Hanging TV on wall and moving sockets.
Discussion
As will be decorating the bedroom soon I thought it would be as good a time as any to install the TV and tidy up the sockets.
As you can see from the image there are plent of sockets but not in the most pleasing of configurations to the eye.
The TV will be mounted roughly level with the light sockets so I want to try and hide the power, TV and phone socket as well as putting the light & fan switch on the one socket (is this allowed?)
TBH I don't need the phone socket there and the aerial point can be fed directly behind the TV so that only really leaves the power.
Would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the most practical solution and also the most pleasing to the eye.
cheers!
As you can see from the image there are plent of sockets but not in the most pleasing of configurations to the eye.
The TV will be mounted roughly level with the light sockets so I want to try and hide the power, TV and phone socket as well as putting the light & fan switch on the one socket (is this allowed?)
TBH I don't need the phone socket there and the aerial point can be fed directly behind the TV so that only really leaves the power.
Would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the most practical solution and also the most pleasing to the eye.
cheers!
I assume when you say, 'mounted roughly level with the light sockets', you mean switches?
I don't think you can make the bathroom light switch and the fan isolator switch one of a kind. Having them separate also means that during the night, when you use the toilet and want the light on, you don't have to have the fan turned on making a racket.
To move the sockets up and behind the TV, you'll need to know where they run down the wall. It's normal that wires/ cables run directly below sockets and directly above switches. If you're wanting to extend the power up the wall, I'd say that you'll have to run a chase down to the socket, blank over the current socket and use it as a junction box, the extend the power up to where the new socket is to be. It'll require making good though.
Same for the others.
Re-reading your question...I don't know if that helps you at all!!?
I don't think you can make the bathroom light switch and the fan isolator switch one of a kind. Having them separate also means that during the night, when you use the toilet and want the light on, you don't have to have the fan turned on making a racket.
To move the sockets up and behind the TV, you'll need to know where they run down the wall. It's normal that wires/ cables run directly below sockets and directly above switches. If you're wanting to extend the power up the wall, I'd say that you'll have to run a chase down to the socket, blank over the current socket and use it as a junction box, the extend the power up to where the new socket is to be. It'll require making good though.
Same for the others.
Re-reading your question...I don't know if that helps you at all!!?
You really have two options. If you want it to look as good as you can get it, you'll need to chase it into the wall which will mean redecoration work. The other option is to get boxing to hide the cables and run them up the wall to the TV from the sockets you've already got.
Depends if you want to do the redecoration work, won't take an electrician long to do the work to move the sockets and the redecoration shouldn't take you long (assuming you have paint left!)
Depends if you want to do the redecoration work, won't take an electrician long to do the work to move the sockets and the redecoration shouldn't take you long (assuming you have paint left!)
Looks like the bedroom of a fairly new house, this means it will be a studded wall, this means that there is plenty of space in the wall for running wires without wrecking the surface too much.
The fan isolators i have seen mounted above the doors in lots of cases so you could do that, if its an upstairs bedroom then the cables from the sockets will proberbly coming from below and the lighting from above un less its a 3 story jobbie then they could be coming from any way. First things first you need to find out what type of wall you have, wizz of the phone faceplate and have a look inside the wall.
The fan isolators i have seen mounted above the doors in lots of cases so you could do that, if its an upstairs bedroom then the cables from the sockets will proberbly coming from below and the lighting from above un less its a 3 story jobbie then they could be coming from any way. First things first you need to find out what type of wall you have, wizz of the phone faceplate and have a look inside the wall.
headcase said:
Looks like the bedroom of a fairly new house, this means it will be a studded wall, this means that there is plenty of space in the wall for running wires without wrecking the surface too much.
The fan isolators i have seen mounted above the doors in lots of cases so you could do that, if its an upstairs bedroom then the cables from the sockets will proberbly coming from below and the lighting from above un less its a 3 story jobbie then they could be coming from any way. First things first you need to find out what type of wall you have, wizz of the phone faceplate and have a look inside the wall.
Yup new house (one year old)The fan isolators i have seen mounted above the doors in lots of cases so you could do that, if its an upstairs bedroom then the cables from the sockets will proberbly coming from below and the lighting from above un less its a 3 story jobbie then they could be coming from any way. First things first you need to find out what type of wall you have, wizz of the phone faceplate and have a look inside the wall.
Redecorating is not a problem as that is the plan anyway, hence why I want to tidy up the fascias whilst I'm at it!
Our other fan isolator is above the door, far tidier IMO and I don't why in this instance they put them side by side, I actually prefer the noise of the fan at night!
There will be one at the edge of the door and an other on the right hand corner and if your unlucky 1 in the middle, it will be a stud wall ive seen hundreds of them just like that, if its a metal stud wall then you can actually fish cables from floor to ceiling just remove the faceplates and the plasterboard back boxes will come out when you release the tabs, if its a wooden stud wall then there will be a noggin approx half way up so you will have to break out the plasterboard to get around it or to drill through it. I think the only small problem you will have is mounting the TV, its doubtfull you will be able to hit any studwork due to its positioning so try to get a bracket that has a large wall plate to give you pleanty of spread for your plasterboard fixings, Unless ofcourse there is a stud right in the middle then a few screws in that will do the job.
lost in espace said:
Could you drill the wall and go out the back and up the wall, retiling the wall behind? That sounds easiest to me. You could also put the tv higher and come down from the loft if its a stud wall?
Not really the easiest way as you are messing two rooms up rather than one, by cutting the wall out behind where the tv is going you can make a reasonable size hole that won't have to be made good perfectly as it is hiddenthe fan isolator is allowing people to clean the fan whilst the light is on and makes it obvious which switch is for which thing, either fan or the light
It's quite possible to have both the fan and light switch in the same single box whilst keeping the fan and light seperately switchable * - normal 6 amp rated switch should do it, though it needs to be double pole (switches off live and neutral)
- Don't do domestic wiring so I'm not sure if the fan isolator switch being seperate is part of the regs or not, ganglandboss or someone else on here might be able to tell you on that one- or the part p installer you get to do the work
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/22772/Electrical-Sup...
cable lenght may be an issue depending from what direction they are coming from and/or if you can get easy access to joint or replace them
Possibly could also get the sockets behind the tv, but then it becomes awkward to turn off the power, depending upon their location- could always re use the fan isolator box as a fuse spur.
As already said you're going to have to work out where the joists are to see what fixings you will need for the tv bracket, a hole cut behind where the new tv is going would allow you to put wood in rather than rely on plasterboard fixings if its a stud board wall
Brite spark said:
As already said you're going to have to work out where the joists are to see what fixings you will need for the tv bracket, a hole cut behind where the new tv is going would allow you to put wood in rather than rely on plasterboard fixings if its a stud board wall
People seem to be making the job alot harder than it really is, look at the space on the wall, 26-32" really is going to be the biggest TV you can fit there in wich case propper plasterboard fixing like these http://plasplugs.com/fixings-cavity-anchor.html will do the job easily, you dont need to go ripping the wall apart to re stud it. Also with a small TV its really isnt too good of an idea putting sockets and plates behind it due to the clearence issues you get when you start plugging things into them, if it were me id take out the aerial faceplate and replace that with a switched fused spur faceplate running from the socket next to it then run a long mains lead upto the TV, also pull the aerial cable back up the wall and out of the same hole (the aerial cable will usually be coming from above), either bring them out of a hole behind the TV that you wont see or you could fit a platerboard backbox and a blanking plate if you want it neater, the only problematic thing would be moving the isolator to above the door as you have a stud in the way you have to negotiate.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff