How to Install a New Electrical Outlet in an Existing Wall
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- Опубліковано 18 лис 2021
- Watch as I show you how to install an additional electrical outlet or socket from an existing socket - a spur socket.
Proper DIY Patreon Page: / properdiy
🧰 The tools and equipment I use: www.amazon.co.uk/shop/properdiy
Amazon links to the tools and materials used in this video...
UK links:
► Cordless Drill (Dewalt): amzn.to/3k0GEeX
► Plaster Filler: amzn.to/3kRbypC
► MK Rapid Fix Socket: amzn.to/3kT0sQP
► Electrical Twin & Earth Cable: amzn.to/3Fvmpxh
► 35mm Galvanised Back box: amzn.to/3x5e5Bf
US Links:
► Cordless Drill (Dewalt): amzn.to/3qWFgLy
The Amazon links above are affiliate links. It doesn't cost you anything to click on them but I do earn a small commission if you do. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. - Навчання та стиль
Why didn’t you earth the new metal back box to the new double socket ?
There is sometimes no need for a fly led from the back box as the earth connection in the socket which earths the screws and thus the back box.
Because it doesn't need it. With modern sockets the earth runs around to the screw holes and connects to the back box when you screw it on.
I’m a qualified spark, you don’t need to run a fly lead to the back box 👍🏼
@@ukmal67r81 It's good practice to do it and takes no effort and if both lugs aren't fixed it's recommened.
@@solidus784 I'm a diyer so forgive me but if at least once lug isn't fixed, aren't you then required to earth the box?
Thanks for such a simple video mate. An electrician quoted me £120 to do this. I did it myself exactly as you’ve done here in about 45 minutes.
“Use my trusty damaged screwdriver, if you don’t have a damaged screwdriver use a normal one and it will soon become damaged”
Brilliant, just spat my tea out laughing! Love it !! Great vids.
Thanks. Sorry about your tea - my brother would call that excellent timing!
Sometimes it is a joke AND something you actually want to say.
When drawing round a back box it is easier to turn it around so the sharp edges are against the wall and stops the box from moving as it digs into the wall a little.
Just popping out to buy a new screwdriver so I too can make a damaged one. Great tip, thank you 🙏🏼.
Nice one!
This is a great tip I've always followed. If you go to Poundland you can get a decent set of screwdrivers just for this purpose.
That got me too 😂🤣
Ah man that absolutely cracked me up
Thanks man, that’s given me the confidence to screw up a similar project slightly less than I would have done otherwise! Nice edit and well presented.
Another great video, very well explained. When you removed the existing socket and the wires were temporary exposed for a short while, instead of wrapping the ends in tape, I put a wago connector on the end of eash wire, much easier to remove than tape and possibly safer. Keep making your great videos.
Hello, this is actually unbelievable, good clear content, instructions and advice. UA-cam has needed a decent DIY channel for a VERY long time and I think it finally has one, also you're a great presenter which is rare in this genre. Look forward to watching more content. It's especially good that this is UK based as much of the bigger channels are in the US and it's not always easy to know what applies to the UK and Europe especially with electrics. Great stuff.
Love your videos. I am the head of our neighborhood watch scheme and we have a community of new builds of young home owners. I always share your videos to help us new home owners to save a penny. A potential future video idea that has come up quite often. How to replace a composite front door canopy , alot of us seem fed up with the cheap ones the developer put on.
Fab video - def consider if you don't need it recessed is going for a low profile surface mounted socket, or if you do go recessed you go off alignment so both back boxes are not directly back to back. Going slightly up (higher) the other side reduces any risk of damage to the power feed to the original socket when taking out the wall material.
Perfect timing on this one though as I'm needing to add a few spurs!
Hi Stuart.
Thanks for the video. I wasn't initially looking for this content as I'm sat on the loo channel hopping, but saw 'Proper DIY' & knew it would be worth watching. I never knew it would be so simple to fit a spur socket. I'm a general handyman (but obviously not that handy!) & take on most jobs I feel confident with, so thank you for the instruction.
Glad you like it
Good work with fitting the grommets, Stuart, this is very important.
As a qualified electrician, I must say this does get forgotten about/ not done at all.
Another fantastic video Stuart, you have such a considered approach with calm collected attitude, speaks to my hash bash approach, taking ones time and thinking before you progress is a important aspect to your work… keep up the great work.. I look forward to every video. More!!
Thank you kindly - very nice to get positive comments - thank you.
Really love your content because you describe things so simply.
I always use block connectors to separate my wires while doing the same electrical job Stuart. Thanks for the video.👍👍
Another good and useful video - you're building up quite a library here.
