Suggestions please

[Battlecrease]

I have the following problem and would like to have some input as to how you would solve this problem, Kitchen refurbs for local council flats with wall separating kitchen from bathroom and is only single course brick the cooker switch which is presently surface mounted needs to be recessed I know that building regs state maximum depth for chases vertical and horizontal are 1/3rd and 1/6th of total thickness of wall 40mm back box exceeds this and the mortar is crumbling so even if you use a hammer and bolster you find that the brick and plaster end up in the bath ! tried arguing with my boss to use a surface mount but he reckons the clerk of works wont have it any sensible suggestions as i have 40 of these to do. Ta.

 

[Spudnik]

Any way of installing it in adjacent cupboard at low level?

 

[lako]

i thought if it was protected by a 30ma rcd it doesn't matter on the depth into the wall under the 17th

 

[Spudnik]

The OP is questioning the depth of the back box in the wall, not the cables.

 

[lako]

opps sorry didn't read it that well

 

[Battlecrease]

No Jason he`s adamant on its position I even asked him to give me a demonstration how to do it without damaging the adjoining wall but he`s far too busy , the mans an idiot.

 

[Spudnik]

Gotta be honest mate, but im not sure there is any other way, than chasing in and going carefully at it.

Someone else may be along with their input.

 

[saveloy]

First off the building regs refer to chases. I don't think a 40mm cutout for a box will compromise the stability of the wall. Sorry I know it doesn't help your case much.

As for the cutout, could you cut the outline with a small grinder ( messy I know). I've done it before whilst, holding a vacuum hose at the back of the blade to suck up most of the dust. Then using an big old screwdriver with sharpened flat blade to knock out the middle of the cutout with a few sharp wacks.

The reason I suggest a screwdriver is that because the cutting edge is a lot smaller than a bolster and therefore you are delivering more pressure to a smaller area therefore minimising potential damge.

Not an ideal solution but it has worked for me in the past.

If you could put a series of cuts with the grinder up, down and across the cutout, then that would minmise the amount of banging you would have to do.

 

[Mac]

I thought most council refurbs were surface mounted anyway.Cheap and easy

 

[electricAl]

That remark is just stereotyping all councils as mindless & inflexible. How very dare you!

If you take the human rights of the tennants into account (not to mention the newly introduced Part Q of the Building Regs) isn`t it obvious that all electrical work in " rooms containing a cooker" must now be aesthetically pleasing.

So there`s really only one choice - mount the switch on the other side of the partition wall

Failing that, well it looks like Saveloy`s suggestions win out. The only possible thing i could add would be to drill out the outline of the opening (instead of grinding) if the dust levels prove too objectional (i`m guessing the properties are still occupied?) I assume your wonderful boss won`t provide you with a dedicated wall chaser?

Hopefully for your sake they are block partition walls rather than brick seeing as you`ve got 40 to do...

Anyway, good luck with it & commiserations with you having to put up with such bloodymindedness

 

[Mac]

That remark is just stereotyping all councils as mindless & inflexible. How very dare you!

If you take the human rights of the tennants into account (not to mention the newly introduced Part Q of the Building Regs) isn`t it obvious that all electrical work in " rooms containing a cooker" must now be aesthetically pleasing.

So there`s really only one choice - mount the switch on the other side of the partition wall

Failing that, well it looks like Saveloy`s suggestions win out. The only possible thing i could add would be to drill out the outline of the opening (instead of grinding) if the dust levels prove too objectional (i`m guessing the properties are still occupied?) I assume your wonderful boss won`t provide you with a dedicated wall chaser?

Hopefully for your sake they are block partition walls rather than brick seeing as you`ve got 40 to do...

Anyway, good luck with it & commiserations with you having to put up with such bloodymindedness

If you use a socket with the cooker point you could plug your shaver in as well

 

[electricAl]

Damn it, never thought of that bonus.

But ang on, would that provide discrimination?

Ummm, no - in that case we`ll have to provide it.

So 30 love to Mac (perhaps an unfortunate turn of phrase to be using today of all days -especially to a Scotsman )

 

[saveloy]

That remark is just stereotyping all councils as mindless & inflexible. How very dare you!

If you take the human rights of the tennants into account (not to mention the newly introduced Part Q of the Building Regs) isn`t it obvious that all electrical work in " rooms containing a cooker" must now be aesthetically pleasing.

So there`s really only one choice - mount the switch on the other side of the partition wall

Failing that, well it looks like Saveloy`s suggestions win out. The only possible thing i could add would be to drill out the outline of the opening (instead of grinding) if the dust levels prove too objectional (i`m guessing the properties are still occupied?) I assume your wonderful boss won`t provide you with a dedicated wall chaser?

Hopefully for your sake they are block partition walls rather than brick seeing as you`ve got 40 to do...

Anyway, good luck with it & commiserations with you having to put up with such bloodymindedness

Cheers ElectricAl. I did consider suggesting chain drilling the outline. But you might ruin the woodchip on the bathroom wall on the other side, by vibrating the plaster off, if you got the hammer drill on.

 

[Mac]

What council are you doing this for mate.I live in Swindon,Wiltshire and all the council properties are surface mounted except for the newer properties.If the wall is only single skim that makes it 75mm.Cooker box is 47mm.Take some plaster with you mate for the bathroom.Watch the woodchip thou,great stuff that

 

[electricAl]

I think the O.P. is offline now Mac.

He`ll be well impressed how we`ve hijacked his thread worse than a bunch of Somali pirates could

On the flip side at least one of us made a useful practicable suggestion (altho the Regs may actually rule it out )

Oh sorry Saveloy, have i took your turn?