Warning, So called 'safety' socket covers

[bertiedog]

One safety measure is rarely mentioned, that the power sockets should not be at floor skirting board level, there is no really explainable reason that they are there, when they could be out of reach of youngsters farther up the wall.

 

Having to kneel to plug in is dangerous, as you cannot see the socket clearly as it is far below the line of sight. Many used feel to do this, which is why the pins are plastic based now, keeping fingers a bit safer for the power.

 

But with, say metre high sockets it would be easier to use. All mine are now that high, the work done by myself in proper conduits etc. they show more, that's true, but also give an indication at a glance of what is plugged in.

 

I was told once that the reason the sockets were on the floor level was due to Lord Armstrong in his mansion, where he insisted that all plugs and sockets were out of view, and that servants could kneel to plug things in and replace a cover to hide the sockets. As his was the first house so wired for electricity, he established the practice. He never plugged in things himself......

 

stephen.

[bertiedog]

When training for the GPO/ BT phones we covered all power installations etc., to power company specs, and of course, we came across many dodgy stuff, as the customers only thought of us as dealing with phones, so power dodges, bad wiring and plain lethal stuff came to light. Many were the meters adorned with magnets, missing seals, or chokes, mainly in Pubs!!!

 

Private houses just had dodgy wiring, the first test was to check at the fuse box that at least the intention of the fitter or builder was to connect earth, live and neutral correctly, before setting fore to wire up the house....

 

How so many houses passed inspection is beyond me. but then I did meet a Power Company senior Inspector who had trouble wiring up an R/c  model boat power charger.......He knew about seals, meters and testers for sockets, but his electrical knowledge was very iffy.

 

We put in an extra phone at a shop, and add an auto exchange, and I asked where the power box was, and the exchange box site, and the woman went to her desk, and got out heavy duty rubber gloves, and beckoned us to follow down stairs......I asked what the gloves were for, and she said that she got shocks off the "power unit", the fuse box etc, so wore them to protect herself.

 

I asked how long this had been going on and she replied five years, since she had started there, and the previous lady had warned her to use gloves before going near the fuses or power box!!!! The problem was the covers earth connects to live in two places, and faulty wiring, it was lethal, and I had to report it to the power company. The women said that other people did not use the gloves as they were insensitive to electricity,.......more likely they wore dry rubber soled shoes! Whole place had to be rewired......we could then put the phone in!

 

Stephen.

[The Stationmaster]

One safety measure is rarely mentioned, that the power sockets should not be at floor skirting board level, there is no really explainable reason that they are there, when they could be out of reach of youngsters farther up the wall.

 

Having to kneel to plug in is dangerous, as you cannot see the socket clearly as it is far below the line of sight. Many used feel to do this, which is why the pins are plastic based now, keeping fingers a bit safer for the power.

 

But with, say metre high sockets it would be easier to use. All mine are now that high, the work done by myself in proper conduits etc. they show more, that's true, but also give an indication at a glance of what is plugged in.

 

I was told once that the reason the sockets were on the floor level was due to Lord Armstrong in his mansion, where he insisted that all plugs and sockets were out of view, and that servants could kneel to plug things in and replace a cover to hide the sockets. As his was the first house so wired for electricity, he established the practice. He never plugged in things himself......

 

stephen.

 

The Building Regulations have required for some time that sockets in new buildings shold be a minimum of 450mm above fuinished floor level and may be mountrd as high as 1200 mm above finished floor level.  Our house was built in 2006/7 and complies with that requirement so it's hardly new.

[bertiedog]

You would be surprised at the number of wires hanging out of sockets I've see when customers called me to fit a plug, one house just had the wires hanging out of a hole in the wall with the appliance wires twisted up with them, the owner    said she was fed up with replacing fuses it doesn't bear thinking about.

Came across one GPO customer with all the house wiring done with US twist connectors,and US General Electric 2 pin non polarised plugs and sockets, added as he preferred them. As it all worked it was darn hard to think how he was breaking regulations in the late 1960's. The twist connectors were not passed for use in the UK, but no ban, and the plugs and sockets were actually stamped for use with 250 volts AC as well as 110 volts..... I withdrew and left him to it!!! The wiring was well done and he seemed competent.......then the meter man turned up and he seemed unconcerned, so I went away!

[bertiedog]

The Building Regulations have required for some time that sockets in new buildings shold be a minimum of 450mm above fuinished floor level and may be mountrd as high as 1200 mm above finished floor level.  Our house was built in 2006/7 and complies with that requirement so it's hardly new.

But most houses are not new, and I have seen new houses with skirting board level sockets in the last few months, or at least a complete re-build of an existing building in one case. My own house is 120+ years old, and once had 50 volts DC supply.....

And I did say the sockets should be higher ( but not quoting the regulations)

Stephen

[MJI]

The Building Regulations have required for some time that sockets in new buildings shold be a minimum of 450mm above fuinished floor level and may be mountrd as high as 1200 mm above finished floor level.  Our house was built in 2006/7 and complies with that requirement so it's hardly new.

 

Moat things I wantto plug in are down low anyway, so would need longer cables

[47137]

One safety measure is rarely mentioned, that the power sockets should not be at floor skirting board level, there is no really explainable reason that they are there, when they could be out of reach of youngsters farther up the wall.

 

Having to kneel to plug in is dangerous, as you cannot see the socket clearly as it is far below the line of sight. Many used feel to do this, which is why the pins are plastic based now, keeping fingers a bit safer for the power.

 

But with, say metre high sockets it would be easier to use. All mine are now that high, the work done by myself in proper conduits etc. they show more, that's true, but also give an indication at a glance of what is plugged in.

 

I was told once that the reason the sockets were on the floor level was due to Lord Armstrong in his mansion, where he insisted that all plugs and sockets were out of view, and that servants could kneel to plug things in and replace a cover to hide the sockets. As his was the first house so wired for electricity, he established the practice. He never plugged in things himself......

 

stephen.

I understood, the main objection to putting sockets on skirting boards is the stress on the appliance cable. And clouts from the vacuum cleaner. I suppose this all depends on the height of your skirting boards, but anyone with boards tall enough to avoid these problems is in a class of their own anyway.

 

- Richard.

[Suzie]

I think they only got put on skirting boards when installed as a retro-fit on older houses because the skirting made jolly handy trunking.