One little point: when you forget something, like the grommet, it could be useful to add in a clearer shot of what you should have done... This might help the rookies, who might never have seen a grommet before, to clearly understand what you later did...
"if you don't have a damaged screwdriver, then just use a normal one and it will be damaged soon enough" - that had me in stitches
Greetings from the US. Interesting to see how things are done “across the pond”! I like how simple and modular the sockets and switches look. We do a lot more splicing with wire nuts at each box. They look lighter weight too than what we use, which makes sense. Not surprised to see that being an electrician in the UK also means that you still need knowledge outside the trade, with plastering and painting as well. I always say that it’s a trade that requires you to be very well rounded to excel. Thanks.
He’s not an electrician please do not use this man as an example he just know enough to be dangerous
Mate, don't watch this diy'er. Sure at 14:56 there was no earth bridged to socket. Literally people could get a shock by switching it on.
@@huntingtimes5474 Incorrect . The switch is grounded .
Just used for a refresher to install one after years of not having done it. Really useful, thanks!
Channels growing rapidly! And for good reason. Great content as always 👏🏻
Well thank you very much - appreciate it!
THANK YOU..- a proper straight to the point, short demo video. Without need for chatting & faffing irrelevant stuff just for ego.... Seriously appreciate your direct approach, much needed on UA-cam!
Do you do instruction/ courses at all as I'd really value your concise presentation, I'm looking to skill up 'all round' general skills around diy/ fixing things, more for life skills than as trade, pls advise
Nice video, Important to mention for anyone watching that has an old consumer unit, that an RCD is a requirement for new sockets.
Thanks Stuart - your videos always make good Friday night viewing 👍🏻 I especially like your electrical videos as it gives me the confidence to have a go.
Glad you like them!
Brilliant video, I've learned alot from this, I love the ease of the new click lock system, it makes life easier 👍
"i'm using my trusty damaged screwdriver for this, which comes in handy for so many jobs. if you don't have a damaged screwdriver then use a normal one and it will be damaged soon enough.." HAHAHAHAHA! man you made my day right there!
Nice one...so glad you remembered the grommets. Those MK Rapid fix sockets look great.
Thanks 👍
Another excellent video thanks Stuart. One word of warning about installing socket outlets back to back; if the wall is thin it can be a good idea to remove one of the side knock outs and drill at a shallow angle so the new socket is offset, i.e. not directly back to back. Chopping in a new 35mm box can result in a big hole with nothing to fix to. Similarly using screws and plugs to fix the back box in a thin wall can lead to drilling right through the original back box and socket.
Easy to avoid though as he'll no doubt have noted the thickness of the wall when he drilled. I don't see this as a problem
@@johnadams1976 Hi John, you would always hope so but speaking as a 'mature' electrician, I've seen quite a few very small serving hatches created by individuals who didn't check first.
Well detailed and easy to understand, even for a complete novice like myself. Great video and a new subscriber. Thanks for sharing.
Such a clear and well spoken commentary. Thank you.
Thank you very much
Thank you for this video i didn't realise they did these Fast fix sockets, made life so much easier.
Come on Dewalt, surely a missed opportunity to get your multitool into Stuart’s hands!! As I continue working through your vids mate it’s increasingly spooky just how many of your jobs I’ve also done the last 12 months or so. I do admire your attention to detail around the edges and the painting. As soon as I realised the plastic cover overlapped by a good 8mm or so I just left the jagged cut edge of the plasterboard based on the premise of what lies beneath will never be seen. In reality im just a lazy old sod!
Great video, I used a makita multi tool to cut into the wall, found that very easy and neat. Although that was cutting through lime and soft clay brick, might not work on harder material 🙂
Great tip!
Great job, as usual. You always make it look so easy.
Thank you
Now there's a man that needs a multi tool. great video, just subscribed, looking forward wot working my way through the rest of your content 🙂
Very good instructor 👍 well worth watching this guy, thank you 😊
Thank you
Really helpful video, thanks. Clearly explained and some very good tips, too. The MK Rapid Fix socket looks like a great product.
Glad it was helpful!
This is excellent! Alot more clear than other videos
Brilliant video. Calmly explained and good tips and tricks.
Fantastic advice on how to create a damaged screwdriver. I will have a toolbox full of them soon. 👍
Go for it!
Watching this video with absolute wall envy!
I have a cottage bungalow built in the early 1700s... our walls don't look like that!
A 'simple' picture hanging takes a rented jackhammer just to make a small dent! Haha!
I'm sorry to hear that- I've had the same in other properties and everything take a lot more work
Great contnet. Love the pace of your videos. Perfectly explained.🙂
Thank you
Love every video on the channel, always great stuff! Could you do a video on how you'd run a channel in the plasterboard? For example if you wanted to extend this ring in the same room (no socket on the other side of the wall) and had to run a 5ft twin and earth?
