Is it safe enough to run an electric extension around a door frame?

martin57

Hello,


I have put a tv in my bedroom but not near any sockets so was thinking of running an extension cable along skirting, and then around the frame of a door of a inbuilt clothes cupboard in order to power the tv. I already have a sky magic eye cable running along skirting, but want to keep the power extension neat and out of harms way, so do you think its safe enough to run it up and over door frame of cupboard? Maybe cable length will be about 10m long in total.

Won't be running anything heavy except maybe led tv and dvd player. The extension will initially be hooked up to a five or 6 plug socket, but nothing other than bedside light and cordless phone running of that.

Do you think it will be ok to do this?

Many thanks
Martin57

muckybutt

Not an ideal situation but not dangerous, however I would say it's not a great idea to run an extension off an extension.

jc808

As long as its not a permanent thing (ie youre putting in a socket), just an extension then.... itll be ok not ideal

Avoriaz

Is there a socket somewhere on the other side of the wall where the TV will be placed from which you can run a proper spur?

That might result in a far shorter run of cable, and it could be cable and not flex.

Risteard

Avoriaz wrote: »

it could be cable and not flex.

The last time I checked flexible cable was indeed cable.

EssexExile

http://www.rospa.com/homesafety/aroundtheuk/northern-ireland/electricity/flexes-cables/flexes.aspx

Risteard

EssexExile wrote: »

http://www.rospa.com/homesafety/aroundtheuk/northern-ireland/electricity/flexes-cables/flexes.aspx

That is absolute nonsense. I can assure you as an Electrician that flex is cable. Otherwise it wouldn't be much use, would it!?

Avoriaz

Risteard wrote: »

The last time I checked flexible cable was indeed cable.

The OP is considering:

"so was thinking of running an extension cable along skirting".

My suggestion was that he wire a proper spur using the more robust flex designed for mains rings and fitted inside a wall and not the less robust cable used in extension cables run around a skirting board and up and over a door.

Surely that was obvious, even if my terminology was not necessarily perfect.

Both options are probably reasonably safe but my option is certainly neater and safer if perhaps more difficult to do.

martin57

Avoriaz wrote: »

The OP is considering:

"so was thinking of running an extension cable along skirting".

My suggestion was that he wire a proper spur using the more robust flex designed for mains rings and fitted inside a wall and not the less robust cable used in extension cables run around a skirting board and up and over a door.

Surely that was obvious, even if my terminology was not necessarily perfect.

Both options are probably reasonably safe but my option is certainly neater and safer if perhaps more difficult to do.

Thanks a lot for replies. When you say "wire a proper spur" do you mean put in another socket where the existing socket is, as the problem is the walls are a mixture of studded and brick and there is a run of at lest 13 feet to where I want power to be and one door in way, or a shorter run and 2 doors in way.

There are no sockets opposite where I want power to be, but there is a hot press just beside it, but to be honest I am a little nervous of getting anyone to tinker in there with the electrics as people will be pulling in and out clothes and maybe hands will catch on some wiring, doing more harm than good.

Maybe not I don't really know.

Thanks for all your help
martin57

thescouselander

I'd suggest there's nothing wrong with running the extension as suggested but you should really plug it into a wall outlet rather than another extension?

Personally I wouldn't bother going to the trouble to wiring a new socket just for a TV. When I had to do this in my old house I actually routed the flex into the roof space and then back down to the TV from above.