I take the view that if it is concealed, it is inaccessible.
If there is a prominent access hatch in plain sight, clearly marked "Access hatch to electrical junction box" then it is accessible until someone hides it.
Blanking plate
- Thread starter SUNRAY
- Start date
I take the view that if it is concealed, it is inaccessible.
If there is a prominent access hatch in plain sight, clearly marked "Access hatch to electrical junction box" then it is accessible until someone hides it.
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Only you?
Inaccessible
What do you mean by "concealed"? - I think many would take it to mean 'deliberately hidden';, which would often not be the case in the sort of situations I have mentioned.
That's essentially what I have (a number of instances of) here, but, in most cases, without the 'marking'.
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I'm sure not!
Because there are four screws that need to be undone to 'get access', rather than the two on a blank plate or accessory faceplate ?
Under a floorboard that has been screwed down, so you can't see it, for example.
Fair enough, so you mean "not normally visible" ?
If so .... we quite often see people being told that a JB connecting, say, a downlight can be regarded as 'accessible (and hence doesn't need to be 'MF') if it can be pulled down ('for inspection and testing') through the hole the downlight/whatever is normally in. Since such a JB is not 'normally visible', do I take it that you do not agree with that?
OK - and I agree that would be a very simple rule for the regs to specify.
Do I therefore take it that you would accept the JB above a downlight which I mentioned as being 'accessiblle'?
In the situation in my house, usually only one (for each hidden joint), since all floorboards other than the very small bit 'concealing' 'something of interest' (like a JB) would be nailed, not screwed. I suppose one could therefore try arguing that the screws actually qualified as 'marking'!
No. Because it’s easily covered by a mat, rug , Lino, carpet etc
I’ve lost count of the times I’ve had to get carpets up to locate junction boxes.
These days joints should be at accessories only
These days joints should be at accessories only
Fair enough - but we've heard stories of people wallpapering , plastering or tiling over backboxes (sometimes even blank plates or accessories!) containing 'joints', so if we took your thinking to its ultimate conclusion, we presumably would not accept that even a blank plate, or even accessory was an adequate indicator of 'joints behind', because someone might come along and 'hide' it
That doesn't surprise me - most of us probably have had similar experiences - but I wonder how often that is done solely for 'inspection and testing', in the absence of a fault or a need to 'make use of' the JB?
ve that
That would obviously be the ideal, but probably not very practical (or, at least, 'convenient'), particularly in the case of cables that needed to be extended.
Fair enough - but we've heard stories of people wallpapering , plastering or tiling over backboxes (sometimes even blank plates or accessories!) containing 'joints', so if we took your thinking to its ultimate conclusion, we presumably would not accept that even a blank plate, or even accessory was an adequate indicator of 'joints behind', because someone might come along and 'hide' it
A blanking plate with cables behind it should never be replaced by tiles, plasterboard etc
All this nonsense is created by the lack of clarity in the big books , so people then mainly cutting corners do all sorts of undesirable things
Obviously made worse by dubious advice off internet forums by people who are unskilled or untrained or oblivious to good practice
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