Making good a circuit in France

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Hi,

My aunt has a small cottage in a tiny village in France. When she bought it one of the rooms was a bit ramshackle and sticking out of the floor a couple of inches from the wall is a pipe with some live cables that used to have a socket for a washing machine in it.

I am going down there in a few weeks and said I would be happy to buy a socket, screw it to the wall and wire up the circuit to it. So here it goes...

1. Any gotchas I should consider?

2. I also want to continue the radial circuit to add two sockets on the other side of the room (opposite wall). How best is it to do this? I assume I can just go straight up in conduit, follow the wall at ceiling level and drop back down right? Is that normal or should I be trying to go in the loft (not sure if it is accessible)

3. I have also been asked to move the light switch for the same room from the current location in the hall to the actual room (about 3 feet). Can I just replace the switch with a junction box and run the cable horizontal through the adjoining wall and back into a new switch?

4. Since this is old wiring, can you still buy and is it recommended for me to get the old style switch with a built in fuse (I understand new switches don't have fuses built in now)?

5. Lastly - when should I use trunking, all the time? Is it similar to the round stuff used in the UK?

FYI - I know they use radial not ring, I know that I should use the stranded cable not the Uk stuff. The only thing that worries me is a note I saw that rural properties often had 3 phase...

Graham
 
2 and 5. French regulation is – up to 8 plugs on one 2.5 mm line, or up to 5 (maybe 6 – don’t remember) plugs on one 1.5mm line. The cables are usually run inside the plastic conduits called gaine (http://www.castorama.fr/store/gaine-icta-vide-et-prefilee-PLcategorie_9551.htm) when put inside the wall or in can be run in the white plastic sort of channels called moulures. The regulation allows for both types of installation and it is a matter of taste and look.

3. The book I have read said to upgrade to the new stuff – guess same applies here as well. The new switches are indeed without fuse.
 
Sorry but if the socket is going to be used for a washing machine, then only that appliance can be fed from that circuit and it must be run in 2.5mm. I have several properties in France and have rewired all of them
 
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