hiding wire in wall

MassiveJim

MassiveJim

MassiveJim

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22 Feb 2014
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Currently in the process of decorating daughters bedroom and she has mentioned having a TV on the wall.
So perhaps this year or next we might buy her a TV and wall mount it.

So whilst I am in here now I would like to run a cable up the wall to later be connected to a socket halfway up the wall
Is there any decent solution for having it in the wall hidden so I don't have to have a random socket halfway up the wall before there is a TV to hide it ?
 
If it’s potentially temporary, get a long to power cable and some trunking that can be adhered to the wall. Or even screwed in with small plasterboard screws.

Once the tv is gone, you won’t be left with sockets up the wall.
 
It's not entirely clear what you're looking for. Do you just want to temporarily hide the plug socket? I expect that there are various plastic covers that you can buy, or you could just make one yourself.
 
MassiveJim said:
Currently in the process of decorating daughters bedroom and she has mentioned having a TV on the wall.
So perhaps this year or next we might buy her a TV and wall mount it.

So whilst I am in here now I would like to run a cable up the wall to later be connected to a socket halfway up the wall
Is there any decent solution for having it in the wall hidden so I don't have to have a random socket halfway up the wall before there is a TV to hide it ?
Click to expand...

I think you mean you want to run the power (twin and earth) cable from an existing socket, up and inside the wall, terminating also inside the wall, which can later be pulled out and made good into a socket?

Depends on wall construction. If you want to remain compliant/legal, then strictly speaking no. Any power cable which has a join or terminates (ends) inside a wall, I was under the impression must then be serviceable. So this would need an exit hole with at least a single socket sized blanking plate over the top, which could be removed and then maintenance take place, for in the event of shorts etc. So it may as well be terminated into an actual socket at that point.

It would also be hard to stash enough cable inside the wall if it was solid wall (requiring chasing) to then plaster over and tuck all back in anyway. You'd need a bit of length to pull out, strip and connect up to a socket properly.
If it is an internal wall with cavity that may be easier.
Essentially, if you want to do this and leave it truly inside the wall, then yes it's possible just by having the cable in there but capped off so it could not conduct anything. You could even leave it not connected to the source socket you are spurring off for added safety.

To answer the question, no, there is no "solution" as such to what you are doing that I know of. It would be a temporary solution as described above. A socket half way up a wall doesn't even look that bad anyway. Might as well just get it done if you know a TV will cover it eventually?
 
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I just helped a friend deal with a now-unused cable from a bedside lamp. Basically they had a switched fused spur next to a double socket at low level, with a chased-in cable running vertically and emerging from the wall.

We ummed and ahhed for a bit about the safest way to decommission this for hiding the cable end, vs the lightest touch without ripping out the cable and oval conduit that was plastered in. Ultimately we decided to disconnect the spur cable at the switch, and terminate the ends there in a Wago then close up the switch.

You could do similar to that and leave your buried cable unconnected. If you fit a back box and plaster over it, it might be invisible... And you can just smash the plaster open to get to the curled up spare cable. Bit messy and it's sailing close to the wind as far as regs go. But it's pretty safe and pretty serviceable for later.
 
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Just chase the wall, put decent conduit in, along with the socket back box. Measure exactly where the back box is, blank the front of it, then plaster over it and the conduit.

You could then open it up where the back box is and run the cables when you’re ready to add your socket if you want to alleviate any issues with burying unconnected cables in the wall.

Issue with doing it this way is you need to be certain the cable will be easily pushed along the conduit afterwards, and whilst doing so you have to be careful not to damage the insulation.
 
Just pop in a back-box, but recess it a little and pop a piece of thin plywood or something similar over it and skim over it. Find it again using a metal detector or just take a note of the measurements to find it.
Provided that it's just one socket then it doesn't need to be fused or switched, it just needs to run to the nearest socket.
 
Honestly I'd just put the socket on the wall now. Will save you time in the long run vs having to do it later anyway no? Ok you'll have a random socket in the middle of the wall for a bit but its not the end of the world. Temporarily hang a picture in front of it or something if it bothers you?
 
I think I'll bury conduit and mark the end of it. The cable can be run with some slack under the floor and it doesn't need to be connected (ie. Made live). Until I want the socket on the wall
 
sorted.
buried conduit in wall
left slack under the floorboards
spurred off the socket to the left, which has only just been added and hadn't ben properly filled and sanded yet anyway.

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Then wacked in some bonding plaster I found dated 2023 :D

sL8xwdo.jpeg

 
Bit late to see this, you've done a tidy job, personally i would have just put a socket in and until you want / need to use it just covered it over with a picture hanging / poster etc.
 
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