Discuss Double socket mounted vertically in the Electrical Wiring, Theories and Regulations area at ElectriciansForums.net

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littlespark

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I know we've joked before about mounting sockets upside down when fitted to skirting boards to avoid flex being squished, but I came across a double socket mounted clockwise at 90 degrees at a friends house.
This is behind a fridge, and feeds the fridge, and the microwave that sits on top. Switched from a 20A DP grid.
I wasn't there doing electrical work. He needed help moving the fridge to decorate.

I think, without getting my tools out, that my friend couldn't fit it in horizontally.... Its on a fastfix box and I can see from the screwheads in the plasterboard that the joints are pretty close together so he wouldn't have been able to fit a double box in the gap the right way.

Is there an actual reg for this, or is it just non-standard?

I've visited New Zealand, and their sockets can be placed horizontally or vertically. The plugtops are made with the flex at 45 deg to the pins, so that when plugged in, the flex just hangs without due stress
 
I have double sockets in my garage fitted vertically, so they fit to the concrete plinths that stick out. Horizontally they would be overhanging.
 
Yeh, spoon... I've seen them like that in the local garden centre, and I just thought it looked strange.

I might start fitting them myself this way
 
need to be sure that the vertical socket is fitted the right way up though. they need to be configured with the L pin of each outlet at the top. this to save on the electric bill. done this way up, any electric escaping from L ( due to gravity) is caught by the N pin.
 
need to be sure that the vertical socket is fitted the right way up though. they need to be configured with the L pin of each outlet at the top. this to save on the electric bill. done this way up, any electric escaping from L ( due to gravity) is caught by the N pin.

But surely,any capacitance or impedance,between the two,could be the basis of an additional load,which the meter will read as usage,thus increasing electricity costs...

A better idea would be to have the socket outlet ports pointing downwards,where the escaping electric could form several,separate little piles...

I take it,we are all gawping at screens,instead of starting any tiresome graft,on another hot day :cool::cool::cool:
 
I’m taking the day off. My eldest is 18 today, and she’s taking me to the pub tonight. Her round.

The joys of being SE

I do however need to make a slideshow of photographs, with music, to show on the tv before guests arrive.
 
I've visited New Zealand, and their sockets can be placed horizontally or vertically. The plugtops are made with the flex at 45 deg to the pins, so that when plugged in, the flex just hangs without due stress

I believe NZ uses complete plugs, not plugtops, just like we do here.

Several countries allow sockets at different orientations, the US is one and it appears NZ as well. Interestingly Australia which uses the same sockets only allows them with the earth pin at the bottom.

Here I don't know, but convention only has them one way.
Here is one that breaks convention.

Double socket mounted vertically image - EletriciansForums.net
 

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