Why Grommets in Back Boxes are Important
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- In today's video I will be showing how I fitted 20mm grommets to my electrical socket back boxes.
In a recent video • How to Fill Wall Chase... I showed how to fill wall chases, and a number of people commented that the back boxes should have rubber grommets fitted, and that I wouldn't be able to fit them after installing the back boxes. This video is to set the record straight and to show that I installed grommets in my back boxes.
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20mm Grommets Super Open geni.us/ndqDdn (Amazon)
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#grommets #rubber #20mm
Charlie and Grommet: a good day out😋
Well done for recognising this and responding in this way.
Thanks Keith. That's the benefit of you guys out there. A great source of checks and balances on my content 👍🏻
Well done. Grommets all the way! I know it may seem a "trivial" item to overlook, but if it all goes HORRENDOUSLY wrong it's a potential life saver. Well done for updating the video.
i asked about this a year or so ago and my sparky friends have said regs only states you have to do this on hollow walls (stud work walls) where the cable is free to move around, so in the above situation its not needed as the cable is held in place and can not move around freely. my dad is also an electrical engineer and has told me the same thing so unless its been changed in the regs over the last year or so its not needed but i wont disagree its good practice and piece of mind so worth doing
Thanks Ross, that's really interesting. I've had quite a few people criticising me for not using them so it's great to finally hear how the rules actually apply to this situation. Good practice though as you say👍🏻
As a retired Staff Nurse, the only grommets I knew about were those fitted in kids for 'glue ear'!!! You added to my knowledge, so thanks.
By the way, I'm now the proud owner of a Ryobi impact driver, having watched your video. Great bit of kit! I've plenty to do on my allotment during winter and it will SO come in handy. Cheers, xxx
Good to hear from you Cathy. Yes, I was in hospital as a kid after having my tonsils and adenoids out and the kid in the bed opposite had just had grommets fitted! So glad to hear you're enjoying the Ryobi. It's a lovely bit of kit, isn't it!
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Brilliant video about electrical safety!
Thanks Russ. It's a bit of a short one today but I get a lot of comments about the grommets and just had to set the record straight, whilst eating a bit of humble pie!
Yep, I noticed too in the video previous the grommets were missing. Well done for the follow up video and correcting the job. 👍
Thanks Johnny. Yes, had to be done 👍
Just a side issue. Watched one of your older clips the other night and so today went out and bought a ratchet screwdriver. Love it. How did I ever manage before.
As did my carpenter mate after he started working with me. Sadly I can't persuade my other fitter as he's too obsessed with his impact (although I did buy him one of these for Christmas one year) and is as a consequence very heavy handed. A ratchet screwdriver is a crucial bit of kit, as you say 👍🏻
Dear Mr. Charlie, you are really great!! We respect you so so much, and we love all your helpful videos ...
💐💐💐👍🥇
Thank you 👍🙏
Good tip. Always worth doing. Thanks for posting.
You're welcome. That's very kind of you considering it was a bit of a light weight video today 👍🏻
Thanks Charlie. Never crossed my mind to do that 👍👍
You're welcome. We're always learning in this game 👍
Some of the haters won't be pleased with video's like this Charlie, keep up the good work
Thanks Mark 👍
Grommets do provide protection during installation, but, they protect the cable in the future. When cables press against a sharp object over a period of time, experience has proved that a sharp object will dig into the insulation and danger will arise. In hollow partition walls, it is best to use a blind grommet. You put a small slit in the grommet and slide it tightly over the cable and it provides some protection against dust ingress over a period of time from the hollow partition. If you remove an accessory after a few years, there is always a small pyramid of dust in the back box. A blind grommet with a slit in it will stop this. Thanks for the video.
Hi Charlie,
Great video, just a small point to mention, the 2.5 relates to the cross sectional area of the conductor not the diameter of it., hence 2.5 mm sq.
Yes, thanks. I don't know why I said diameter. Just one of those things. I don't think it's worth taking it down and reposting though as people will know what I mean.
Good honest video, keep up your excellent work.
Thanks, I appreciate that 👍
Except when you have a cowboy spark in. Better to DIY IMO. I am always going to do a proper job on my own house.
I would even say you should use air tight boxes. They are standard in germany in all houses
Awesome video charlie, thank you, take care
Great vid thanks for posting 👍
Thanks mate 👊🏻👍🏻
The wire do not move in the box , say like wires in a car but always best use grommets just in case ,i am a x builder bricklayer but can do most things , the big concern was the rodents chewing through the wires in which was dangerous , you make great videos
Thanks mate. I agree, once the wires are in, provided they weren't damaged on installation there's no real issue, but as you say, it's best practice and something that's likely to be required if you have an inspection.
Really amazing 😍
Charlie, it is a good practice to have grommets on sharp edges, people are always quick to criticise minor details. How many tradesmen file the knockouts. Electrical regs are always changing with best practices if you take DIS Boards as an example most of us have plastic which is not now acceptable. Keep up the good safe work.
