the CU.

 

[RF Lighting]

Are the existing sockets in your house at the DDA heights?

If you have sockets installed to the old heights then you do not need to follow the 450mm/1200mm heights.

 

[Steve]

Do consider the length of cable supplied with some AV equipment. Trailing sockets have their merits when cables are very short.

 

[Reynardine]

6 switches to switch off all the sockets as each would be classed as a spur. ... can anyone think of another way of doing this

If you are breaking into an existing ring main, why not make the six new sockets part of the ring main i.e. extend the ring main by another six sockets, looping the cable from one to the other.

In terms of socket heights, you say you want these to be at floor level. You might consider leaving some space, around 50cms, to allow for an increase in floor height if some future owner wants to add acoustic insulation involving extra sub floors. If your sockets are set right down at floor level, you could be preventing this.

 

[eyeofthebeholder]

12 sockets ... What are you creating?

It will be all the items for my A/V setup. This will include TV, Amp, Sub, Sky Box, Xbox 360, Wii, MediaCenterPC, DVD Player, some kind of AV distribution to other rooms.

Are the existing sockets in your house at the DDA heights?

If you have sockets installed to the old heights then you do not need to follow the 450mm/1200mm heights.

All the sockets/switches are outside of these limits. I thought as I am doing a full rewire you have to conform to the new standards. Also, as these are additional sockets I am fitting they should be at the new levels.

Do consider the length of cable supplied with some AV equipment. Trailing sockets have their merits when cables are very short.

Thanks for your advise on this, but I have made sure that the sockets are as close as they can be to the equipment. They will literally be right behind the AV stack.

If you are breaking into an existing ring main, why not make the six new sockets part of the ring main i.e. extend the ring main by another six sockets, looping the cable from one to the other.

In terms of socket heights, you say you want these to be at floor level. You might consider leaving some space, around 50cms, to allow for an increase in floor height if some future owner wants to add acoustic insulation involving extra sub floors. If your sockets are set right down at floor level, you could be preventing this.

I will be mounting all the sockets on a board with slack in them, so the height of the sockets at floor level shouldn't be an issue.

As I am doing a full rewire, this will be part of the lounge circuit and as you suggest, I was thinking of loop from one to another. The problem I am having is that I would like (and possibly have to have due to the height issue) a seperate switch to switch these sockets off. The reason for this is because they will be covered by a board and also behind a table with my AV equipment on and therefore quite difficult to access.

I am assuming you can't have one fused switch switching all 6 double sockets as it is classed as a spur and you can only have 1 socket from a spur.

Is this correct or am talking rubbish?

Thanks for your help

Ad.

 

[Steve]

There is no circumstance due to height, where sockets must have seperate isolation or fusing. Dont know what bonzo told you this.

If the sockets are hidden by a fixed appliance that they are powering, then they require an isolation point. This doesn't apply here.

 

[eyeofthebeholder]

How would I do it as a 'central isolation point' for all the sockets? (eg If I was going away for a few days and didn't want to pulling things apart to get access to the sockets). How would I go about doing this?

There is no circumstance due to height, where sockets must have seperate isolation or fusing. Dont know what bonzo told you this.

I think what the guy was talking about is that if you have sockets in the 'inaccessible' area above 1200mm or below 450mm then to comply with the regulation you could put an isolation switch in the accessible area.

Another example is having a TV mounted on the wall close to the ceiling. You could have a socket at that height and then have a isolation switch further down the wall below the 1200mm limit allowing you to switch it off. I would think its also a H+S thing that if something went wrong with the TV you could easily switch it off??

Thanks

Ad.

 

[Steve]

The heights you mention only apply in newbuilds or major refurbs. You dont need to comply with them.

 

[eyeofthebeholder]

even in a full house rewire - is this not classed as a major referb?

I need to be sure on this because I will be doing the full rewire myself and then getting the council in to inspect and test. As this is the case, I need to be almost perfect in installation.

I don't really want to be in a position where the tell be to move the sockets up 4 inches throughout the house to become compliant. I would rather err on the side of caution.

Ad.

 

[RF Lighting]

If you are not bothered about the extra work / mess, then I'd go with the new heights. Having now got used to these heights they are IMO more user friendly and once you get used to them they don't look so daft.

Also there can be no question from the BCO chappie, (Although you only actually need to comply during a major refurb (i.e. when all the walls are stripped to bare brick) but it is not unknown for BCOs to misinterpritate this)


I'm not sure either way about having an accesible isolator and sockets outside the permitted heights. Maybe someone else does?

 

[eyeofthebeholder]

I think what I will probably do it mount the board in a position to pass the inspection/tests etc. and then move it down afterwards. Everyone's happy then and non-the-wiser

I would still like a possible solution to having an isolator switch to control all the sockets I have in that area. Is there any way of doing this?

Thanks

Ad.