Friday is my favourite day not just because it’s the start of the weekend but I get to see another great video 😃 cheers Stuart 👍
That's very kind of you.
I really enjoy watching your videos, and the projects you do around the house!
Glad you like them
Another great video! Loved the song at the end when wiring the plug. ‘When sleeping with someone new’. Perfect music for wiring 😂!!!!
See! It's not just me then!
Great video! I have done the same job, except using a slightly bigger paintbrush. 🙂
love the envelope stuck to the wall tip. i shall be using them and the new type of socket - though will be going to a new build so shouldn't need to anything like that!
I really like the trick with the filler I will use that next time I need to add a socket. Unfortunately our walls are very hard and many an hour had been spent chiselling and grinding to chase in sockets. I think on a cost basis I would only use those new MK sockets if there was good to be three cables. I can just about manage with two.
Best way to stick socket boxes in is to used expanding foam cause it gets in all the gaps and holes and around the sides so it’s completely stuck once solid. Also mix of bonding plaster and cement works well too!!
Thanks so much Stuart, very good video.,…have a good weekend, much love from South Africa
Thank you SA!
Nice video. Simple informations, nice watching, good voice and great music (Someone New). I like it a lot. Thank you.
Are you reading my mind? Just what I've contemplated doing next after installing new euro-lock! Great video didn't know about those new MK sockets, will look for those. Thanks for great info, cheers.
Nice one!
Proper DIY you're a bloody Proper guy! Thank you!
Great Stuart those new sockets are great time savers 👍👨🏻🏭
Thanks 👍
Great video! I have no idea why the metal back box on the existing socket was painted inside as it’s never going to be seen by anyone but did a good job there! One trick I have for you is instead of using filler to stick the box in use expanding foam adhesive and you can cut it back and put some filler on round the edges - it really does work well cause it gets into all the awkward gaps where you haven’t applied filler in your case and makes it more rock solid, done it for years and works really well!
Thanks. Yes I can see that working well - have to try that next time!
I wondered that about the paint too, then wondered if the room had been spray painted and the back box was just exposed at the time
All of our metal back boxes are painted, it’s easier and cheaper to spray a room rather than roller it. The finish is awful but Developers don’t care about that.
Only problem with expanding foam imo, is that it is expanding foam XD. It has a tendency to expand out of the cavities, stick to everything around, solidify in the applicator nozzle if you don't use it often etc. I'm sure that if you are a regular user and experienced at judging the quantity etc then this is a fine technique but for a one off DIY job, not so much.
@@kevinbarton98 Luckily ours thought to put some gaff tape over them before spraying ... you're right though the paint finish is terrible. Rub it with your finger and you expose bare plaster!!
As always, very helpful video. Since you have an industrial table next to the socket your next upgrade would be adding sockets which incorporate twin USB ports.👍😊
Do these require additional wiring or are they the same as a normal socket?
@@flippmogaming1 In my house I've changed my sockets and USB is wired into the socket. No additional wiring is required. 👍
Great work Stuart, that tester looks like a good bit of kit.
The new MK socket use Wago like connectors... that is awesome.
Having experienced a short that marked the wall and an interesting time connecting what was left of the wire due to come one not putting a rubber grommet in a metal back box... put the grommet it. I used a couple of layers of insulating tape as a fix until I got the grommet and had to clean down and repaint a freshly painted wall all because the person that owned this house previously couldn't be bothered to do the job properly.
I really enjoyed it, thanks😊
Thanks for this! Really well explained!
Many thanks for that demonstration as I was about to do one like that myself.
Glad it helped
Nice video - thanks. Just a few of tips for anyone thinking of doing similar.
Metal boxes can be used in stud walls. I have some in my house, for whatever reason the builder preferred to fit metal boxes on noggins in the stud wall rather than plasterboard boxes after the boards are up. Peek through the screw holes in the existing box to see.
You can also often judge the wall construction by looking how wide the door lining is. Blocks + dot and dab are thicker than studs.
Cutting out a neat box - an oscillating saw is great for this. I've done this with metal boxes and the socket is wide enough to cover any minor gaps as you say - no filling/painting required if you're careful and lucky.
If laying 1 cable, often it is better to lay 2, and add the new socket to the ring. Join the other cable with ideal splice connectors or any other connector rated at 32A in the back of the original socket. If you're on a stud wall, you may even be able to pull 1 leg through to your new socket and avoid the connectors.
Your auto wire strippers should be great at removing the outer sleeve on the T&E cable. Rather than the knife and cheesewire earth method.
