help please.....

[Ghostdriver]

hello,
We will be moving into a new house shortly and i have a question regarding existing power points. The builder has located a couple of power points high up on the lounge wall for a plasma tv, which we do not need.

Someone has suggested we blank them off with blanking plates but this will be unsightly this high up the wall, is there any reason we cant just tape the wires up or screw into a small junction box and plaster these in or is this highly irregular and maybe dangerous ?. We want to wall paper this wall over and blanking plates wouldnt work as we are having flush fitting units in this position against the wall.

I am just concerned of any comeback also if we sell the place and someone bangs a nail or drill into the buried electrical point, where do we stand on all this, any advice gratefully received.

ta

Craig

 

[sparkyork]

well in certain situations its often necessary to crimp joint cables within a plastered walls (same as a joint box but better), especially when a customer clearly states they dont want cielings or floors interfered with in anyway.

your concerns are clearly valid ones as no one will no the cables are there if you just plaster them over! (unless theres a socket below) If youre technically minded you could turn your socket circuit off and have a look behind the "plasma tv" sockets, it maybe the case that theres only one cable rather than 2, if theres 1 cable then it could be spurred from another socket nearby (perhaps!) then you could just disconnect from the spur, and possibly even pull it out if its in capping?

also if you have 2 cables at the socket then you more than likely have a ring main (could also be a radial). if both cables come from below the socket then you could pull them back/lower them to a reasonable socket height and make good any plasterwork etc (you say your wallpapering anyway so....)

imo you'd be better doing the latter and placing a socket lower down the wall, the flush fitting shouldnt be a problem if you have a skirting board aswell, or failing that pull the wires back and joint box them under the floorboard or in the cieling void (depending where they come from), if you did this id make a note of where the joint box is and put this information with the electrical certificate etc.

hope this helps and sorry ive rambled on a bit! you have a few options tho!! will the builder arrange for this alteration to be made??

 

[Ghostdriver]

great stuff, thank you. I may just ask the builder if this can be done before we move in, he will probably just charge me for a bit of re plastering, which means a few hundred quid if i know plasterers !!!

 

[Shakey]

great stuff, thank you. I may just ask the builder if this can be done before we move in, he will probably just charge me for a bit of re plastering, which means a few hundred quid if i know plasterers !!!

just so you know....

the regs say all joints have to be accesible for inspection and maintenance.... except joints made by a relaible method such as soldering or crimping,....which is why you cant (shouldnt) just connect them to a junction box and sink it into the wall