Sockets in skirting board

[Gees]

Hello all. My darling daughter has asked me if this is OK?

Untitled

• Gees
• 16 Mar 2010
• 2

All the downstairs sockets in a house she has been thinking of buying are all like the photo. The house is in York and is about 100 years old.
The wiring has all be checked and there is a PIR for the installation.
The sockets are mounted on steel frames that screw onto the wood.

 

[ColJack]

all the regs say is that the sockets must be mounted at a height that prevents damage to the cable of anyting plugged in.. and they look high enough for that..

there's the "external influences" of impact to think about though, tell her not to ram the vacuum cleaner into them too hard...

 

[wingcoax]

They are certainly high enough to plug an appliance into, so will be ok. If the cables are ok(pir would have said)there is nothing stopping you (if you want)moving them onto the wall above. I spend a lot of my time doing just that, normally relatively easy apart from the large hole in the skirting.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Used to be done all the time, in years gone by, not anymore though.
There is no need to move them unless you really want.

 

[Gees]

They are certainly high enough to plug an appliance into, so will be ok. If the cables are ok(pir would have said)there is nothing stopping you (if you want)moving them onto the wall above. I spend a lot of my time doing just that, normally relatively easy apart from the large hole in the skirting.

It's the holes she wants to avoid... the woodwork is all original and apart from the sockets is in very good condition...

Silly question. Can sockets be mounted upside down if required?

 

[wingcoax]

Yes, But frowned upon by many.

 

[333rocky333]

No because the weight of the flex could pull the plug particially out and cause a poor connection, possibly a fire risk.
Same as upside down on a ceiling.

 

[333rocky333]

The steel frames sound like panel mounts, there not really designed to replace a box, as there more for flush fitting sockets on panels and enclosures.

 

[1john]

sockets upside down - water spillage can run down the flex into the plug

 

[disinfo]

Ideally they ought to be a bit higher if the house is in York, that place tends to get a bit submerged when it rains heavily

 

[Chri5]

Although the sockets in skirts are acceptable, longer term I'd get them moved in to the wall above.

Should your daughter sell in a few years time the buyer will query the exact same thing that you have.

With wall warts / plug transformers you may find the existing socket position means that the hoover, furniture and the odd foot could catch the socket and cause issue.

When the daughter decides to redecorate I'd factor in moving the sockets to the wall and replacing the skirting (which the local wood yard can bespoke profile if required).
If the skirting is being painted, fashion a wooden plug that can be tapped in to the skirting hole, made good with a 2 part wood filler and decorated over leaving an invisible repair.

 

[Gees]

Although the sockets in skirts are acceptable, longer term I'd get them moved in to the wall above.

When the daughter decides to redecorate I'd factor in moving the sockets to the wall and replacing the skirting (which the local wood yard can bespoke profile if required).
If the skirting is being painted, fashion a wooden plug that can be tapped in to the skirting hole, made good with a 2 part wood filler and decorated over leaving an invisible repair.

Cheers... She intends keeping the wood as wood so a repair would ( no pun intended) not be possible.

 

[Chri5]

When the daughter decides to redecorate I'd factor in moving the sockets to the wall and replacing the skirting (which the local wood yard can bespoke profile if required).

 

[Gees]

When the daughter decides to redecorate I'd factor in moving the sockets to the wall and replacing the skirting (which the local wood yard can bespoke profile if required).

But the replacement wood would not be 100 years old and hence wrong colour.
I'll just tell her the sockets are fine... Thanks again

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If she's more concerned about the "originality" of 100-year old decorative trim than the safety and functionality of the sockets then maybe she should remove them all anyway, on the grounds that they didn't have sockets 100 years ago.

But how cracked skirting with manky old sockets in crooked holes that aren't the right shape looks better than new sockets on the wall and new skirting beats me.