Can Wiring to Wall Socket be Laid Horizontally Along Wall at Near Floor Level?

[Novice12]

Hello,

I have had my 2 story house rewired and one of the low level wall sockets on the ground floor is wired with wires that run horizontally along the wall at floor height and then travel up the short distance to the socket from underneath it.

My question is whether this is good practice.

The ground floor is concrete and the 1st floor wooden joists and floorboards. I think other low level wall sockets on the ground floor have had the wiring run down from above and I would have thought this socket would have been done like this too. I think maybe the builder forgot about it so it was an addition, would this explain why he has wired it like this?

The wall the wiring runs along will be part of the kitchen so kitchen base unit for a sink will cover it up to some extent although I am leaving spaces for a non-built-in washing machine and dishwasher along this wall too.

Any advice would be very much welcome.

Thanks,

A

 

[Andy78]

Is the wiring run on the surface, either clipped or in trunking, or is it sunk in and plastered over ?

 

[Pete999]

Hello,

I have had my 2 story house rewired and one of the low level wall sockets on the ground floor is wired with wires that run horizontally along the wall at floor height and then travel up the short distance to the socket from underneath it.

My question is whether this is good practice.

The ground floor is concrete and the 1st floor wooden joists and floorboards. I think other low level wall sockets on the ground floor have had the wiring run down from above and I would have thought this socket would have been done like this too. I think maybe the builder forgot about it so it was an addition, would this explain why he has wired it like this?

The wall the wiring runs along will be part of the kitchen so kitchen base unit for a sink will cover it up to some extent although I am leaving spaces for a non-built-in washing machine and dishwasher along this wall too.

Any advice would be very much welcome.

Thanks,

A

Safe zones for electric cables - DIYWiki - http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Safe_zones_for_electric_cables

 

[Novice12]

Is the wiring run on the surface, either clipped or in trunking, or is it sunk in and plastered over ?

Hi,

At the moment it runs on the surface and then goes behind the plaster (not plaster board just the plaster I think). I think he might leave like that as will be partly behind base cabinet.

I have attached a photo.

Thanks,

A

 

[Octopus]

Hum...... That's not good. Best you watch out where the fixing nails for the skirting board.

 

[Jamchiv01]

Assuming this is a kitchen installation:
He would have ran the cables surface mounted like that so the kitchen fitter doesn't screw the units to the wall and hit the cable BUT he should have ran them the same height of the sockets horizontally to comply with Zones prescribed in Regulation Group 522.6

Reference: Cables in walls - IET Electrical - http://electrical.------.org/wiring-matters/54/cables-in-walls/index.cfm

Also do you know if he placed either metallic or plastic "capping" over the cable?
And is this circuit covered by A RCD?

 

[Taylortwocities]

If the cables are to be left like that, ie with kitchen cupboards in front, then they are OK. They do need some support though, so should be clipped to the wall.

@Jamchiv01 why are you asking about capping. Do you think it might be necessary?

 

[Novice12]

Thanks for replies so far.

Would it not have been best to just run the cables down from above like he did for other sockets?

@Jamchiv01 Pardon my ignorance but what is capping? + It is a new fuse board so I think will have RCDs.

A

 

[Jamchiv01]

@Taylortwocities Best to describe what I mean with a image.

Allways place capping over the cables for mechanical protection. (Mainly from the plasterer and the plaster itself)


@Novice12 Capping looks like this:

 

[Novice12]

Thanks, I see what you mean.

Could he have run the wires vertically instead?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Could he have run the wires vertically instead?

From a socket the only recognised routes for cables are vertically or horizontally. A dog leg or diagonal route is not allowed.
See figure 3 in this informative document
Cables concealed in a wall or partition - IET Electrical

NOTE: the routes apply to cables that are concealed (eg plastered over). So, if there are to be kitchen base units in front, you could simply chop away the plaster on the short distance that the cable is covered horizontally along the floor level to reveal the cables underneath.
That would leave the short vertical cable drop covered. That is OK because it is run in a permitted cable route.

 

[Taylortwocities]

@Taylortwocities Best to describe what I mean with a image.

I know exactly what you meant, but, as I said, re-routing the cables not be necessary if the cables will be out of sight - hidden behind a kitchen cupboard plinth.

 

[Spoon]

@TaylortwocitiesAllways place capping over the cables for mechanical protection. (Mainly from the plasterer and the plaster itself)

I thought that PVC cables are no longer affected by plaster. Thought I read it somewhere on this forum. I could be wrong...

 

[Taylortwocities]

Cables are not affected by normal plaster. They often are affected by the plasterer himself!

Background materials containing corrosive salts can be a problem - slaked lime mortar, perhaps.

 

[Wilko]

Cables are not affected by normal plaster. They often are affected by the plasterer himself.

And like doctors, they can bury their mistakes.