.co.

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HOW TO: Upgrade a single power socket

Introduction
This 'How To' explains how to convert a socket to a double or triple socket.
It describes the precautions you need to take, for safety and to comply
with the wiring regulations, and shows how to connect wires to terminals.
It then gives directions for upgrading both surface and flush sockets.

For safety's sake, remember these two golden rules. Always switch off the power
supply at your consumer unit (fuse box) before starting any electrical work. And
always call a qualified electrician if you're in any doubt about how to proceed.

X Please note: safety disclaimer:

All diagrams relating to electrical wiring have been created in a colour format. If you are printing this
document in black and white, we advise you to follow these basic safety precautions:
1. Make a careful note of the colour diagrams as seen on your screen. Note the colour and
position of each wire in the diagram.
2. Follow all safety instructions provided by the manufacturer of the equipment you are using.
3. If in doubt, contact a qualified electrician.

What you’ll need

Materials Tools & equipment
Surface socket to surface double or triple Electrician’s bolster chisel – 65mm Masonry, flat, twist and countersink bits
Double or triple 13 amp socket Bradawl Padsaw
Double or triple 25mm deep surface box Claw hammer Insulated pliers – 150mm
150mm of 2.5mm2 twin and earth cable Club hammer Screwdrivers, all insulated and slotted in 8mm,
Cold chisel – 12mm 3mm and 5mm and No.2 Pozi
Green/yellow earth sleeving
Continuity tester Insulated side wire cutters
Flush single to surface double or triple
Electric hammer drill Spirit level – 225mm
Double or triple 13 amp socket
Floorboard saw Steel float, hawk and filling knife
Double or triple 25mm deep surface box
Junior hacksaw Torch
200mm of 2.5mm2 twin and earth cable
Half-round file (fine) Insulated wire strippers
Green/yellow earth sleeving
Craft knife Wood chisel – 12mm
Flush to flush double or triple socket
Insulating tape Power tracer
Double or triple 13 amp socket
Double or triple 25mm deep metal box
Flush single and double sockets are available
150mm of 2.5mm2 twin and earth cable in brass as well as plastic. You can upgrade to
Green/yellow earth sleeving a brass flush double, or simply replace plastic
Rubber grommets flush singles with brass fittings. You can only
mount a brass fitting on a metal box, not on
a plastic surface box.
Always read the instructions supplied with
new fittings.

Before you begin

Check your wiring
Never connect a new fitting to a cable with only two wires (fig. 2). If your wiring con-
sists only or mainly of two-wire cable, it's probably very old and should be replaced.
Consult a qualified electrician for advice urgently.

Do the regulations allow an upgrade?

Here's a diagram of a power ring circuit (fig. 1). The wiring regulations allow you to
convert any socket on the circuit from a single to a double or triple. But a spur cable
joined on the ring must only supply one triple, one double or one single socket.

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 HOW TO: Upgrade a single power socket
Before you begin (cont.)

Junction Box

Fused
Connection
Load Unit FCU

Fused
Consumer
Connection
Unit
Unit FCU
Fuse Board
Prior to
present
regulations

Load

Junction Box

2
FLOOR AREA SERVED NOT EXCEEDING 100M APPLIANCES /SOCKETS IN RED MUST NOT BE CONVERTED

fig. 1

Here's how to check whether you can safely convert a socket. Plug a table lamp into
the socket and switch it on. Isolate the power at the consumer unit (fuse box). If the
light goes out you have the correct circuit. Remove the socket from its mounting box
and count the number of cables.

• If you see three cables (fig. 3), you may convert the socket.

• If you see two cables, both twin and earth (fig. 4), disconnect the red and black wires
from the terminals and separate them. Unplug all appliances on that ring circuit. Take
a continuity tester and, following the instructions on the tester, touch one probe on
each of the red wires. If the tester shows continuity, the socket is on the ring circuit fig. 2
and may be converted.

• If you see one cable, trace the cable to its source. If it joins a socket or junction box
on the ring circuit, the socket is safe to convert.

The wiring regulations don’t allow you to convert any socket that doesn't meet any of
these conditions.

Is a multiple socket right for you?

If you want to run several units of low wattage equipment, such as a hi-fi system,
you're better off plugging the individual units into a four-point trailing socket or
connecting the flexes to a four-way multi-adaptor. Computers should be plugged
into a fused trailing socket with an anti-surge device incorporated.
fig. 3
Triple sockets
These sockets, if they are fitted to ‘British Standard’ will be fitted with a 13-amp fuse.
The sockets only offer a total of 13 amps over the three outlets – that is a maximum of
3 kilowatts. Single and double sockets offer 3 kilowatts per socket.

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 HOW TO: Upgrade a single power socket
Before you begin (cont.)

Switch off the power supply

Always switch off the power supply at the consumer unit (fuse box) before starting
any electrical work. You can do this in two ways. Either switch off the miniature circuit
breaker for the circuit you'll be working on and place red insulating tape over the MCB
to stop it being switched on accidentally. Or turn off the main switch, remove the cir-
cuit fuse, and turn the main switch on again to restore power to the rest of the house.

fig. 4

Connecting wires to terminals

1. Make the right connections
If you look at the back of a single or double socket, you'll see that the
terminals are marked L, N and E. The red wire connects to L. The black wire
connects to N (fig. 5). And the bare earth wire, which you should always
enclose in green/yellow sleeving, connects both to E and to the terminal of
the mounting box (fig. 6).

fig. 5

Safety tip
Always make all of the connections shown in a wiring diagram, and make sure
there are no stray wires.