That is not the case Kenny, if you have a plastic consumer unit it will still be complaint as it would have been installed to the current regulations at the time. it is only new or replacement ones that now need to be metal (a revision under the 18th edition). You wait till a few years time and the regulations may all change again back to plastic ...
Peter, I wasn't saying that is wrong to have a plastic distribution board I was just pointing out that as you say the best practices do change but these changes don't mean that what it was before the change is now unsafe jus not as safe as decided by the panel. Sorry for any confusion.
Thanks Kenny. 👍
Cheers Peter. Appreciate the heads up on that 👍
@@kennywoods8713 no problem, not implying any wrongdoing. the reason it has been claimed to change to metal is that the studies have shown by Fire Brigade reports that most fires start in the consume unit. This would NOT be a problem if we had mandatory periodic checks every 10 years which would identify these potential fires. Unfortunately the way the industry has been going it looks like there are many more rogues doing these checks. which only happen every 30 years or more and they are often not done properly. its a big can of worms which would take a long time to discuss but my aim is to try and educate people with less knowledge using my experience for the need of (most) Electrical work to be left to qualified/skilled Electricians. Im not against DIY as long as the correct information has been given, and the work can be definitely guaranteed to be safe. Everyone can be an expert on TH-cam. Also DIY people will not have the correct TESTING equipment that ensures the circuits and Instalatio is safe. It does take years of experience to identify common faults and mistakes carried out by DIY work. Lastly its not rocket science but probably the most important part of any electrical work is the actual connection and that is where the skill comes in. Hope this has been useful and helpful.
Can you Henry be used with no bags
enjoyed the video
Thanks mate. Loads in the pipeline which I can hopefully now focus on properly after being away off and on for a few weeks.
More than anything the grommets allow the cable to move more freely when fixing the faceplate and they also stop ingress of filler when the entry point is on the side or heaven forbid the top.
That's a good point Ed. I'm guessing this is when the damage is done.
That’s really interesting. I know very little about electrics and wiring but I had some sockets fitted about a month ago and wondered what these rubber things were that the electrician had left on the floor. 😳 I will switch everything off and check that the grommets are in place. Hopefully not had some dodgy person who has thrown them out. As a new home owner I’m getting a bit sick of the poor standards and dodgyness of it all. 🙄
If the Electrician that you had recently left them on the floor, lets hope they were excess to his requirements an didn't just leave them out. It is a sad case that many standards are being lowered in the electrical industry for many reasons, one being that a lot of customers just want "cheap" and don't understand anything else, also there are too many cowboys sufacing under the current climate (and have been for many years)taking advantage of people and government relaxing the regulations. There are fewer good trademen left but i'm afraid as long as customers keep pushing prices down then you will always get poor work.
Totally agree Peter. In a world where us consumers can get everything so cheap these days, unfortunately that expectation has also passed on into work done by trades around the house. Case in point, in the day job fitting soft furnishings, our fitting fees are the hardest part of the job to justify, because the better we are at it, the easier we make it look and the less it's appreciated. I'm afraid consumers need educating on this. If trades add value through high quality, honest work, they should be paid accordingly. If I go into a shop and get great advice on a product I will almost always (unless the price is ridiculously high) buy from that salesman because I feel he's added enormous value and his advice has justified the sale, even if I could have got it cheaper elsewhere.
@@CharlieDIYte absolutely agree Charlie, that is where education seems to fail. skill can make it look easy which is why the charges should be proportionate. i had a story of a man that told me he got a plumber to fix three things in his house, mostly small jobs and he complained bitterly when he got the bill. His argument ! ... "he was only there half an hour and they were really easy to fix, so i don't undertand why he charged me so much" ... say it all really! My reply to the man was "if it was so easy why didn't you do it yourself then! suffice to say he had no response.
btw ... i enjoy your videos even though some of the things i might do differently. i say you are never too old to learn new tricks. that's how we get experience. Just a bit of advice on the grommet thing, you can always wrap a piece of Insulation tape around the cables where they go through the knockout and as long as you leave a bit of a gap with the plaster you can then fit the grommet in after, which can still be a bit fiddly but if you get the tapered ones, they allow you to push it into the hole. They are called super grommets ...
www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/GRS20.html?source=adwords&ad_position=&ad_id=315107931576&placement=&kw=&network=u&matchtype=&ad_type=&product_id=GRS20&product_partition_id=987624279047&campaign=shopping&version=finalurl_v3&gclid=Cj0KCQjw59n8BRD2ARIsAAmgPmLn4dwZdIS8MRy2ZHlj0O-unvH-kOjKqL-MUvOIq37UbWJULGxrp04aAtnyEALw_wcB
@@peterpuchalski817 How did my comment turn into homeowners and novices being thrown under a bus 😳. I never mentioned the cost of the work just the standard. I have asked around and been told he was paid more than a fair price for the work he did. I don’t mind paying a fair price for the work. I appreciate we all have overheads etc but for me if you’re getting paid, all homeowners want is a decent job! For homeowners we often don’t find out that a tradesman has done a poor job until he’s long gone and there are very few with the integrity to come back. In the last 2 months I’ve had kitchen cabinets fitted upside down, copper pipes fitted with kinks where they could have burst any minute, an oven fitted on a spur and not a separate circuit as legally required; the list goes on. I didn’t and couldn’t have known what they had done.
