Fitting an Additional Mains Socket

Alas, to complete the job you will also need some other items, you will need a length of  2.5mm twin and earth cable. A short length of earth tubing. A chisel and hammer. A length of conduit with end connectors. A small packet of patching plaster an with inset patress box. Now can you read this interesting topic and gain information at the same time.

So having considered your needs the next move is to identify and then travel to a supplier. All the components are located in separate identifiable shelves. All you have to do now is to choose the style. Many to choose from; construction may be of plastic which is probably the most common but there are also some known as metal clad which is a combination of plastic and metal plus yet another may be made of only metal. Metal sockets have to be earthed to the patress box using a dedicated wire; a patress box is usually made of galvanised steel and is buried into the wall. They are galvanised because galvanisation is a means to prevent steel from the rusting process taking place. It is used to house the live wires and is the means by which the socket is kept in place using two relatively thin machine screws.   All the previously mentioned sockets may also be switched or un-switched; some even have neon tell-tale indicators which can be a boon in the quest to conserve energy by drawing your attention to an appliance which may not be needed to be plugged in and switched on as well.

Now having decided you can safely fit an additional power supply into your existing ring main and have taken home your chosen socket now is the time to plan where it will be located.  In this instance it will be located one metre from an end of the line socket.  Turn off the ring main at the consumer unit. Unscrew the two screws which hold the socket in place and pull it forward to gain access to the cables within. Using a multi meter make sure the power is off. Measure out the metre distance and using the patress box as a template mark out a square then using a chisel, make a hole deep enough for the box. Between the two boxes chisel a channel and insert the conduit connecting the two boxes together. Slide the cable into the conduit and cut the ends to fit the socket.

Slide an earth tube onto the bare wire, then connect the wires to the sockets. Brown to live, blue to neutral and green and yellow to earth.  Screw both sockets to the boxes then make good the plaster patching.  Job done.