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Plug help please!

571 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  blues_harp28, 
Belfastnurse
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Hi there

I have recently got a new 2nd hand desk. It came with a build in plug. I have attached pictures. The plug is hidden in behind drawers and leads to a box at the back of the desk with wires coming from it. These wires are not attached to anything.

I suppose my question is how do I get this plug working. Can I attach a plug to these wires and plug it in using it as an extender. Or do these wires have to be directly connected to electrics.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone is able to provide.

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blues_harp28
Hi, the wires attached to the plug are a mess and the plug needs be re-wired.
It looks as if they had the desk plug as a part of the 13 amp house ring main.

That is the three wires coming in - live, neutral and earth into the plug and then three wires [live - neutral and earth] continuing back to the main house circuit.
That is not the correct or safest way to do it.

My question would be, why use the desk plug at all?
There are other alternatives to having a power supply near a desk.
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Z
I personally don't see a problem wiring up a power cord that would just have a Type G power plug on the end of it to connect into a wall outlet. But since you're asking how to do it, I'd get an electrician or someone more knowledgeable to do the work.
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Drabdr
Hello there!!

I assume the white receptacle is for a 240VAC plug. Is that correct? There appears to be only one single receptacle, but there are two romex (the gray wires you took a picture of) coming out of the box. That doesn't make any sense.

Now... forgive my ignorance as typical voltages and configurations vary widely, but would your plug (what you plugged in) have three prongs or four?

Blues Harp is very correct. By most electrical codes (the NEC code here in America, at least) that gray/white insulation needs to go a little into the box.

So if it was mine, I would take off those two wires, go to the local hardware store and buy a flexible cable with sufficient gauge for the amperage, long enough to plug into a live receptacle. Keep it easy, neat looking, and minimize any connections and such.

Now... I also agree with zx10guy. If you're not comfortable with this connection, get you an electrician in there. They could maybe take off that one receptacle box and put in a newer one with more connectors and USB ports and such. If you look around your house, there's probably some lights, dimmers, or plugs you would like to change out anyway, making it a cost effective visit.
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Z
Brad,

The extra wiring is what Blues Harp was talking about. At one point that desk was set up as a "permanent" fixture at some location. The outlet in that desk was wired so it was an integral part of the electrical circuit in the room that desk once lived in. It's common for receptacles in a room to be wired in a ring one feeding off of another. In this case, one of the wires can be removed while the remainder can be used by installing the appropriate male Type G plug on it. That's if the remaining wire is in good shape, long enough, and is of the appropriate gauge for the intended application.
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Drabdr
zx10guy said:
Brad,

The extra wiring is what Blues Harp was talking about. At one point that desk was set up as a "permanent" fixture at some location. The outlet in that desk was wired so it was an integral part of the electrical circuit in the room that desk once lived in. It's common for receptacles in a room to be wired in a ring one feeding off of another. In this case, one of the wires can be removed while the remainder can be used by installing the appropriate male Type G plug on it. That's if the remaining wire is in good shape, long enough, and is of the appropriate gauge for the intended application.
Click to expand...
Gotcha!! Yes... (your word "permanent" is key) is common and practiced quite a bit. I didn't think about the desk previously being permanently installed. Although... since the desk is sitting out in the open, one might could question the "permanent" part. Ha!!!

I would still wonder if a qualified electrician wired that up; doubt they would have left it like that.
Yes, I agree with you about just using one wire and putting a plug on it. (y)
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blues_harp28
Drabdr said:
I would still wonder if a qualified electrician wired that up; doubt they would have left it like that.
Click to expand...
In my past life in the building trade employing many electricians and plumbers - this would be a demonstration of how not to wire a plug.
A badly wired plug contained in a wooden desk - no risk of a fire there of course.
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