Utility ROom Socket Shocker

[mikey9]

Nice cable routing across front of the stud - discovered when I removed the plasterboard. Makes you wonder about the rest through the house.

How did they get away with such shoddy work 20 yrs ago?

Of course - not being a qualified sparky I can't touch this in our utility room (according to building regs!!) - Hold me back......

This appears to be a spur from an upstairs bedroom socket (wire turns up behind a noggin just out of pic -) is this still allowed??

Cheers for any advice

 

[Steve]

technically to the left of the socket is a safe zone. This is allowed. Though not sure of the nail holding it in. Thats shoddy, but its restrained, which is ok by the regs.

If the cable snakes up the wall in no particular direction (looks like it might) this is wrong.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Of course - not being a qualified sparky I can't touch this in our utility room (according to building regs!!) - Hold me back......

Why not? A utility room isn't a special location.

 

[mikey9]

I am amazed that beside the socket is considered "safe" - I always thought sockets were supposed to be fed from below - from the soleplate (bear in mind I am just a normal joe who has read a couple of DIY books) - I would always have expected that beside and above would NOT have wires heading in that direction.

The wire does meander across the space between two studs (I have found this elsewhere in the house too)

Stud/Wiring detector on order I reckon.

The reference to Utility room is me extrapolating the regs (Scotland) which explicitly mention Kitchen/Bathrooms and other places where there is water - I expected this would inlcude utility room (which generally include water) although I am happy to be contradicted.......

 

[Steve]

I am amazed that beside the socket is considered "safe"

Think about a kitchen. On a 4 metre length of worktop, I'd expect about 4 double sockets. I'd expect there to be a cable between them. This is why its a safe zone horizontally, as well as vertically from every accessory.

 

[skenk]

Have a look af 'safe zones' in the wiki for info on where cables can be concealed.

The reference to Utility room is me extrapolating the regs (Scotland) which explicitly mention Kitchen/Bathrooms and other places where there is water - I expected this would inlcude utility room (which generally include water) although I am happy to be contradicted.......

What regs have you been looking at?

 

[ColJack]

the cable doesn't NEED to be in a safe zone vertically.. it's clipped to the wall ( presumably ) at the back of a stud work..

it looks to be 50 x 50mm timber and with the 9 or 12mm plasterboard and any skim, that makes it more than 50mm from the surface of the wall ( and more than 50mm from the reverse as it's a block wall so at least 4 inches? )

 

[Lectrician]

the cable doesn't NEED to be in a safe zone vertically.. it's clipped to the wall ( presumably ) at the back of a stud work..

it looks to be 50 x 50mm timber and with the 9 or 12mm plasterboard and any skim, that makes it more than 50mm from the surface of the wall ( and more than 50mm from the reverse as it's a block wall so at least 4 inches? )

Yep, it looks like 2" timbers to me, so would just be deeper than 50mm from the face of the wall (very close though).

If this is the case, the only real crime is the nail is not ideal. Looks like they used a grommet which is a plus - thats the usual thing missing on a bodge job

How about a wider shot?