Endee rhu f

Sekekama

.ended the discussion 

Cherryfudge

I don't know about the fuse box, sorry. However, it looks as though your sockets are on a wooden skirting board which could be a safety issue. Do they have metal backing to create a barrier between the electrics and the wood?

BarelySentientAI

Mounting sockets on wood is not a safety issue.  You do not need a barrier.

Plenty of other things 'wrong' with that installation, but this is not one of them.

FreeBear

BarelySentientAI said:

Mounting sockets on wood is not a safety issue.  You do not need a barrier.

Plenty of other things 'wrong' with that installation, but this is not one of them.

Still have a couple of sockets on the skirting from when *this place was rewired back in the 70s. Whilst not compliant with current regs, they are not inherently unsafe or dangerous.

The biggest concern I have with the OP's consumer unit is the lack of RCD (or RCBO) on the shower circuit (along with a lack of RCD protection on the sockets). It would be sensible to fit a modern consumer unit and consider a rewire, moving sockets further up the wall and adding a few more in each room. However, this is going to make a mess of the decoration unless you go for surface mounted trunking & wall boxes (both ugly options in my opinion).

YBR

The point about "low" sockets is not that they're mounted on wood, but that current standards make you put them higher up where a wheelchair user can reach them. 

To me that makes the cables more of a risk in terms of tripping over trailing cables [so I was annoyed that it applied in our loft room which was totally inaccessible to a wheel chair user]

However, if the sockets' positions are causing issues with moulded plugs, turning the fronts upside-down seems a good compromise, alongside a new consumer unit. 

Talk to the electrician because sometimes just a small amount of work means you have to bring the whole system up to standard.

Section62

YBR said:

The point about "low" sockets is not that they're mounted on wood, but that current standards make you put them higher up where a wheelchair user can reach them. 

To me that makes the cables more of a risk in terms of tripping over trailing cables [so I was annoyed that it applied in our loft room which was totally inaccessible to a wheel chair user]

However, if the sockets' positions are causing issues with moulded plugs, turning the fronts upside-down seems a good compromise, alongside a new consumer unit. 

Talk to the electrician because sometimes just a small amount of work means you have to bring the whole system up to standard.

The primary reason for the minimum mounting height is to make sure the flex coming out of the plug has sufficient space so it doesn't get bent into a too tight radius.  If the socket is almost touching the carpet (like this example) the flex has to be bent sharply and this (with repeated flexing) can cause failure of the conductors and/or insulation.

I wouldn't recommend installing sockets upside down - if there is a problem then the socket needs to be moved to a more suitable location.

ThisIsWeird

When I built a unit over a socket, the unit's floor was tight under the existing socket, so I just turned them upside down. Mind you, they are hidden, and tend to be used for set appliances - hifi and stuff like that. Daughter still cusses now and then as she tries to plug in her hair dryer.
Not ideal, but a darned sight better than having the plug cable bent at a sharp angle.
So, given only the choice of doing nothing or turning them around, I'd do the latter.
That MEM is metal-cased, so presumably not ancient? (No idea of dates). But the existing MCBs are the ubiquitous M6's, and equivalent RCBOs are available, tho' silly money. As FreeBear says, that shower, at the very least, is gagging for one.
Or, replace the main switch with an RCD type, tho' a new surround looks as tho' it would be needed too for this - unless they can be cut?
With the whole leccy system looking a bit basic and dated, tho' still using PVC so no real evidence of risk, I'd still be more inclined to go individual RCBOs to reduce the risk of nuisance tripping.
That's purely a DIYer's assessment, and needs to be taken with the required.

Sekekama

FreeBear said:

BarelySentientAI said:

Mounting sockets on wood is not a safety issue.  You do not need a barrier.

Plenty of other things 'wrong' with that installation, but this is not one of them.

Still have a couple of sockets on the skirting from when *this place was rewired back in the 70s. Whilst not compliant with current regs, they are not inherently unsafe or dangerous.

The biggest concern I have with the OP's consumer unit is the lack of RCD (or RCBO) on the shower circuit (along with a lack of RCD protection on the sockets). It would be sensible to fit a modern consumer unit and consider a rewire, moving sockets further up the wall and adding a few more in each room. However, this is going to make a mess of the decoration unless you go for surface mounted trunking & wall boxes (both ugly options in my opinion).

I've just had plastering done and definitely don't want that damaged as paid 3k for that I do think a modem fusebox is an idea. Some friends suggested turning plug sockets upside down so plugs don't catch to floor also there is 3-4 layers of carpets so when I do recarpet it may not be an issue. However there is a lack of plugs sockets in places

Sekekama

BarelySentientAI said:

Mounting sockets on wood is not a safety issue.  You do not need a barrier.

Plenty of other things 'wrong' with that installation, but this is not one of them.

So worth getting new modern fusebox I can't afford a rewire not want my plastering I've just paid for damaged 

Sekekama

ThisIsWeird said:

When I built a unit over a socket, the unit's floor was tight under the existing socket, so I just turned them upside down. Mind you, they are hidden, and tend to be used for set appliances - hifi and stuff like that. Daughter still cusses now and then as she tries to plug in her hair dryer.
Not ideal, but a darned sight better than having the plug cable bent at a sharp angle.
So, given only the choice of doing nothing or turning them around, I'd do the latter.
That MEM is metal-cased, so presumably not ancient? (No idea of dates). But the existing MCBs are the ubiquitous M6's, and equivalent RCBOs are available, tho' silly money. As FreeBear says, that shower, at the very least, is gagging for one.
Or, replace the main switch with an RCD type, tho' a new surround looks as tho' it would be needed too for this - unless they can be cut?
With the whole leccy system looking a bit basic and dated, tho' still using PVC so no real evidence of risk, I'd still be more inclined to go individual RCBOs to reduce the risk of nuisance tripping.
That's purely a DIYer's assessment, and needs to be taken with the required.

The electrician said a new one £250-300 he would do for me I believe including installing. I just don't want to pay for a rewire right now as just had plastering done ideally if I turn the sockets upside down it's easier for me. Unsure if an electrician would do that for me if I asked? 

ThisIsWeird

Minimum - you need RCD protection for the shower. Near min - you need ditto for the immersion and sockets.
Whether that's cheaper to obtain by a complete CU swap, or replacing individual MCBs, I don't know.
I think you can get complete CUs with RCBOs for little money - around £100 - and this would likely be better than keeping the one you have and swapping the MCBs.
Making the new one 8 or 10-way, would also future proof it.