What could this white faceplate and pipe be?

TheJackah

In our kitchen underneath a worktop, was some boxing in, which we removed to see what was behind it. 

As shown in the picture below, there was a white faceplate and also a pipe behind it. 



Does anyone know what these two things could be for? 

grumbler

Unscrew the faceplate and you'll see what's inside. Most likely some wires.

The pipes - try to trace them. Most likely hot and cold water, but can be CH.

Phantom151

Place where a wasing machune used to be. Hot & cold feed and poewr behind the faceplate.

TheJackah

Phantom151 said:

Place where a wasing machune used to be. Hot & cold feed and poewr behind the faceplate.

Ah! I didn't think of that. That makes sense, as this is in the old part of the kitchen before it was extended. Thank you!

diystarter7

Hi
Any of them warm/hot?
Trace them as stated above
The white socket has almost 100% live wires behind it as looks like a blanking plate

Was there a boiler or evidence of one within a few feet of that lot?
Thanks

TheJackah

diystarter7 said:

Hi
Any of them warm/hot?
Trace them as stated above
The white socket has almost 100% live wires behind it as looks like a blanking plate

Was there a boiler or evidence of one within a few feet of that lot?
Thanks

No the pipes aren't hot even with the heating on. They appear to go up some more boxing in, straight up to where the boiler is (in the bathroom directly above). 

I hope they are live wires! We have been looking for ages how to easily get a socket on that side of the kitchen. Turns out it may have been there all this time! 

Section62

grumbler said:

In two words:

If he has a multimeter he can check whether the wires are live or not.

He can find out what MCB switches the voltage off, how this MCB is marked and what else it controls.

- this anybody with a decent multimeter can do.

If it's two 2.5mm wires connected together and operated by an MCB marked 'downstairs sockets, nothing will change if a socket is fixed back where it used to be (part of a ring).

Some extra checks can be needed and I'm not saying that the OP has to do this himself - this depends on how 'competent' he is.

If it's one 2.5mm wire, most likely it was a spur - some extra research is needed.

So you've just made the potentially dangerous assumption that "two wires = ring".

Those extra checks are always needed - you have no way of telling from a visual inspection that the two cables are part of a ring, it could be a spur or radial instead.  You don't know there used to be a socket there, and if one was you don't know why it was removed.  Making such assumptions with electrics is potentially dangerous.

One answer to the question you asked "Why on earth pay £75-£100 for this?" is that spending that money may save you burning your house down.  Or rather, being partly responsible for burning someone else's house down as a result of giving them bad advice.

grumbler

Section62 said:

grumbler said:

In two words:

If he has a multimeter he can check whether the wires are live or not.

He can find out what MCB switches the voltage off, how this MCB is marked and what else it controls.

- this anybody with a decent multimeter can do.

If it's two 2.5mm wires connected together and operated by an MCB marked 'downstairs sockets, nothing will change if a socket is fixed back where it used to be (part of a ring).

Some extra checks can be needed and I'm not saying that the OP has to do this himself - this depends on how 'competent' he is.

If it's one 2.5mm wire, most likely it was a spur - some extra research is needed.

So you've just made the potentially dangerous assumption that "two wires = ring".

I said, nothing will change if you replace the terminal block with a socket. For using the socket some extra checks are needed.

One answer to the question you asked "Why on earth pay £75-£100 for this?" is that spending that money may save you burning your house down.  Or rather, being partly responsible for burning someone else's house down as a result of giving them bad advice.

Nonsense.  I disagree. You have to try really hard to burn your house when doing first two steps. That's why you don't have to be an electrician to do some basic electric jobs. Like you don't have to drive to a garage to top up you screen-wash liquid. In many respects car is more dangerous than home electrics, but you can DIY pretty much everything except MOT once a year.

And if you do at least first two steps yourself, you don't waste £75-100 on precious electrician's time when he comes to have a look. When you call him, you already have some idea about what real job you need to be done, can discuss the cost of it and shop around.

And again, for many jobs it can be a competent person, not necessarily an overpriced electrician, like GDB2222 implied.

stuart45

I was on a job a few years ago, where someone had run the electrics in a badly converted roof space from a socket downstairs, which was itself on a spur, so it did look like it was on a ring. The sparks worked it out. Luckily wasn't left to me.

