adding power sockets

squibs

Silly question from a DIY incompetent. If I have an electrician in to add new sockets, how do they route the cabling?

Ìs there a cavity in the wall where it can be fed down from the attic, and you just break a small hole through the wall by the skirting board, break the cable out and wire the socket (which will then hide the hole)?

Or do you need to cut a channel all the way up the wall into the attic, put the wiring in the channel in ducting and get a plasterer in?

Just trying to figure out whether to bother.

sundula

No, only external walls have cavities and even then with the cavity closer block and insulation it would be nearly impossbile force a cable down and then it would be close to a miracle drill a hole in the right spot.

You would have to cut and chase wall, fit cables an then run flat conduit over them fit it in the chase and then plaster the chase and re-paint the wall - alot of dirty work.

I would say the sparks would be more in favour of fitting surface mounted trunking and surface socket and box. It can be noticebale but if its in the corner or behind a door or furniture its fine. Its much easier and cleaner than chase and therefore cheaper

towbar

Unless of course you have a timber frame house!! Wired 3 new wall lights last night in about 30 minutes and no visible marks.

Alun

.. or if the wall in question is an interior stud partition wall.

squibs

Thanks all.

FX Meister

Alun wrote:

.. or if the wall in question is an interior stud partition wall.

If it's a stud partition then it more than likely has a cross timer at about half height. There's no way you can get past that unless you open the wall and drill a hole through it.

towbar

Good point - wall lights didnt have that problem.

If you can find the cross timber - cut out a square of plasterboard at that point and chisel a track in the cross timber to let the wire through you can then cover over the hole with a piece of plasterboard cut to size and screw to the cross timber to carry it. Careful dont screw through the wire.

Beach Head

sundula wrote:

No, only external walls have cavities and even then with the cavity closer block and insulation it would be nearly impossbile force a cable down and then it would be close to a miracle drill a hole in the right spot.

You would have to cut and chase wall, fit cables an then run flat conduit over them fit it in the chase and then plaster the chase and re-paint the wall - alot of dirty work.

I would say the sparks would be more in favour of fitting surface mounted trunking and surface socket and box. It can be noticebale but if its in the corner or behind a door or furniture its fine. Its much easier and cleaner than chase and therefore cheaper

Only a dreadful, cheap and fairly lazy sparks.

Any sockets I would fit on an external wall would be "fished" through the cavity.

The other guys are dead right about the bridging pieces in the studs. Cutting a 4" X 4" hole at the bridging piece is the solution. After installing cable, put the cut out piec back in the hole and patch around it. Minimum disruption.

Oh, and generally there are no socket cables in an attic space. Only lighting. Do not wire a socket from a lighting circuit.

towbar

Beach Head wrote:

Oh, and generally there are no socket cables in an attic space. Only lighting. Do not wire a socket from a lighting circuit.

bungalow?

Mr Magnolia

Most electricians will give you a free estimate and explain what's involved. Check your local rag and get an estimate.

sundula

Beach Head wrote:

Only a dreadful, cheap and fairly lazy sparks.

Any sockets I would fit on an external wall would be "fished" through the cavity.

Oh, and generally there are no socket cables in an attic space. Only lighting. Do not wire a socket from a lighting circuit.

I would say your in the minority there - any addtion work i have seen is 95% trunking.

Bungalow or Two Storey, but is there not a certain amount of socket circuit cables in every attic ?

squibs

Nice to know it's possible to do cavity wiring. I got in a bloke to tackle some of the easy stuff for now and I'll look at the rest later.

Beach Head

sundula wrote:

I would say your in the minority there - any addtion work i have seen is 95% trunking.

Bungalow or Two Storey, but is there not a certain amount of socket circuit cables in every attic ?

Nope, only lighting, less cable is used by wiring from the floor up. Doesnt matter if its a bungalow etc. You might find a 2.5 T+E cable in your attic, but that would be for your immersion.

pan

Beach Head wrote:

Nope, only lighting, less cable is used by wiring from the floor up. Doesnt matter if its a bungalow etc. You might find a 2.5 T+E cable in your attic, but that would be for your immersion.

Is this still true for a bungalow with concrete floor??

Beach Head

pan wrote:

Is this still true for a bungalow with concrete floor??

Probably not, the cabling for everything is most likely in the attic.

Beach Head

Beach Head wrote:

Probably not, the cabling for everything is most likely in the attic.

Yep, that's the case in my bungalow.

muffler

Just a thought OP but if your house is a good few years old the chances are you have a lot of single sockets. There is a little flat case adopter you can get now which basically fits over the top of your single sockets and hey presto you have doubles within minutes. They even look like your normal double socket when fitted.

No mess, no drilling, no scratching paintwork etc. Just fix to single socket. Cost about €15 I think

byte

muffler wrote:

Just a thought OP but if your house is a good few years old the chances are you have a lot of single sockets. There is a little flat case adopter you can get now which basically fits over the top of your single sockets and hey presto you have doubles within minutes. They even look like your normal double socket when fitted.

No mess, no drilling, no scratching paintwork etc. Just fix to single socket. Cost about €15 I think

I saw something similar to these in Atlantic Homecare today. It was a panel of 4 sockets each switched, that fitted on top of a single (or double) socket. It was €18 IIRC.

FX Meister

sundula wrote:

I would say your in the minority there - any addtion work i have seen is 95% trunking.

Maybe that is because you only notice when the extra work is done with trunking? I've done both types but it depends on the situation and the price.

squibs

Got a guy in to tackle the low hanging fruit. hw was able to get 2 sockets in the bedroom by routing from the sockets on the other side of the wall, and one in the attic. My sockets are all double sockets by the way.

sundula

FX Meister wrote:

Maybe that is because you only notice when the extra work is done with trunking? I've done both types but it depends on the situation and the price.

That maybe true. But you would have to admit there is a heck of alot more work and hassle fishing a cable through a concrete cavity to socket point which was what i was talking about. Timber/Dry Lining walls are different naturally, but i took up the context of the post to be that this was a concrete house.

FX Meister

Yeah I dig what you're saying. I know which way I would want it done myself though. Currently I'm looking at chasing the floors in my sitting and dining room to add 5 amp sockets and hide my 5.1 and regular speaker cables.

sundula

Yeah I know what your saying - and hidden is best and extra hassle and work is worth in. Best of luck with floors