2. Insert wires
Insert wires fully into their terminals. If only one wire is to be connected to a terminal,
bend it double (fig. 7). Don't twist two or more wires together.

Safety tip
Never insert a flex wire and a cable wire into the same terminal.

fig. 6
3. Secure terminals
Tighten terminal screws securely and give the wires a good tug to check that they are
securely fastened.

Surface single to surface double or triple

1. Disconnect the old socket
Unscrew the old socket from its mounting box.

Disconnect the wires from all the terminals. As you disconnect the wires, label each
wire clearly with the terminal marking that it was connected to (fig. 8).

2. Remove the mounting box

Unscrew the surface box and pull it away from the cables. Take care that the cables
don’t fall down inside a hollow partition wall.
fig. 7

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 HOW TO: Upgrade a single power socket
Surface single to surface double or triple (cont.)

3. Fix a new mounting box

Prepare the new surface box by removing the knockouts and smoothing away rough
edges with a fine file.

Pass the cables through the knockouts, making sure that the outer insulation is within
the box.

Screw the box to the wall (fig. 9).

4. Earth the new socket fig. 8

Enclose the earth wire from the 150mm length of cable in green/yellow sleeving and
connect the earth terminal.

5. Connect the new socket

Ensure that any bare earth wires are enclosed in green/yellow sleeving.

Connect the new socket to the wires (fig. 3). To do this, slacken the terminal screws on
the brass fittings and connect each wire to the terminal with the same marking as its
label (fig. 8). There may be more than one wire per terminal. Push the wire or wires
fully into the terminal and tighten the screw securely.

Check that you've connected the wires to the correct terminals, then remove all the labels.
fig. 9
6. Secure the new socket
Screw the socket to the box. Switch on the power supply and check that the new
socket is working correctly.

Flush single to surface double or triple

1. Disconnect the old socket
Unscrew the old socket from its mounting box.

Disconnect the wires from all the terminals. As you disconnect the wires, label each
one with the terminal marking that it was connected to (fig. 8).

2. Fix a new mounting box

Prepare the new surface box by removing the knockouts and smoothing away rough
edges with a fine file. fig. 10

Enclose the earth wire from the 200mm length of cable in yellow/green sleeving.
Connect one end to the earth terminal in the metal box. Then pass the earth wire
and the cable through the knockouts into the new surface box.

You can only use this method if the cable has sufficient outer insulation to reach
through the centre knockout in the surface box. In a hollow partition wall you'll
probably have sufficient slack cable to pull through. In a solid wall you may have to
follow the method for 'Flush single to flush double'.

Screw the box to the fixing lugs on the metal box. If you're fitting a double socket, use
the original socket screws. For a triple box, 25mm x 4mm (No.8) woodscrews and
masonry plugs or, if fixing to a hollow wall, hollow wall fixings.

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 HOW TO: Upgrade a single power socket
Flush single to surface double or triple (cont.)

3. Earth the new socket

You've already connected one end of the earth wire to the earth terminal in the
metal box. Now connect the other end to the earth terminal on the socket.

4. Connect the new socket

Ensure that any bare earth wires are enclosed in green/yellow sleeving.

Connect the new socket to the wires (fig. 3). To do this, slacken the terminal screws
on the brass fittings and connect each wire to the terminal with the same marking as
fig. 11
its label (fig. 8). There may be more than one wire per terminal. Push the wire or wires
fully into the terminal and tighten the screw securely.

Check that you've connected the wires to the correct terminals, then remove all the labels.

5. Secure the new socket

Screw the socket to the box. Switch on the power supply and check that the new
socket is working correctly.

Flush single to flush double or triple

1. Disconnect the old socket
Unscrew the old socket from its mounting box.

Disconnect the wires from all the terminals. As you disconnect the wires, label each
one with the terminal marking that it was connected to (fig. 8).

2. Remove the mounting box

You first need to enlarge the recess. Mark the size of the double box on the wall over
the single box. If the wall is stud partition, cut a larger hole in the plasterboard with a
padsaw or sharp handyman's knife. If the wall is solid, use a masonry bit to drill holes
25mm deep on either side of the single box (fig. 10). Then chop out the remaining
masonry with a club hammer and bolster chisel.

Now unscrew the metal box and pull it away from the cables. Take care that the cables
don’t fall down inside a hollow partition wall.

3. Fix a new mounting box

Prepare the new box by removing the knockouts and inserting a rubber grommet
in each.

Pass the cables through the knockouts into the new box, making sure that the outer
insulation is within the box.

Screw the box into the recess, then coil the wires inside the box. Fill any gaps between
the box and the wall (fig. 11) and allow any filler or plaster to dry thoroughly.

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 HOW TO: Upgrade a single power socket
Flush single to flush double or triple (cont.)

4. Earth the new socket

Enclose the earth wire from the 150mm length of cable in green/yellow sleeving and
connect the earth terminal in the metal box to the earth terminal on the socket.

5. Connect the new socket

Ensure that any bare earth wires are enclosed in green/yellow sleeving.

Connect the new socket to the wires (fig. 3). To do this, slacken the terminal screws on
the brass fittings and connect each wire to the terminal with the same marking as its
label (fig. 8). There may be more than one wire per terminal. Push the wire or wires
fully into the terminal and tighten the screw securely.

Check that you've connected the wires to the correct terminals, then remove all the labels.

6. Secure the new socket

Screw the socket to the box. Switch on the power supply and check that the new
socket is working correctly. HB

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