You mush share your trick of instantly aligning the screw with the lug on the back box when re-fitting the socket. That's the bit that usually takes me a few attempts and a bit of language to persuade it to engage :)
Loving your videos - thanks again.
i now have the confidence to do the same thanks pal your a star
Thanks
Good video. Very clear and easily understandable.
But you should get an oscillating multi food for cuting out plaster, they're brilliant.
Good clear demonstration. Thanks . 👍🇬🇧
Great idea to use the filler to align the back box :-)
Thanks
Thank you for this video 😍😍😍
I love this channel! Thanks!
awesome video!!!!!!
good work!!!
Thank you Stuart. Very helpful.
Thank you
Thank you for uploading the video very clearly demonstrated too 👍🏼😷
No problem
"Blobs"...a highly technical word I like to use a lot. ...lol, Great video as usual Stuart.
Glad you enjoyed it
Very interesting and logical as always, thanks.
Thank you
Really love your content. I’d tackle that job now. Thanks
Thanks 👍
Nothing flashy, it’s almost an idiots guide which is the best way to show people. Impressed 👍
Fantastic job very well 👏 done
My new favourite youtuber! Another great vid Stuart 👍🏼
Wow, thanks
Another really helpful (and amusing) video. Re cutting out the space for the back box, would you ever consider using a multi tool with blade? They’re a godsend for straight tidy lines 👍🏼
On thermometer blockband dot and dab you could easily use an old multi tool blade and also a dry wall socket and do the hole job in about 20 minutes.
Great clear and concise video 😃
Great simple video. Both back boxes being metal really should be earthed. I liked the way the back box was bonded rather than screwed to the wall. Going back to back you may drill through the box on the other side so this prevents this.
These days plug sockets (but not light switches) are earthed through the socket itself, which is then screwed into the lug of the metal back box. As long as you have 1 fixed lug in the metal back box then all good 👍
Another great video. Like the honest comment about neon screwdrivers. See electricians having a go about them but as you say they're sold everywhere. They're ideal for those of us doing electrics every now and then. Like the rapid fix socket too, not used them yet. 👍
Thank you. After getting a lot of grief from electricians it's nice to know I'm not on my own!
Electricians, and anyone employed, have to comply with the Electricity at work regulations. As an industry we are trying to improve the safety culture through the use of proper equipment and best practice.
@@ProperDIY sometimes some sparkies will give out grief to DIYers as they have seen lots of things that are bad and tar the DIYers with that brush. The problem with the neon screwdrivers and the contactless mains indicators are they rely on you to provide the capacitance to work. I believe if you are well insulated then they don’t indicate and you could have live where it says there isn’t.
Given you’re working with 32 amps at this point you are then relying on the rcd to save your life. Most people don’t test their RCDs at the advised rate and how many have had them checked regularly? When your life is a stake then relying on luck is risky.
If one is working with mains electricity then a proving unit and proper tools and processes could well save your life, so a small price to pay.
A neon screwdriver is better than having nothing, but having the tools the pros use is best.
Still nice video and a great channel, you could always do a video about proving units and safe isolation.
My dad was a sparky and, whilst he used one, he never fully trusted his neon screwdriver. He taught me to always test it on the live socket first, then turn off the power at the consumer unit and then test the same socket again with the neon. As an aside, he also pulled out the fuse for the relevant ring-main as well as flicking off the switch - he call this his "making sure he got home for supper" tip, whereas nowadays I guess it's called best practice... Great vids that I passed on to by DIY son, too.
Helpful AND funny. Many thanks.
Usual informative, tip laden video.
Great stuff stuart
Thank you
Great stuff! Enjoyed this video and will be giving that a go myself fairly soon I suspect - cheers!
Thanks
I love watching your video
Great Video...Great Idea to glue the box,,with caulking...good neat job thank you....NY
Thanks for watching!
Another informative video! Only comment is the music “When I’m sleeping with someone new, I close my eyes and think of you…” but different I guess 😂
thanks easy and clear
Great video and thanks for making it.
Thank you
Good work
Very well made video. Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Thank you for the great videos , great knowledge to learn and know tha
Thanks for watching!
Proper job, like the dance music, not a bad choice for an oldie, excellent video again my Bhoy, 👍🏻
Thank you
You always do a good job mate. Keep it up.
Great helpful video.
Thank you
Great video, well explained as usual, oh and err 🤔----nice touring case. 👌
Glad you enjoyed it
Interesting as always Stuart
Thank you kindly
Cheers buddy 👍
Great video Stuart, still have that phase tester I see 🙈 lol 😂
Awesome video thanks 👏
Glad you enjoyed it
Great vid again top bloke ..
Thank you
Great video. Neat job. Oh and liked the music
Glad you enjoyed it