Controlling plug sockets room by room

[Neil2021]

Hi

Would really appreciate some advice on this as I have pretty limited electrical knowledge

I live in a fairly new build home with 3 floors and the fuse box can either turn off all the plug sockets on the ground floor or turn off all the plug sockets on the 2nd and 3rd floor in every room

I basically want to be able to switch off sockets or power room by room, basically so I can turn the kids electric off at night to stop them staying up half the night ? without it affecting the other rooms

I've used WiFi plugs (not sockets) but these can be easily overridden or just unplugged, so not much use

What would be the easiest and cheapest way to do this, would it require any kind of rewiring or a new fuse box or circuit breaker?, I have looked at WiFi sockets but most of these can still be switched on and off manually, I did find a lightwave socket that can be controlled by RF and has a child lock but this would need installation and don't know how reliable these would be

Thanks in advance

 

[Baddegg]

I’ve had this before and done it for a customer but that was at the rewire/refurb stage......nit sure it’s worth the grief if I’m honest, just take the stuff of em ?

 

[Midwest]

Yeah we've tried the WiFi plugs but of course they will just unplug them, so as @Julie. suggested I think the WiFi sockets would be best as they are not expensive but need to be ones that can't be manually overridden

I know descipline is a big factor and we probably are being too soft, we have spoken and shouted at them plenty of times and they will usually be OK for a while but then play up every so often, so it's not every night, the older 2 are my step kids aswell so makes it a bit harder

Thanks everyone though, think will try wifi sockets

Its your house, your rules. There's a point in parental rule, where you loose parental control.

For some thats the terrible three's, some at early teens. some at the dreaded 13's or all the way up to the 30's etc. You (and they) decide.

Personally, I might choose to decide on having a shouting match with a 15 year old on such a matter, and see what happens.

 

[Neil2021]

Its your house, your rules. There's a point in parental rule, where you loose parental control.

For some thats the terrible three's, some at early teens. some at the dreaded 13's or all the way up to the 30's etc. You (and they) decide.

Personally, I might choose to decide on having a shouting match with a 15 year old on such a matter, and see what happens.

Yeah done that too, but they're cockey at this age and I end up wanting to give him a slap ? even harder cause he's my stepson

 

[OnlQQker]

It's thing like this that have made me and the misses realise that we don't want kids.


We're going to tell them later when they get back from there Grans!

 

[Micktw68]

An old SAP I knew on LE did it with his upstairs circuit feeding his sons room in the 70s...his problem was a loud electric guitar/music at all hours of the night. Said SAP interrupted the circuit installed a single phase fused isolator on the landing and locked it off when he couldnt stand any more Thin Lizzy ?

 

[Midwest]

Yeah done that too, but they're cockey at this age and I end up wanting to give him a slap ? even harder cause he's my stepson

My kids went through that phase and worse; I soon realised, the days when I thought I could control them through the threat of physical violence, had gone.

Its a power struggle, with the Alpha male syndrome. They feel obliged to challenge your authority. It’s a battle you will eventually loose ?

But they do come round, in the end. I think you’ll make things worse, with this course of action. Talking to them, as an adult might be better. IMO.

 

[Pete999]

My kids went through that phase and worse; I soon realised, the days when I thought I could control them through the threat of physical violence, had gone.

Its a power struggle, with the Alpha male syndrome. They feel obliged to challenge your authority. It’s a battle you will eventually loose ?

But they do come round, in the end. I think you’ll make things worse, with this course of action. Talking to them, as an adult might be better. IMO.

But Dad!!!!!!!!

 

[Mike Johnson]

But Dad!!!!!!!!

 

[Neil2021]

My kids went through that phase and worse; I soon realised, the days when I thought I could control them through the threat of physical violence, had gone.

Its a power struggle, with the Alpha male syndrome. They feel obliged to challenge your authority. It’s a battle you will eventually loose ?

But they do come round, in the end. I think you’ll make things worse, with this course of action. Talking to them, as an adult might be better. IMO.

Yeah I'd never resort to anything physical ?, we've spoke to him a lot about the noise and he's always apologised and says he'll calm down but then that doesn't last, so don't think there's any harm in just having a socket that I can disable when he gets too giddy, at the moment when he does, I just turn the electric off and on again which will usually stop him and if he starts again I'll turn off the electric off upstairs and leave it off ?

 

[pirate]

First World Problems, eh?
Even if you did go to the hassle/expense of having the kids' rooms sockets on a separate breaker, they could just sneak downstairs and turn it on again, unless you locked the access to wherever your consumer unit is situated...and being a new build you might find that switching of those sockets also switches off your garage supply, the porch light, your shaver socket and smoke alarms...

 

[Mike Johnson]

Have you thought of giving him a Db meter and a limit he has to be below?

 

[Zerax]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news... (no really I am !)... but it probably comes down to 'values'. Your 'values' are instilled in you by the time you get to about 5 years old... it's very early. The 'values' that are instilled in you at this young age often get amended in very late teens, but not radically changed.

So... trying to shape a kids behaviour after the first 5 years... is not at all likely. You might as well shout at the wall for all the good it will do !

 

[Midwest]

I recall coming home early from school one lunchtime, as a young teenager. My Dad was home from work for his lunch. He just said hello, but I could of punched his lights out. Most be something in young kids hormones, perhaps!

Fast forward, my son drops off the grandson occasionally, cos he's terrorising them.
No mean feat for a 2 1/2 year old. Couple of hours with Grandma & Pa, seems to lessen his demeaner; probably cos we let him jump up & down on the furniture, eat cake & chocolate. But he seems fine, when we hand him back ?

 

[Neil2021]

They can't go downstairs anyway cause of the house alarm which is where the box is, think I'm just gonna go with WiFi sockets now, turning the sockets just turns off all the upstairs ones and none downstairs and all the smoke alarns are battery operated

Might get a dB meter actually

 

[Mike Johnson]

I recall coming home early from school one lunchtime, as a young teenager. My Dad was home from work for his lunch. He just said hello, but I could of punched his lights out. Most be something in young kids hormones, perhaps!

I never had a thought anywhere near thinking of punching my fathers lights out, nothing to do with hormones more to do with a mental attitude and respect for your parents.