Spur behind a skirting board

[hammondo]

Hi everyone, first time poster, long time visitor for useful advice!!

I am looking to run a spur in my living room. I have a 12 foot long wall, with a single socket (which isn't a spur) at one end of the room. Unfortunately Mrs H wanted the TV etc at the other end of the room where there is no socket. I currently have a lovely extension lead supplying the power!

The time has come to run a spur, which I have done before, but not in these times of Part P etc, so can anyone confirm the following.

A) I am ok to do this job myself, and I don't need a sparky in.

B) Is it ok to lift the skirting and run the cable behind this, rather than digging out my lovely plasterwork.

C) Tell me anything obvious I might have missed about this job. It all seems too simple!

Also, we would like to put a dimplex wall mounted electric fire in, do these ok to run straight off a 13 amp plug, or do they need a fused socket? It doesn't matter where I look, nothing tells me this!!

 

[megawatt]

In terms of answering your question, consider the following scenario ...

What happens when, after a year or so's time, you (or someone else) decides to screw something onto the SB and the screw pops out the back into the T&E and shorts out the lot?

What would you say the answer to your question is

 

[Softus]

A) I am ok to do this job myself, and I don't need a sparky in.

Only if you're competent. You still need to notify your LABC though.

B) Is it ok to lift the skirting and run the cable behind this, rather than digging out my lovely plasterwork.

No. Unless you bury the cable more than 50mm from the wall surface then behind the skirting it will have to be run inside earthed metal conduit.

C) Tell me anything obvious I might have missed about this job. It all seems too simple!

You (and indeed anyone doing this work) would need to verify that all earthing and bonding is up to current standards, and make it so if it isn't already.

You also need to test the circuit that you're modifying to ensure that there are no faults. This is best done beforehand too, so that you'll know if any fault was pre-existing. I would wager that you don't have the equipment to do this testing.

Also, we would like to put a dimplex wall mounted electric fire in, do these ok to run straight off a 13 amp plug, or do they need a fused socket? It doesn't matter where I look, nothing tells me this!!

It depends on the power rating of the appliance, and the room you'll be putting it in.

 

[jpdw]

The time has come to run a spur

A) I am ok to do this job myself, and I don't need a sparky in.

Only if you're competent. You still need to notify your LABC though.

Oh.. Is this so? I thought fused spurs where non notifiable (providing not in special location etc). Or are you picking up the OP wanting to put in a "spur" not a "fused spur" ?

Work which....
.... consists of ....
(ii) adding socket outlets and fused spurs to an existing ring or radial circuit.

Note -- I'm NOT an electr but a diligent DIYer that's also intending installing a fused spur (that thought this was non-notifiable).

 

[hammondo]

In terms of answering your question, consider the following scenario ...

What happens when, after a year or so's time, you (or someone else) decides to screw something onto the SB and the screw pops out the back into the T&E and shorts out the lot?

What would you say the answer to your question is

Unsure of what I or anyone else would ever screw into a skirting board, but thanks anyway!!

 

[hammondo]

B) Is it ok to lift the skirting and run the cable behind this, rather than digging out my lovely plasterwork.

No. Unless you bury the cable more than 50mm from the wall surface then behind the skirting it will have to be run inside earthed metal conduit.

If it is like my bedroom where I replaced the skirting, there is a pretty big gap already, so if I dug this out to 50mm min and used metal conduit I would be ok?

 

[Softus]

You still need to notify your LABC though.

Oh.. Is this so? I thought fused spurs where non notifiable (providing not in special location etc). Or are you picking up the OP wanting to put in a "spur" not a "fused spur" ?

You're utterly right, and I apologise to both of you. I don't know what I was thinking, except that I was working in a kitchen yesterday and I guess that I was on auto-pilot.

However, the spur should indeed be fused.

Also, you've made me think of another factor...

hammondo - will the new socket outlet be near to any external door, e.g. patio door? If so, then it's required to be RCD protected on the grounds that it's prone to being used to power outside equipment. If your ground floor sockets aren't already on an RCD then you could do this by placing a combined RCD/FCU next to the socket that you're spurring from.

