Socket height

[hazey7]

Hello All,

I am moving my existing sockets up from the skirting board to the wall. At what height should these new sockets be? In new houses they seem to be about 18" from the floor now.

Can anyone help?

 

[hazey7]

Don't worry my erudite friends, I'll 'andle this

The regs state that all wall sockets, switches, outlets, etc should be within a band that starts 450mm from the floor and stops 1200mm from the floor. IE: light switches at the top, aerial outlets, 13A sockets at the bottom - a MINIMUM of 450mm from the bottom of the socket to the floor.

 

[Millennium_Boy]

Check Part M of the Building regs (OPDM's website).

Part M of the Building regs, will give the definitive answer - approved document part M (Disabled Access) will give advice and guidance.

 

[bussiebuss]

i didnt think there was a min height that sockets should be from the floor


just thought they should be at a height so the flex by the plug doesnt keep coming in contact with the floor stressing the cable

thought that there was a min height in the old regs which had been superseeded

if there was a min height how do you get away with floor sockets

 

[bussiebuss]

 

[hazey7]

http://www.niceic.org.uk/approved/quest9.html

 

[DAZB]

I'm sure there are certain regulations regarding new builds and Disabled Living namely that assuming a wheelchair bound person moves in then they will be able to comfortably reach sockets without over stretching and being in danger of falling over. I have any new sockets on my refurbishment jobs set at a minimum of 300mmm from the floor which seems to be about right.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Another example of the nanny state going too far.

In terms of a reasonable bend radius for flex, 100mm above the horizontal surface below (which might be the floor, or it might just as well be a shelf 1m off the floor on which resides a TV/Video/home cinema outfit) is fine.

I live in a house which has a step over the front door threshold, and no bathroom or toilet on the ground floor, so it's not much use to someone in a wheelchair. Why should I therefore have to have my sockets 18" up the wall if I don't want them there?

My light switches are all around 1.4 - 1.6m off the floor, so also no good for the wheelchair bound.

And even at 1.2m, if that's in a kitchen and on a wall above a standard 600mm deep worktop, could someone in a wheelchair reach it? I think not.

[rant]Whilst I agreee that a great deal more needs to be done to make our world more accessible to people in wheelchairs, I think that there are far more fundamental design limits to address (like no more multi-storey dwellings) before the legislators force us to disfigure our houses by mounting sockets half way up the walls.[/rant]

 

[hazey7]

Yep, Your all cock on there, I agree.

However........If I put my sockets below 450mm, will my next NICEIC inspection pick this up and therefore not give the house a 100% all clear.

I know its all very well that they're safe at 300mm but if your moving them NOW, ie, at todays rules and regs, then surley thay should be above 450mm?

Any ideas on the political side of this?!!

Yours, confused of Wirral

 

[masona]

I've always been told that the wall socket should be above 450mm incase of flood

Pointless if you don't know how high the flood going to be and specially if you got junction box under the flooring

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

If I fit my new sockets at 450mm in case of flood I'll have to change me name to Noah as we live on "The Ridgeway" (named for obvious reasons).
As for access, I remember my old workmate who had the first remote control t.v. in England, two bamboo poles tied together !!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

........If I put my sockets below 450mm, will my next NICEIC inspection pick this up and therefore not give the house a 100% all clear.

I don't think the electrician will care - the guideline of 300mm is just a "best practice" one.

Your Building Inspector might require you to put them at 450mm though.