Wiring horizontally in a kitchen?

[sergeantash]

Morning!

A friend at work just showed me photos of his kitchen first fit install carried out by a qualified electrican.

Along the top of the kitchen counter are a series of 2-gang sockets recessed into the wall spanning the width of the room (about 2/3 of them) but rather than feed each socket with it's ring supply running up/down, then along and up/down, the sockets are linked via a horizontal running ring simply exiting each socket from the side, running along to the next.

This...

---|___|-------------|___|------------|___|

Instead of this...

----|___|-------------|___|-------------|___|
------|-------------------|------------------|
------|-------------------|------------------|
------|-------------------|------------------|


Sorry for the rather crude illustration. Basically the installation path he has chosen means that should someone ever wish to install something that requires mounting within the tile space above the work surface, they may not suspect (I certainly wouldn't) that the electrical feed would be running horizontally.

I'm not an electrician but I wouldn't be happy with this installation, so I am wondering if this Part-P satisfactory, best practice and safe?

 

[JohnD]

yes it's fine, and far more sensible than going up and down

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

agree with above, it meets the requirements set out by BS7671:2008 which means it complies to part p, the path the cables are taking are in a permitted safe zone, between accessories and wall ends.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:installation_techniques:walls

 

[sergeantash]

Very interesting and thanks for all of your responses - I still don't like the idea if it were my own kitchen but that is my next project so at least I now know

Thanks all.

 

[LiamPope]

In fact, if you were to wire those sockets as per your second diagram, that would be against the regs, as unless there were sockets/accessories along that low horizontal cable run, then that would be outside the safe zones. That of course assumes that cable wouldn't be burried more than 50mm deep or in earthed metal conduit, in which case it would be OK out of safe zones.

You absolutely should expect cables to be burried vertically or horizontally from any accessory, because that is permitted. What on earth would you want to mount to a wall just above worktop height between sockets anyway?

 

[Taylortwocities]

d. What on earth would you want to mount to a wall just above worktop height between sockets anyway?

Only another socket,

and that is brilliant because the wiring is already there!!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yup.

Plastered in and with no slack to add another accessory....

 

[RF Lighting]

 

[Taylortwocities]

And/or the cable run in oval conduit.

Meerkat

• Taylortwocities
• 11 Dec 2009
• 53

Simples!