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home electrical socket boxes
locoboy - 29/4/12 at 05:50 PM

Following on from my stud walling thread (thanks for all your input) I am now about to gather the electrical hardware that will be installed on the stud wall once erected.

Can anyone offer any advice on what kind of socket boxes I need to put in and how do they affix to the wall / noggins behind?

The wall will be plasterboard but not plastered if that makes any difference.

Thanks
Col

Ben_Copeland - 29/4/12 at 06:01 PM

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/socketsintoplasterboard.htm


Should give you all the info you need

Macbeast - 29/4/12 at 06:18 PM

Make them doubles - someday you'll be glad you did

locoboy - 29/4/12 at 06:19 PM

Ohh they will be doubles don't worry!

Thanks for the link, Just ordered what I need, I presume all socket 'fronts' have the same hole spacing and will fit any patress box?

Strontium Dog - 29/4/12 at 06:26 PM

Yes, all face plates for sockets or switches etc. have standardised screw spacings for either single or double back boxes.

[Edited on 29/4/12 by Strontium Dog]

tegwin - 29/4/12 at 06:48 PM

I really hate those plastic stud wall boxes, they never feel secure somehow...

the last time I built a stud wall I added extra battons and screwed in metal backboxes. Much more able to withstand "abuse" without tearing out of the plasterboard.

steve m - 29/4/12 at 06:52 PM

I would also space them at good intervals around the garage, mine are about one to two metre apart, and on 3 sides of the garage
the fourth is the door, so no point, haha

Also doubles are a must

The next realy usefull thing is extension leads, i must have about 6 hanging up in the garage, ranging from 20m long to just a couple of metres, and all of them get used at some time

nick205 - 29/4/12 at 07:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
I really hate those plastic stud wall boxes, they never feel secure somehow...

the last time I built a stud wall I added extra battons and screwed in metal backboxes. Much more able to withstand "abuse" without tearing out of the plasterboard.


2nd that, the plastic patress boxes for plasterboard always feel flimsy and work a bit loose. A well paced noggin and proper metal box works much better.

locoboy - 29/4/12 at 08:41 PM

I ordered metal boxes as I thought a well placed noggin would provide a better securing point than the 10mm of board areound the perimeter of the socket hole!

Some plugs and sockets are very tight and yanking on a plug would break that socket box I reckon.

What cable would you recommend I get to wire it up with?

Anyone got any spare for beer tokens?

My wall is 5m long and will have sockets along its length, there is an existing socket where the wall will start and I think the plan is to come off this one to wire in the 5 new sockets.

Im assuming I will only need approx 5m of cable then?

slingshot2000 - 29/4/12 at 08:58 PM

Are you sure you should be wiring these up if you have to ask on here what cable?

5 sockets should be on a ring, so 5 metres is definetly not enough.

Have you ordered grommtets for the knock-out boxes?

Earth sleeving ?

Have you heard of Part 'P' of the Building Regulations ?

Regards
Jon

locoboy - 29/4/12 at 09:03 PM

ohhhhh Believe me I am not wiring them up I am not that stupid!

I just wanted to have everything ready to go when my father in law comes to wire them in for me.

I didn't want to embarrass myself by asking the dumb questions to him, I would rather embarrass myself in the virtusl land of Locostbuilders!

SteveWalker - 29/4/12 at 09:25 PM

quote:
Originally posted by slingshot20005 sockets should be on a ring, so 5 metres is definetly not enough.


Sockets can be on a radial rather than a ring, but that would typically require a 20A MCB or fuse for 2.5 sq mm T&E or 32A/30A for 4 sq mm. My own garage is wired radially with a 20A limit, it's enough, especially as you can draw considerably more than 20A for short periods without any problems, as both fuses and MCBs have a very slow trip for overloads, much faster for shorts.

I've not read the original thread, so one question is what is the garage fed from? That in itself is probably a radial and depending upon its length and size, volt drop and earth loop impedance may be of concern.

Regards, Steve Walker

locoboy - 29/4/12 at 09:31 PM

You are talking double Dutch now!

The garage is detached from the house and has its own fuse box inside the garage.

I have a ring running round the top of the garage with the existing sockets 'dropping' down from it, If it makes it safer I do have sockets at both ends of where the proposed dividing wall will be so I can run 3 new ones from one existing socket and 2 new ones from another?

Surely that is no different from taking a 'spur' from an existing socket and adding on a couple of new ones in line??

Or am I best to just shut up now!?

cjwood23 - 30/4/12 at 01:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by locoboy
You are talking double Dutch now!

The garage is detached from the house and has its own fuse box inside the garage.

I have a ring running round the top of the garage with the existing sockets 'dropping' down from it, If it makes it safer I do have sockets at both ends of where the proposed dividing wall will be so I can run 3 new ones from one existing socket and 2 new ones from another?

Surely that is no different from taking a 'spur' from an existing socket and adding on a couple of new ones in line??

Or am I best to just shut up now!?


If you intend add them as spurs you will need to add a fused connection unit before the sockets. You are allowed ONLY 1 spured single socket from a ring without the need for addtional fused connection units etc.

How deep is your stud wall? does the feed to the sockets have an RCD or RCBO fitted?

JoelP - 30/4/12 at 07:33 PM

Lots of good points raised so far.

Main reason you cant daisychain them all onto a single cable is that you can draw lots of current from 10 outlets. A 2.5mm cable is only rated at ISTR 22A, but the circuit breaker might be 32A, so there is a chance of melting the cable without the breaker protecting it (which is what its there for).

RCD is a good thing to have.

The board in your garage will probably have a 16A breaker for the sockets, which makes it a bit easier as a single cable is then adequately protected. Is there a breaker in your house consumer unit that feeds the garage board? Do you have an RCD in either board (switch has an additional button on it to test it)?

Its quite easy to cobble something together that will work. Its harder to do it right, and harder still to test it to prove its done right.