Downstairs ringmain sockets up or down wall Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[Paul Hillyard]

We have access under the floor to wire in the sockets but my future son in law wants to cut channels up the wall. Is there any benefit to coming down from the ceiling? (There is no plasterboard on the ceiling at the moment, as I just removed the lath and plaster. He is fitting different skirting board so they have to come off anyway. He is having sockets about 150mm above floor)
Can you convince him to change his plans before he starts!!

[ericmark]

Cable should be clipped. This is not just to be neat but so the heat is transfered to what ever it is clipped to. Can you clip cable with either method. Cable must also have the length limited to comply with volt drop. Cable under floor would tend to be shorter. Flooding is another consideration. And also how the ring mains are divided. At the moment we are only allowed 4% volt drop larger houses are some times wired side to side rather than up stairs and down stairs so as to reduce the cable used and so the volt drop. Looking at what you have said I would go for ceiling wiring for two reasons. 1. You can easy clip cables. 2. It will be what people in the future expect. If my calculations showed I would be near 60 meters limit for volt drop then I may go under floor but in July we go from 4% to 5% so 90 meters per ring so not sure if even then I would bother to go under floor.

[juli-juan]

you should put sockets at 450mm minimum for dda regulations

[juli-juan]

u should put sockets in at 450mm to suit dda requirements

[sparx]

Hi Phil IMO I would always go under floor, why change the practice of a lifetime? less chance of damage and if I went to a property with underfloor access I would not expect to find cables chased right down walls weekening structure unnecessarily. Shorter cable runs also, outlets in rewire must be "no lower than before". 450mm only for new build or if likely to be used by disabled people,
regards SPARX