floating sockets

Has anyone ever heard of a floating socket or am i completely off my head??

Back in the good old days of mainframe computers we used to install floating earth sockets.
If you mean floating on a liquid then you may well be off the head.

Hoagy said:

Back in the good old days of mainframe computers ..

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Hey - less of the 'back in the good old days.." ! Some of us are working with them and will be for the foreseeable future.

sloggi said:

Has anyone ever heard of a floating socket or am i completely off my head??

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Is that the name I wonder given for a socket you can install into plaster board after the event where each side has a piece that you pull back on that tightens the base onto the plasterboard so that without close examination itlooks like a proper socket as opposed to one that needed a rectanagle cut into the plaster board for afetr the event?

I think no matter what those ones are called you'd use them say in a bedroom where one room had a socket and you just put one in the wall in the other room right behind it.

Hoagy said:

Back in the good old days of mainframe computers we used to install floating earth sockets.
If you mean floating on a liquid then you may well be off the head.

Click to expand...

hahaha...at this stage a few XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX wouldn't go amiss!! badly phrased question...have simmered down somewhat since I first asked it! basically, I am instructing electrician through the project manager via my OH as to where I want my kitchen sockets (am Dublin based, house is provincially based) ! I have asked for a number of floating sockets for appliances at under the counter top level so that they are easier to get to when you want to remove them! I will also be putting isolation switches on the wall between counter and wall presses so I can turn power off to appliances when not in use…i.e. dishwasher and microwave. Reason for this is that my aunts house burned down because of a dishwasher which was plugged in permanently so isolation switches were recommended. I don’t really mind if the sockets are fixed rather than floating sockets but my mum has floating sockets and they seem they more convenient of the two…the cable comes out of wall in a short-ish lead and has a fully enclosed socket at the end of it! So if you are pulling dishwasher out for removal etc, there is more room to pull it out, rather than it going so far and having to squeeze in round the dishwasher to unplug it! My project manager (no building background as far as I can tell) who will be conversing with the sparky says he has never heard of them, never seen them and basically therefore they don’t exist! Am I calling them the wrong thing? This is what mum and I refer to them as!!! Think I should starting taking the little blue XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX again…..

I think what you are looking for is a one gang trailing socket, i.e. a tough rubber 13amp socket which connects to the end of a flexible lead.

I don't think using these as you suggest is actually against the Wiring Rules, but it isn't good practice as they would be out of sight.

If you do decide to go that route, then insist on a good quality socket like Duraplug rather than the cheapies available in DIY stores.

why does it being out of sight make it bad practice?

Ah, the mystery is solved. Hoagy makes a good point on all accounts. It would be bad practice because if the unit was not firmly anchored frequent removal/installation of the plug into the socket could cause wear on the wiring as it goes into the unit. Also one would need two hands to prevent damage whilst removing the plug. Because you want the plug out of the way so to speak it make it dangerous. Granted having said this the appliance is not one that would require frequent unplugging. Hece very little wear and tear.
Speak to your kitchen installer/designer and the electrician, tell them what you require and see what alternative they come up with. Go with the standard wall mounted units and place them in a more acessible area. Eg. within the cabinet unit itself.

thanks for the help....i'm thinkint the standard out of sight might be best option after all....more chance of being understood anyway

cheers