POSITION OF OUTLETS
was
Socket-outlet positions must be chosen both for convenience ond, as far as possible, for economy. In the found that many survey it people, as well as wanting more out- lets, wanted some in additional or in alternative positions. Although much of the equipment was in fact placed near the socket outlets provided, three-quarters of the occupants had lengthened flexes to enable them to use appliances elsewhere in the rooms. Flexes were often loosely laid under the floor covering, and often across paths where people walked. Even so, about half the occupants said that lack of additional outlets prevented them from arranging their appliances as they wished.
The placing of an electrical ap pliance will usually depend on the layout of the room and on the furni- ture in it. The use of ground-floor rooms is largely determined by the positions of doors and fireplaces: there will be areas or paths mainly used for circulation and two or three areas in which people may wish to use a piece of electrical equipment. For example, a room with one door and a fireplace would normally be divided into two areas, one with two doors and a fireplace into three areas, and socket outlets should be placed so that there is at least one
Fig. 2.
DR
DR
LR
GROUND
FLOOR
X
X
Cu
CONSUMERS COMPOSITE
UNIT
SOCKET - OUTLET (ON RING CIRCUIT)
SUGGESTED SOCKET - OUTLET
FUSED SPUR BOX
FIXED PANEL FIRE
BR3
BRI
BR2
PF
cu
FSB
PE
x
FIRST
FLOOR
Plan of one of the house types visited in the B.R.S. survey, showing actual at
suggested provision of socket outlets
BR2
BR3
BR2
BR3
BRL
STORE
LR
CONSUMER COMPOSIT
UNIT
70
THROUGH
LIVING
ROOM
X
X
Room with 2 doors and
a fireplace.
4 socker outlet positions.
DINING
ROOM
Rcom with door and
a fireplace,
2 socket outlet positions.
LIVING
ROOM
Room with 1 door and a fireplace.
3 socket outlet positions
LIVING
ROOM
Room with 2 doors and a fireplace. 3 socket outlet positions.
Fig. 1. Socket-outlet positions sug- gested for different types of room plan
ILR
INCOMING MAINS
RING CIRCUIT WIRING SPUR WIRING
Fig. 3. Ring-circuit arrangement to supply the suggested socket-outlet positions show
in Fig. 2
in each area (Fig. 1). Sometimes, of course, the doors may be so close together, or one of them may be so near the fireplace, that an outlet may not be required there; in some large rooms. on the other hand, extra positions may be needed.
In bedrooms, the position of the bed will probably determine where electrical appliances are used, and outlets should be provided to suit the likely arrangements of the furniture. Socket outlets in bedrooms are re- quired mostly for fires and table lamps (Table 1), which are likely to
be used at the same time but a unlikely to be placed close togeth A reasonable solution is to provi two socket outlets in diagonally o posite positions in bedrooms, exce perhaps in third (single) bedroon where a single socket outlet or a tw
It may unit may be sufficient. noted here that in twenty of t houses seen in the survey, a wa mounted panel fire had been fixed bedroom 1; seven of the tenants sa that this restricted the placing furniture, and they would have pl ferred a socket outlet near the wi dow. Tenants also tended to obje
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER-VOLUME 17, NUMBER