Hi, I have a shaving socket in my upstairs bathroom that we do not use. I am currently repainting and am thinking about removing it. What would be the easiest way to do this? I found the point in the loft that I think is feeding the bathroom lighting as well as the shaving socket. Picture attached. I found a note next to it that seems to explain some of the wiring, although I don’t know what the abbreviations in the note are supposed to mean.
Safely removing shaving socket
- Thread starter Zengze
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Shaver sockets are usually fed from the loop on a lighting circuit which would be the middle block, along with a neutral, the left hand block and an earth too.
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If you don't know what those abbreviations mean then I would strongly suggest you get someone in who knows what they are doing. You MIGHT even have noticed that that diagram doesn't mention a shaver socket.
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The diagram looks like it might have been put there before the shaver socket was installed.
I would find which red wire is the permanent live and which one powers the socket.
However, as mentioned above, it might be better to get an electrician in if you don't know what you're doing.
I would find which red wire is the permanent live and which one powers the socket.
However, as mentioned above, it might be better to get an electrician in if you don't know what you're doing.
What are the wiring colours behind the shaver socket?
Can you post a picture of those connections?
Can you post a picture of those connections?
Can you provide a wider image of the loft connections - I believe there is a cable providing the switched live to the light that is out of sight.
I believe you may also have an extractor fan and/or a fan isolator connected?
Just to add, removing the shaving socket completely may not be completely straightforward - there appear to be a couple of large earth wires connected to the earth lug of the back box - even with the shaver socket cable removed, it may be necessary to maintain the continuity of these earth connections.
This is a wider view of the loft connections
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In your image above, the 1st cable from the left is going to the extractor fan.
The 2nd cable is the live and live return from the switch - the black wire in this cable should be oversleeved in red.
The 3rd and 4th cables are what we are interested in.
One will be the supply in, the other supply out (whether to another light fitting, or to the shaver socket).
If I had no test equipment, with the power off, I would remove one of the red wires (from the 3rd, or 4th cable) and isolate it safely in a (totally) separate terminal block.
With the power back on, if the light/fan doesn't come on, the isolated wire is from the supply cable. If the light/fan stays on, I would then check to see if a shaver still receives power from the shaver socket.
However, as stated earlier, additionally you still have to investigate the earth connections in the back box.
The 2nd cable is the live and live return from the switch - the black wire in this cable should be oversleeved in red.
The 3rd and 4th cables are what we are interested in.
One will be the supply in, the other supply out (whether to another light fitting, or to the shaver socket).
If I had no test equipment, with the power off, I would remove one of the red wires (from the 3rd, or 4th cable) and isolate it safely in a (totally) separate terminal block.
With the power back on, if the light/fan doesn't come on, the isolated wire is from the supply cable. If the light/fan stays on, I would then check to see if a shaver still receives power from the shaver socket.
However, as stated earlier, additionally you still have to investigate the earth connections in the back box.
The earth connections can stay in place as I won't remove the entire shaving socket, just the outer part that protrudes from the wall. I'll probably plaster over it once I can confirm there's no live wires feeding into the socket. So the earth cables are recessed and can I think safely stay there once there's no live cables.
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The earth wires look like they may be supplementary bonding.
You can't plaster in the earth connections in the box, they need to be accessible.
Your best plan of action is to pull out all the wiring from the wall, discard the twin and earth feeding the shaver socket and reconnect the two supplementary bonding conductors in a junction box in the loft.
That is, if the SB conductors go up to the loft.
You can't plaster in the earth connections in the box, they need to be accessible.
Your best plan of action is to pull out all the wiring from the wall, discard the twin and earth feeding the shaver socket and reconnect the two supplementary bonding conductors in a junction box in the loft.
That is, if the SB conductors go up to the loft.
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