 

[hammondo]

You still need to notify your LABC though.

Oh.. Is this so? I thought fused spurs where non notifiable (providing not in special location etc). Or are you picking up the OP wanting to put in a "spur" not a "fused spur" ?

You're utterly right, and I apologise to both of you. I don't know what I was thinking, except that I was working in a kitchen yesterday and I guess that I was on auto-pilot.

However, you've made me think of another factor...

jpdw - will the new socket outlet be near to any external door, e.g. patio door? If so, then it's required to be RCD protected on the grounds that it's prone to being used to power outside equipment. If your ground floor sockets aren't already on an RCD then you could do this by placing a combined RCD/FCU next to the socket that you're spurring from.

Its on a run of internal wall between two internal doors (hall and kitchen) would this be ok?

 

[Softus]

Its on a run of internal wall between two internal doors (hall and kitchen) would this be ok?

Er, would what be ok?

 

[hammondo]

Its on a run of internal wall between two internal doors (hall and kitchen) would this be ok?

Er, would what be ok?

would it be ok with refererence to the needing rcd's if its near an external door etc. All I want to do is run a spur 10 feet from a ringmained single socket to give me a spurred single/double socket at the other end of the room. I can't afford to get a sparky in, so if it's not a straight forward job myself, i will have to stick to the extension lead!!

 

[Softus]

would it be ok with refererence to the needing rcd's if its near an external door etc.

Is it, or isn't it, going to be the nearest socket outlet to an external door?

All I want to do is run a spur 10 feet from a ringmained single socket to give me a spurred single/double socket at the other end of the room.

So you said. Have you not received the information you were seeking, and fairly promptly?

I can't afford to get a sparky in, so if it's not a straight forward job myself, i will have to stick to the extension lead!!

:shrug:

I see you've ignored the question about the heater, so I, for one, have had enough of this topic, and I declare myself out.

 

[hammondo]

would it be ok with refererence to the needing rcd's if its near an external door etc.

Is it, or isn't it, going to be the nearest socket outlet to an external door?

All I want to do is run a spur 10 feet from a ringmained single socket to give me a spurred single/double socket at the other end of the room.

So you said. Have you not received the information you were seeking, and fairly promptly?

I can't afford to get a sparky in, so if it's not a straight forward job myself, i will have to stick to the extension lead!!

:shrug:

I see you've ignored the question about the heater, so I, for one, have had enough of this topic, and I declare myself out.

Apologies, you confused me talking about external doors and rcd's etc. I didn't mean to come across as abrupt. Neither socket is or would be near an external door.

I didn't know the answers with regards to the information you provided about the heater. I have just been looking around and like the Dimplex Wall Mounted ones, so wanted to know if anyone knew off the top of their heads, I will ask the question again when I have decided on one so I can supply the relevant info.

Thanks for your help

 

[kevnurse]

Your big problem is the safety distance between the cable and both sides of the wall. To achieve 50mm from both sides you need approx 120mm distance between the outside surfaces of the 2 opposing skirting boards. I would go to the nearest doorway and do some measuring and calculating before I disturb the boards. If you have the distance, on you go. Drill 10mm holes through the centre of all the studs and pin the cable to the centre of the horizontal timber base. If you don't have the safety distance you must get some metal strips to protect the cable.

 

[hammondo]

Your big problem is the safety distance between the cable and both sides of the wall. To achieve 50mm from both sides you need approx 120mm distance between the outside surfaces of the 2 opposing skirting boards. I would go to the nearest doorway and do some measuring and calculating before I disturb the boards. If you have the distance, on you go. Drill 10mm holes through the centre of all the studs and pin the cable to the centre of the horizontal timber base. If you don't have the safety distance you must get some metal strips to protect the cable.

I've got 130mm from one edge of the wall to the other. Even with the safety distance, should I protect it?

 

[Softus]

If you don't have the safety distance you must get some metal strips to protect the cable.

Do you consider that "metal strips" meet the provisions of 522-06-06 (iii)?