www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Hi

We recently built a house and left some rooms unfinished. I’m looking to connect some socket plates in one of the rooms.

I’ve attached a picture of the current setup. The electricians attached some connectors at the end of the wires. I’m assuming to make them safe?

Can I just take off the connectors and attach them to a socket plate like normal? Do you know why the earth cables have been stripped? Can I connect them like normal?

Thanks in advance.

cortex101 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 26, 2021 7:00 pmDo you know why the earth cables have been stripped?

They have NOT been stripped, it always looks like that. Here is some more.

You MUST put earth sleeving on the bare wires before you connect them to your sockets. (Don't cover the whole of the wire, leave a cm at the end so it can go into the socket terminal.)

Those connectors are called WAGO (very good too) But you MUST turn the electricity OFF FIRST as those cables will be live. That is why they have wagos.

You can get earth sleeving from lots of electrical outlets / diy stores.

B & Q

Screwfix

Any other questions / if you are not sure ASK

S-E is completely correct but also I add,

If all the circuits in the building are live, the wagos have been fitted to maintain continuity in the circuit prior to new sockets being installed. Turn off the power before working on it then put BOTH blue wires into the N terminal of the new socket, BOTH brown wires into L, and the earths - with sleeving fitted - into E. Keep the wagos, they're really useful.

Technically you should also fit a green/yellow wire (or a length of bare copper wire fed through a sleeve) between the E terminal on the socket and the screw terminal on the backbox (bottom right corner of the double box, there will be one on the single as well - at the top, as we can't see it in the picture) in order to ensure that all metal parts are earthed back to the consumer unit.

You really should get the circuit tested for continuity after the sockets have been fitted.

Why isn’t your spark doing this ?

Thanks for your replies. I thought it would just be a nice and simple job for me to do myself. But sounds a little more complicated than I thought? Maybe better left to the Sparks?

It IS a simple, 10 minute job. Our replies are just making you aware of the correct way to do it, ensuring that you have the additional materials (sleeving & a short length of copper wire) on hand.

Sleeving is cheap to buy, or ask an electrician to give you a few inches of it. Copper wire can be stripped out of an offcut.

Although Neelix gives a professional view of things, for this type of job (as described by OP) I really doubt that a continuity test is needed. It's all been routed by OP's spark & certain to be correct, apart from finally fixing the sockets.

arco_iris wrote: ↑Mon Dec 27, 2021 9:09 amAlthough Neelix gives a professional view of things, for this type of job (as described by OP) I really doubt that a continuity test is needed.

Neelix is actually correct. (Just because it works, does not mean to say it is right.)
A ring final circuit should be tested for ring continuity (apart from everything else) after it has been worked on to ensure the ring is still a ring. (All of the sockets will still work if the ring is broken, but it would be dangerous, and can cause a fire.)

The "doubt" comes from the OP, if he does not know how to fit a socket, how is he going to know how to put the wires in right? (No, not joking)
An experienced person will always make a job look easy.

And more importantly what are your local building control expecting from you to issue a completion certificate?

Sounds like you should be going for screwless sockets

Neelix wrote: ↑Sun Dec 26, 2021 9:00 pm You really should get the circuit tested for continuity after the sockets have been fitted.

Why isn’t your spark doing this ?

Come back and fit a fit a 2g socket and switched fused spur 10 months later after the plasterer finally turned up for the last wall

Or do your tests and get paid?

A bit sloppy as there is no earth sheathing.

OnlyMe wrote: ↑Tue Dec 28, 2021 2:12 pm
Come back and fit a fit a 2g socket and switched fused spur 10 months later after the plasterer finally turned up for the last wall

Or do your tests and get paid?

A bit sloppy as there is no earth sheathing.

The job isn't complete as it stands so the original spark (who must have out of earth sleeving) should be the one to complete the job and invoice / certificate