Quizzes & Puzzles4 mins ago
Builder Or Electrician Please.
103 Answers
I'm spending a rainy day knocking tiles off a kitchen wall with the intention of re-plastering and papering.
A tile I've just knocked off has exposed an oblong of formica set back slightly. It's the same size as a double plug socket and about a foot higher and to the right of an existing socket.
I'm thinking a socket has been moved but when I've had this done in the past a metal plate has been put over the redundant socket.......but is this method acceptable?
Or am I right in suspecting this could be a rough diy job.....and may not be safe?
So....an electrician in do you think?
Gx
A tile I've just knocked off has exposed an oblong of formica set back slightly. It's the same size as a double plug socket and about a foot higher and to the right of an existing socket.
I'm thinking a socket has been moved but when I've had this done in the past a metal plate has been put over the redundant socket.......but is this method acceptable?
Or am I right in suspecting this could be a rough diy job.....and may not be safe?
So....an electrician in do you think?
Gx
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Thanks, Zacs......I could turn off the electrics and have a look.....though the formica is sealed in with some fantastic cement!
But if I do start to investigate myself and something goes wrong I could be without electricity til tomorrow.....being a bit accident prone....so I've decided to play it safe.....x
But if I do start to investigate myself and something goes wrong I could be without electricity til tomorrow.....being a bit accident prone....so I've decided to play it safe.....x
Does the blank have screws in it gness? If so you need to remove them and inspect behind the plate. If no screws you should perhaps leave well alone but be careful not to get wet plaster or the such like behind the plate. It is probably a quick fill from a previous back box for electrics as you thought. I am not a builder t did 20 yrs in electronics and have and have done D.I.Y over the years. Sometimes the less done is the best solution unless you want a nice bill.
Hi, Togo...no screws....and not a proper blank...just formica cemented in and a cemented channel leading to the existing socket.
It's in an odd place for a socket too....and like you say....wet plaster dripping into what's behind there might not be good.....so I shall leave this one to a professional......
Some of the electrics weren't great when I moved in......diy done badly...x
It's in an odd place for a socket too....and like you say....wet plaster dripping into what's behind there might not be good.....so I shall leave this one to a professional......
Some of the electrics weren't great when I moved in......diy done badly...x
Sounds like an old, redundant cooker switch, Gness. I must admit, I would like to see what's in there if only for curiosity's sake.
Even if it's a live circuit that has been terminated, there will still be a barrier between you and whatever it is/was when it's tiled over again.
Most older kitchens will have things like this. Just left over from previous layouts. It's your call entirely, I'm afraid, but I would suggest that most electricians would want to get in there to satisfy themselves.
Even if it's a live circuit that has been terminated, there will still be a barrier between you and whatever it is/was when it's tiled over again.
Most older kitchens will have things like this. Just left over from previous layouts. It's your call entirely, I'm afraid, but I would suggest that most electricians would want to get in there to satisfy themselves.
Thanks, MrBuilder.....I did consider a cooker switch because of the position on the wall, but it's not somewhere in the kitchen where a cooker could ever have been.
I'm not tiling again.....plaster and wallpaper....just because I've found paper I love and need to use it somewhere.
I'm wary too because I have experienced, in my last house, a socket blanked off by a professional company being done incorrectly and years later wires came into contact and......whoosh!!!!
I've decided I have to have it looked at for my own peace of mind.....and I'd hate to set fire to this paper......xx
I'm not tiling again.....plaster and wallpaper....just because I've found paper I love and need to use it somewhere.
I'm wary too because I have experienced, in my last house, a socket blanked off by a professional company being done incorrectly and years later wires came into contact and......whoosh!!!!
I've decided I have to have it looked at for my own peace of mind.....and I'd hate to set fire to this paper......xx