Blanking a plug socket

grumbler

Homer_home said:

Everybody else knows what he means except you apparently 

OK, can you explain ME, please? What exactly is acceptable and what is not - in terms of the "heat source"? Temperature? Distance?

What I know is that electric kettles are made from plastic and even irons - and are perfectly safe.

Homer_home said:

Stop being so pedantic , everybody else on this forum clearly realised she missed a word out 

Can you vouch for the OP?

grumbler

Risteard said:

I can quote plenty of Regulations, including those of good workmanship and of mutually detrimental influences. I could probably list about 10 Regulations to show that it's not OK.

I am not sure that "good workmanship" is classed as regulations, not recommendations (i.e. acceptable / not acceptable), but can you quote, not list, please?

Or do I overestimate seriousness of the words "not acceptable"?

Risteard

grumbler said:

Risteard said:

I can quote plenty of Regulations, including those of good workmanship and of mutually detrimental influences. I could probably list about 10 Regulations to show that it's not OK.

I am not sure that "good workmanship" is classed as regulations, not recommendations (i.e. acceptable / not acceptable), but can you quote, not list, please?

Or do I overestimate seriousness of the words "not acceptable".

"Good workmanship" is actually an explicit requirement of the Regulations. But perhaps you aren't actually that familiar with BS7671. You also ignored the mention of mutually detrimental influences.

grumbler

As I said, I wasn't sure.  I am not a professional electrician - that's why I ask questions here. Yes, I am pedantic and prefer any specific information - because I want to know the boundary between "acceptable" and "not acceptable".

Ectophile

Risteard said:

grumbler said:

Risteard said:

I can quote plenty of Regulations, including those of good workmanship and of mutually detrimental influences. I could probably list about 10 Regulations to show that it's not OK.

I am not sure that "good workmanship" is classed as regulations, not recommendations (i.e. acceptable / not acceptable), but can you quote, not list, please?

Or do I overestimate seriousness of the words "not acceptable".

"Good workmanship" is actually an explicit requirement of the Regulations. But perhaps you aren't actually that familiar with BS7671. You also ignored the mention of mutually detrimental influences.

Do you know the maximum operating temperature for a white plastic blanking plate?  I don't - it's not an obvious thing in a manufacturer's data sheet.

"I wouldn't do it like that" isn't really a reason to condemn someone else's work as not "good workmanship".

grumbler

And why plastic? It can well be metal.

FreeBear

grumbler said:

FreeBear said:

... in all other situations, maintenance connectors (such as Wago connectors) should be used.

maintenance-FREE

It's been a long day. Sometimes, my proof reading is a little off...

Original post now corrected.

/me wanders off for a large measure of Port.

Jeepers_Creepers

annabanana82 said:

We are about to have a new radiator installed, where the radiator is going is an unused plug socket. 
Our plumber said to blank it off with a plate and use choc boxes for the wires. 
My Husband is happy to do this but is this all we really need to do? 
TIA

Hi 'Banana.

I hope you are enjoying this thread :-)

I take it that lifting the floorboards and fully removing the wiring to that socket isn't an option? Ie, as said before, the adjacent sockets would be wired directly together to complete what will likely be a 'ring' circuit, and that socket would have then no cables going to it at all. Then simply fit a blanking cover on that empty backbox or even fill it in and and paint it to make is disappear. That's the 'best' solution.  

If you'd rather not bovver doing this, then I would personally be happy with either leaving the socket as it is (it's been fine for X years...), or else replacing it with a blanking plate but then using maintenance-free connectors behind it IF there are two cables there (it could possibly be a spurred socket with a single cable, in which case safely terminating the wires in screw terminals is fine). Maintenance-free connectors are spring-loaded so don't have screws which potentially could come free. 

Obviously, if wires remain to that backbox, it must remain visible as being an electrical box - ie have either a socket or blanking plate on its front, and not be filled in and disguised!

I would not worry about the 'heat' element of this.

Whether the above is best practice is possibly another issue.

troffasky

Risteard said:

I can quote plenty of Regulations, including those of good workmanship and of mutually detrimental influences. I could probably list about 10 Regulations to show that it's not OK.

"could" and "can", but won't?