Thank you Charlie for your informative videos. Yes all the DIYers on TH-cam make everything look simple but it also lets novices know what is involved so that if they feel confident they can have a go and if not they know what is involved to ensure to job is done properly. All homeowners need information not condemnation. Particularly as a lone female we are constantly targeted and ripped off. I am relatively handy and can do some things for myself but if I can’t do it, I want to know how it’s done.
@@graceineverything9064 My apologies Nita, this was not totally aimed at you and I never intended for you to be offended and not intended to condemn you. It’s just that your comment and the last reply also sums it up really. You say you want to get a fair price for the work and you expect a good standard. Well I agree, but many DIY or should I say non-tradespeople seem to think that prices should always be to their budget. I understand you may have paid a fair price but this does not always translate too good standards as it depends on the tradesperson. This is where it gets really difficult as recommendations can be a good reference but one person’s recommendation can be different to another. And I also agree there should be a minimum standard of work for all trades. This is one of my pet hates and I have heated discussions with my wife when she says things like "but they should do a good job, it's their job" which drives me nuts and so I try to explain that not everyone’s standards are the same. I find it very sad that you have been taken advantage of and it’s something I always try to explain to my customers, which is why I maybe part of a dwindling number of honest tradesmen. If I was able to take a look at your electrical work I would happily give you some free advice and help point you in the direction of getting it sorted to an acceptable standard that you are happy with. To sum it up we all want the Rolls Royce but sometimes only have the budget for a mini and unfortunately there are some very poorly skilled people out there that don’t even have any moral compass. I hope you get things sorted and if I can offer any professional advice by email the do let me know. Regards. Peter
Now you'll have people asking how you connected the 2.5mm² and if it was a maintenance free connection and box.
No need for Wago or other maintenance free boxes as I was simply replacing a damaged link in the ring if that makes sense, ie between two back boxes.
@@CharlieDIYte even better. 👍
It was a valid point though. When I pulled up the floor I found a few lighting circuit junction boxes which were inaccessible under the floor. Rewired the whole lot with wago clips in 3 wago boxes. What an amazing system!!
@@CharlieDIYte Yes, it is indeed Charlie!! The 221s' and the 221-4 box is brilliant, the little clip thing to secure the boxes to the side of the joists are good. Also, to be classed MF the boxes need to be zipped tied. I doubt many do this step though.
A good reminder. Wallace will be pleased.
😊👍.
Since this whole video is in response to picky comments, I feel I have to join in and point out it is not 2.5mm diameter cable, it is 2.5mm^2 cross sectional area.
Sorry for being one of them 🤣🤣🤣
Would have been simpler if I hadn't mentioned the diameter 🙄
@@CharlieDIYte your channel is fantastic charlie, dont let the trolls bother you.
@@ronaldhussein6463 Thanks Ronald. It's fine. Most comments are a good source of checks and balances 👍🏻
@@ronaldhussein6463 the laughing emojis on Dave Wiltshire's comment seem to imply that he was having a laugh. I may be wrong 🙂🙂
I'm not trolling I'm teasing. Easy mistake to make for a throwaway remark in a video!
moreeee cheeeeese Grommet?
there's a good laaad
Lol 😂
I never put grommets in! Woops
never mind the grommets i am sure you just plastered over the cables without any covers or ducting
No I didn't. Watch the original video.
Or you can whip out the battery powered glue gun to protect the wires.... any excuse to use the gun.
lol
Nah mate, just use hot glue.
Grommet is a dog
That's why we have electricains... rather than DIY..ers..
Not sure you diyers should be messing with electrics a little knowledge cloud be fatal....
From my fairly recent experience, as a diyer, I have now rectified three SERIOUS faults carried out by "so called" qualified experts.!
If I have to call them in, I will certainly check their work VERY carefully!!
that's why here, in the civilised world, we don't allow metal back boxes 😝 😜 🤪
"civilised" 🤣 good one! 🤣🤣🤣
Plus we have plastic back boxes attached to dado compartment trunking in the office and the fixings for the socket screws in almost all of them have now failed meaning the entire box needs replacing. I'm guessing the domestic back boxes RS are talking about are a bit more resilient than this though.
Also, our houses aren't made of wood, so they don't sway in the wind and wear through our fixed cabling.
@Dave Jones What if the earth wire is loose and the hot wire connects to box ?
And, have you ever tried to set fire to a plastic box ??
This is one of the reasons I support BREXIT as a NON Brit hehehehehe
@@DukeofDave All cabling moves with the flow of current !...not because of the building moving due to swaying...hence the need for grommets.