sockets on skirting board

[soulman]

I have recently done a job at customers property (repaired another storage heater, thanks to one of prodaves previous posts The customer was told a few months ago by a well known electrician that they must remove their sockets from the skirting boards as there is a fire risk and the t&e cable must be installed in trunking or buried in the wall. I looked at the sockets which had been there for years they were high up on about 12" skirting and the T&E supplying them was clipped up to socket from the floor. The backboxes were plastic, they were secure you could insert a plug without any undue stress on the cable. I cant see anything wrong with this i told the customer. And pointed out that her consumer unit and metering equipment were also on a wooden background. Am i missing something here!!!

 

[Doc Hudson]

No. Whilst not the best way to install things on a new build or re-wire. There is no immediate danger to either people or property from what you say.

Doc H.

 

[NozSpark]

It's not great, but there is very little fire risk as the socket is surface mounted in a pattress.

IMHO the greater risk is the possible damage to the cables by bashing with a vaccumm cleaner.

 

[soulman]

Cheers, i checked the cables there was no damage at all.

 

[Evans Electric]

Agree with Noz, I've been seeing this for years and although not the best method,some guys over react. I've come across vacuum damaged sockets which were fixed at floor level TBH .

The method dates back to when a Sparks would be sent out without a power drill for a start ( The old 15Amp x 3 pin sockets were mostly fixed to the skirting mainly due to the ease of fixing to wood instead of plugging holes in brickwork by hand.

When I started work all Sparks owned a carpenter's type ratchet swing brace, mainly for drilling joists , along with augers, no power tools in their own kit and SDS unheard of.

Domestic accessories ,until the early 60,s were mounted on wooden patresses.

I find the comment from the "Well Known Electrician" a load of scaremongering cobblers TBH . As you say there are thousands of meters and fuseboards mounted on wood , all bursting into flames on a daily basis...not.

 

[ProDave]

What you can do, to protect the cable is fit some mini trunking, 16mm by 25mm comfortably takes two 2.5mm twin & earth.

You often dont even need to disconnect the socket. Jut unscrew the back box, pull the socket forward a bit, drop in the trunking and screw the back box back in place.

It gives mechanical protection to the cable and looks a lot neater than t&e clipped direct.

 

[Evans Electric]

What does your Part P assessor say about sockets on skirting boards , Dave ? :innocent

 

[steptoe]

^ dont get him started Deke, you scoundrel you!

 

[ProDave]

What does your Part P assessor say about sockets on skirting boards , Dave ? :innocent

I'm banned from talking about that subject :run

 

[Evans Electric]

Foiled again ..... he'll slip up sooner or later ....just can't help rubbing it in ....

Och aye theres noo Parrrt Pee oop here over the border yee know !

Parrrt Peee , Oooo aye we dinna have that ooop here ye knoo ...only in Sassonach land , Jimmy!

Ooo hellooo Dr Findlay , theres a wee patient ootside says he has trouble peeing .

Nay, not possible Dr Cameron, theres no Pee problems upp here as ye well knoo . :innocent :innocent:innocent ; )

 

[ProDave]

I think you're losing the plot Deke.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

As Dave says the cables possibly should be mechanically protected & other than that it seems ok. It amazes me how many electricians give a periodic check an unsatisfactory (wrongly) for sockets either surface or flush in the skirtings.

The reason this horror & scaremongery of sockets in or on skirtings started, was when 13A flush sockets first started appearing ( i guess early 50's) chippys, builders & some sparkys removed the old surface mounted 15A outlets and chiseled a neat socket size hole in the skirtings to flush mount them, no back box. Also almost 100% of these new fangled 13A sockets were MK which had exposed terminals on the open back. A mounting pattress was supposed to be used if the outlet was mounted on a flammable surface but as these cost almost as much as the socket only good sparkys fitted them, once again leaving the open backs with exposed connections. None of these methods meet todays standards but a normal patress or metal flush box with a socket fitted is perfectly acceptable as long as its not going to get knocked.

 

[Doc Hudson]

Cheers, i checked the cables there was no damage at all.

As an additional comment, your insulation resistance, earth continuity, polarity, Zs etc would confirm the electrical safety and it is always acceptable to clip cables over wooden, beams, joists or skirting. So how this other well known electrician thinks there is some fire danger with a socket fixed to a skirting is a joke.

Doc H.

 

[shed69]

The method dates back to when a Sparks would be sent out without a power drill for a start ( The old 15Amp x 3 pin sockets were mostly fixed to the skirting mainly due to the ease of fixing to wood instead of plugging holes in brickwork by hand.

When I started work all Sparks owned a carpenter's type ratchet swing brace, mainly for drilling joists , along with augers, no power tools in their own kit and SDS unheard of.

Domestic accessories ,until the early 60,s were mounted on wooden patresses.

I find the comment from the "Well Known Electrician" a load of scaremongering cobblers TBH . As you say there are thousands of meters and fuseboards mounted on wood , all bursting into flames on a daily basis...not.

You do know Evans that retirement age is 65 don't you????? :slap

 

[steptoe]

he's on minus numbers now dontyaknow ????

 

[Evans Electric]

I think you're losing the plot Deke.

I lost it a long time ago Dave , been trying to catch up ever since!!!!