Convert a dry lining box into a surface mounted box

[vwes59]

An odd question granted but bear with me.

I've got to extend a radial circuit in a community centre to fit a new hand dryer in the toilets, but I have two restrictions.

1. It's a listed building so I'm not allowed to damage the walls in any way.
2. Even if I could, I've been told there is asbestos in the wall cavities, so I couldn't drill into them anyway.

So, nearby there is a flush mounted single socket on a 20A radial. The easiest way would be to run some nice D-Trunking from that socket around the wall and into the toilet area where I can surface mount a switched fused spur for the hand dryer. Jobs a gooden. However it's a flush mounted socket, so to make a nice neat job I need to convert it to a surface mounted box, so I can neatly fit the trunking to it.

I suppose the first question is can it be done ? Currently in the wall is a 25mm metal back box. If I could find a way to screw a surface mounted box to it, then that solves the problem and I can fill any pasterwork gaps. I suppose I could very carefully drill out the fixing points from the back, that could allow a long fixing screw through the front plate, surface box and into the metal back box, but that seems to be a bit of a faff.

Is there anything on the market designed for this very job ?

 

[soms]

An odd question granted but bear with me.

I've got to extend a radial circuit in a community centre to fit a new hand dryer in the toilets, but I have two restrictions.

1. It's a listed building so I'm not allowed to damage the walls in any way.
2. Even if I could, I've been told there is asbestos in the wall cavities, so I couldn't drill into them anyway.

So, nearby there is a flush mounted single socket on a 20A radial. The easiest way would be to run some nice D-Trunking from that socket around the wall and into the toilet area where I can surface mount a switched fused spur for the hand dryer. Jobs a gooden. However it's a flush mounted socket, so to make a nice neat job I need to convert it to a surface mounted box, so I can neatly fit the trunking to it.

I suppose the first question is can it be done ? Currently in the wall is a 25mm metal back box. If I could find a way to screw a surface mounted box to it, then that solves the problem and I can fill any pasterwork gaps. I suppose I could very carefully drill out the fixing points from the back, that could allow a long fixing screw through the front plate, surface box and into the metal back box, but that seems to be a bit of a faff.

Is there anything on the market designed for this very job ?

Regarding fixings to the wall, I would be careful and perhaps experiment with any fixing solutions you wish to try on some sample materials. If your customer tells you that any wall cavity could contain asbestos, I would consider the risk of penetrating the cavity to be high, even with trying one's best not to do so.

The building should have an asbestos register/survey detailing what ACMs have been indentified and their location.
This should explain what the issue with the walls is. For example some partition walls constructed from AIB or perhaps loose-fill insulation has been used in voids which could have contaminated inside the walls.

HSE has recently launched a new campaign to raise awareness of asbestos, reinforcing the message that there is no safe level of exposure. We should be mindful that when disturbed incorrectly, "at best" it will disperse to a low concentration, it does not go away, it does not ever breakdown into something safe. Clients often need education about this.
In a non-domestic premises there are legal duties on the owners/occupiers from the Control of Abestos Regulations to manasge it safely.
Also as tradesmen we are bound by the same regulations when working in any premises.

Asbestos & You - Work Right to keep Britain safe

Asbestos & You is a campaign that helps tradespeople avoid the risk of disturbing asbestos, which remains in millions of homes and buildings today.

workright.campaign.gov.uk

If a non-domestic client cannot provide such information and there is a known or suspected risk, I would probably not want to do the job. I realise this may feel an awkward thing to do if the community centre is a building in your locale which you are familiar with and personally know the people who run it.