Electricity can be dangerous. So you have to be very careful when making electrical installations. If you are unsure at any stage, you should seek expert advice rather than risk accidents at home. Always disconnect electricity supply from the mains before any electrical installation are made. Check whether the correct fuses are used before re-connection to the mains electricity.

Installing an electrical mounting box:
There are different types of mounting boxes available – plastic surface mounting boxes and flush mount metal boxes.

Surface mounting:
You need a plastic surface mount box in order to surface mount a socket.

On masonry:
Hold the surface mount box on the wall at a position you would like it. Make sure that it is horizontal using a spirit level. When it is horizontal mark the fixing holes and remove the box. Drill where you marked the fixing holes and place wall plugs in the holes.

Decide where the cable shall enter the box and use pliers to break out the plastic entryway. Now pass the cable through the hole and align the mounting box up to the fixing hole you have drilled. With the help of countersunk screws fix the mounting box to the wall. Before they are fully tightened, use the spirit level to level off the mounting box.

On plasterboard:
Fixing a surface mount box to a plasterboard wall is same as above. But the only difference is that different wall plugs are used. When placing the mounting box on the plasterboard align it, so that the fixing screws go into the wooden frame behind the plasterboard.

Flush mounting:
You require an inset-mounting box to flush mount a socket.

On masonry:
Place the metal mounting box against the wall at your desired location; draw round it with a pencil. Mark a path from location of the mounting box for the cable to reach it. Remove the plaster from within the marked area by first scoring the pencil line you have drawn and then using a masonry chisel and hammer.

When the brick is exposed where the mounting box has to go, remove some of the brick. For doing this, fit a drill with a masonry bit and mark the depth of the mounting box on the bit. Next, drill into the brick in a grid manner. Finally use a masonry chisel and hammer to cut away the remainder of the depth required for the mounting box.

Make sure the box fits; then mark and drill holes to attach the mounting box to the brick behind. Use wall plugs in the drilled holes to secure the box. Pull through the length of cable required and attach the mounting box in the hole. Finish the job by plastering around the box and the cable channel as necessary.

On plasterboard:
Decide on where the socket has to be located; draw round the mounting box on the wall after ensuring that it is horizontal using a spirit level. The hole should then be cut in the plaster wall using a sharp knife. Feed the cable through the hole; then choose the best hole to remove in the mounting box and knock it out.

Fit a grommet to the cable entry hole and fit two lugs to the mounting box. Then pass the cable through the grommet; slide the box into the wall so that both of the lugs are behind the wall. The box should now sit behind the wall in position. The socket can then be wired up and screwed in place. By screwing the socket in place it clamps the plasterboard between the lugs and the socket.

Installing an electric cooker:
As a general rule an electric cooker requires its own radial circuit. This means it requires a direct connection to the consumer unit with its own fuse way there. Electric cookers use a vast amount of power, so must not be connected to a normal household circuit.

The basic circuit layout is as follows. The wire from the cooker is connected to a terminal outlet box. This terminal outlet box is connected to the control unit. The control unit is connected to the consumer unit.

Installing a shaver socket:
There are two types of shaver sockets available, those with transformers and those without. Only the transformer socket can be fitted in the bathroom, because it isolates the supply from the mains, making it safer and suitable for bathroom use. Shaver sockets without transformers must never be installed in bathrooms, but can be installed in the bedroom instead.

Shaver sockets can be installed either by connecting to a ring main with a junction box or from an earthed lighting socket. The spur from the ring main must be fitted with a 3amp fused connection unit before connecting to the shaver socket. The fused connection unit should never be installed in the bathroom. Connection from a lighting circuit can be made directly, but must be earthed.