Workshop electrics question

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

LarryS.

Established Member
Joined
20 Nov 2007
Messages
1,072
Reaction score
24
i'm about to run a new ring main into the workshop. question is can I use simple plastic socket boxes (wall mounted) or do I have to use the metal equivalents ?

plastic : £1 each
metal : £10 each

I'm hoping the answers plastic !
 
Hi Paul,

You’re responsible for ensuring that the installation will be suitable for it’s surroundings. My preference for a workshop would be Metalclad sockets. They are far more robust when there are metal clamps, pieces of wood flying round etc (or maybe I am just clumsy :) ).

On the same theme - make sure your cables are run so they are out of the way and/or have suitable mechanical protection. (Plastic conduit works well with the metalclad! :D )

(Sorry) Cheers
David
 
Mine are plastic. Metalclad is better of course, but OTT for a domestic workshop in my view. I've yet to damage a socket even slightly.
 
Same as Martin,went for the Screwfix metalclad (and as the workshop was an extention to an existing shed,also changed existing plastic for the same metal ones)
Never actually knocked any of them with anything in three years of use,so I'm sure plastic would have been fine.

My only comment would be - however many you think you need,double it...(I don't like having to plug/unplug things to use them,so have 8 double sockets in my fairly small workshop,although never have more than two or three things on at once)

Andrew
 
I have plastic - damaged one when trying to put up a 8' long x 2' deep board on the wall to hang tools on without any help but really that was my own fault.

Given to 10:1 price difference and I have 12 in the workshop I can break 119 more before I am out of pocket!

I would pick plastic again for home.
 
I am using plastic but have mounted the in a dado trunking at 1 metre centres. Should have about 24 sockets plus 2 double floor sockets.
vdfonm.jpg

2mcu7ix.jpg

16270rd.jpg
 
thanks for the replies all, after all the responses I think I'll go for plastic

plug, am interested in your trunking, what did you make the pieces out of to go behind the plywood ? is it 1x1 with a rebate taken out of a side ?

(may be an alternative to plastic trunking)
 
I just used 50 * 25 par softwood with 12mm ply pinned to the face. The holes cut into the ply are small enough to fix the sockets to so I don't have to buy back boxes. I went with trunking so I can always add more if needed.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top