Mounting power points to mini orb?

[petermcb]

A question for those sparkies out there:

I'm wiring a house for my aunty (don't you love "love jobs":-) and all is going well except for one wall in the kitchen. She wants to create a feature by lining this wall in mini orb. The trouble is I have a light switch, a couple of power points and the range isolation switch to mount to this wall and I'm wondering if anyone can offer advice on how to go about it.

My only thought at the moment is to get some standard mounting blocks and somehow shape them to the profile of the mini orb without losing all the mounting holes. I've seen a similar situation in a local cafe where they just screwed an mdf backing board to the iron and then a mounting block to the mdf however I thought that this looked a bit ordinary.

Oh, and before I get a heap of replies suggesting that I leave this for a sparky, I am a sparky. I just don't do much domestic work and I've certainly never come across this situation before.

Can anyone help:rolleyes:

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I'm no sparky, but I ran across a similar prob. when fitting p/points to a bush bar.

I didn't think of mounting blocks :doh: and probably wouldn't have cut 'em well enough to look acceptable even if I did; instead I cut a recess in the orb and installed a couple of shallow boxes, which I framed with 25x8mm strips. A bit better looking than an MDF backer, IMHO.

[dennford]

I think that I would consider mounting it to the existing wall and cut the mini orb to fit around it finally running a small bead of filler around the joint.

Denn

[nev25]

Post a photo or two might be easier to see what you are trying to achieve

[patty]

what profile height is the mini orb I tend to agree with Dennford and neatly cut out a sections to recess the GPOs and Switches to save with mounting and cutting out a
extra range switch just get a double gpo with an extra light sw mech take the standard 10a mech out and install a 35a range mech in its place saves an extra hole being cut!

[Barry_White]

Mini Orb is 10mm high. I would mount a low profile Mounting Block and cut the Mini Orb around that then fix the points and switches to the Mounting Blocks.

And if possible I would cut the holes in the Mini Orb with a Nibbler.

[Make it work]

Mini Orb is 10mm high. I would mount a low profile Mounting Block and cut the Mini Orb around that then fix the points and switches to the Mounting Blocks.

And if possible I would cut the holes in the Mini Orb with a Nibbler.

I agree, except a nibbler may tend to deform the small corrugations of the miniorb.

I would suggest masking to not damage the face of the sheet, especially if it is colourbond, and carefully cutting it with a grinder fitted with one of the thin (1mm) blades, or if you have one, a metal cutter like the Panasonic, they are awsome and I use mine all the time.

[nev25]

Because the orb is metal and double insulation rules apply you would have to mount it in some sort of backing and the mounting screws would have to be covered and I think (check the regs) the orb would have to be earthed.
I would properly use something like a clipsal 449AP


62255

[petermcb]

Thanks for the tips folks. You've been very helpful. I rather like the idea of mounting the points and then cutting the mini-orb around them. Accuracy will be the key but, hey, I'm in no rush on this one.

I also like the idea of the 35Amp mech in the double GPO point. Didn't think of that one. Thanks Patty.

Sorry Nev25, but pics would be pointless at the moment. The walls are still just timber frames with no mini-orb in sight. I'm just thinking ahead at the moment. Also, I think you're spot on with regard to earthing requirements. I was going to fit shrouds. If I follow the idea of cutting around the mounting block then I won't need to do this. Either way, I'll still be earthing the mini-orb even if it's just for peace of mind.

Thanks all.:2tsup:

[China]

nev25 is quite correct if you mount onto steel the mounting screws must be insolated so the sheeting cannot become live, my sparky did this by placing a non coductive backing insde the mounting block

[Barry_White]

nev25 is quite correct if you mount onto steel the mounting screws must be insolated so the sheeting cannot become live, my sparky did this by placing a non coductive backing insde the mounting block

If he is going to fix the Mini Orb around the mounting block I dare say he would be fixing the the Mini Orb to either the gyprock or to the studs. If he just fixing it to the studs he could fix a timber plate in between the studs and fix the mounting block to that.

So that would isolate the screws.

If he was going to mount it straight onto the Mini Orb he just has to use a backing plate like Nev25 posted.

[NCArcher]

I also like the idea of the 35Amp mech in the double GPO point. Didn't think of that one. Thanks Patty.

:2tsup:

Not sure if a 35Amp mech will fit in a standard 35X or 2035X but note the requirement to shield different circuits on the same plate. You may have to have a sticker on the plate that states 'multiple supplies connected' or something similar.

[patty]

yeah mate they fit in done it heaps of times get a clip25x or 2000series 2025x gpo and using a clip30m35rangwe series mech !geez i have never heard of identifying circuits in a domestic installation eccept on a switchboard I wired countless joints where for instance two light circuits met behind a light sw and was never told you had to ID them!