Section62

grumbler said:

Section62 said:

grumbler said:

In two words:

If he has a multimeter he can check whether the wires are live or not.

He can find out what MCB switches the voltage off, how this MCB is marked and what else it controls.

- this anybody with a decent multimeter can do.

If it's two 2.5mm wires connected together and operated by an MCB marked 'downstairs sockets, nothing will change if a socket is fixed back where it used to be (part of a ring).

Some extra checks can be needed and I'm not saying that the OP has to do this himself - this depends on how 'competent' he is.

If it's one 2.5mm wire, most likely it was a spur - some extra research is needed.

So you've just made the potentially dangerous assumption that "two wires = ring".

I said, nothing will change if you replace the terminal block with a socket. For using the socket some extra checks are needed.

So to clarify, on a moneysaving website you are suggesting installing a socket that won't be used, to replace a perfectly adequate teminal block and blanking plate?

What would the purpose of installing a socket which won't be used (before getting the extra checks done)?

In any event, the socket - even if unused - could be a breach of the wiring regulations and creates the potentially unsafe situation in that someone could decide to use the socket at a later date without doing the extra checks.

The checks would require the newly installed socket to be removed to allow inspection by a competent person, so what exactly has been gained by this bit of DIYing?

grumbler said:

One answer to the question you asked "Why on earth pay £75-£100 for this?" is that spending that money may save you burning your house down.  Or rather, being partly responsible for burning someone else's house down as a result of giving them bad advice.

Nonsense.  I disagree. You have to try really hard to burn your house when doing first two steps. That's why you don't have to be an electrician to do some basic electric jobs. Like you don't have to drive to a garage to top up you screen-wash liquid. In many respects car is more dangerous than home electrics, but you can DIY pretty much everything except MOT once a year.

And if you do at least first two steps yourself, you don't waste £75-100 on precious electrician time when it comes to have a look. When you call him, you already have some idea about what real job you need to be done, can discuss the cost of it and shop around.

And again, for many jobs it can be a competent person, not necessarily an overpriced electrician, like GDB2222 implied.

It isn't necessarily the initial steps, it is the 'mission creep' which this thread has become.  From "what is this?" it has become instructions on how to add a socket, but not in a safe or 'competent' way.

dil1976

grumbler said:

Section62 said:

grumbler said:

In two words:

If he has a multimeter he can check whether the wires are live or not.

He can find out what MCB switches the voltage off, how this MCB is marked and what else it controls.

- this anybody with a decent multimeter can do.

If it's two 2.5mm wires connected together and operated by an MCB marked 'downstairs sockets, nothing will change if a socket is fixed back where it used to be (part of a ring).

Some extra checks can be needed and I'm not saying that the OP has to do this himself - this depends on how 'competent' he is.

If it's one 2.5mm wire, most likely it was a spur - some extra research is needed.

So you've just made the potentially dangerous assumption that "two wires = ring".

I said, nothing will change if you replace the terminal block with a socket. For using the socket some extra checks are needed.

One answer to the question you asked "Why on earth pay £75-£100 for this?" is that spending that money may save you burning your house down.  Or rather, being partly responsible for burning someone else's house down as a result of giving them bad advice.

Nonsense.  I disagree. You have to try really hard to burn your house when doing first two steps. That's why you don't have to be an electrician to do some basic electric jobs. Like you don't have to drive to a garage to top up you screen-wash liquid. In many respects car is more dangerous than home electrics, but you can DIY pretty much everything except MOT once a year.

And if you do at least first two steps yourself, you don't waste £75-100 on precious electrician's time when he comes to have a look. When you call him, you already have some idea about what real job you need to be done, can discuss the cost of it and shop around.

And again, for many jobs it can be a competent person, not necessarily an overpriced electrician, like GDB2222 implied.

How do you know that what was there wasn't a spur and it has been extended to new location therefore you may not be able to install a socket as you risk overloading the cable?

How would you test that the RCD/RCBO (  if one is fitted, if not one would need to be installed) trips in the required time as you have altered the circuit.

How would you check the Earth fault loop impedence of the circuit is satisfactory at the new socket? 

Does the person doing the job have insurance that covers themselves if someone were to be hurt from their work, or damage to a building happen?

So all of a sudden that money you "wasted" is well spent ensuring it is safe for use.