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Sockets in a shower room

aligarjon
Hi guys.   I have a large shower room although possibly not quite large enough.  A washing machine with a tumble dryer are to be stacked in the oposite corner to the shower cubical.  I have wired it so that the two appliances can be isolated outside the room and was going to fit two flex outlet plates as the position of them would be literally 6 inches inside 3 meters from the shower screen.  In reality both will be inaccessible behind the machines.  Fitting outlets makes it a pain for the customer should they need to be removed at any stage and difficult for me to try and connect the top one as well.  


In the general section of section 701 it says fixed partitions can be taken into account to limit locations.   What are your thoughts on fitting 2 single sockets behind the appliances, they are not accessible. A type of open cupboard is being constructed with no door so the front of appliances is permanently accessible but sides and back are not.


Gary
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Fit the outlet plates. The sockets you wish to fit may not be accessible when you leave the property but the house could be sold 3 months down the line, what will the sockets be used for then ?
  • 0
    Well, I solved this here at home by fitting a German socket to the German regs, as they allow RCD protected sockets up to 60cm,  but I do not recommend that. Is the 3m a straight line - any partition or obstacle that means a 3m string has to meander and can no longer  reach the nearest wet part of the bath or shower makes it comply. This may or may not be the end of the shower  screen.  A fixed screen may work in your favour if it stops zone 1 early.

    If it really is 290 CM, then perhaps  it could be a departure or perhaps better a small chipboard cupboard door or  flap could be arranged over the sockets so they are covered and this has to be lifted or removed to unplug or plug in. If you expect condensation the outdoor kind of socket may be worth considering.

    I'd not worry too much about the house being sold in the future. The next occupant might just as likely move the shower as well.
  • 0
    It's not quite like doing 35 in a 30 mph area. You don't get to do the speed awareness course and carry on as before. To my mind, 3 metres means 3 metres.
  • 0
    why - it is a purely BS7671 thing, none of the other CENELEC derived regs have it, and they are recognised, at least until Brexit, as offering an equivalent level of safety.

    It is a hang over from our 'no sockets in bathrooms'  regs that came in the 1940s, when 2 pin sockets on hot wire fuses were the norm.
  • 0
    Presumably the regs assume that no hairdryer, fan heater etc will have a lead longer than 3m. But once there's a temptingly accessible socket, I could see people running a permanent extension lead so they can say, err, sit on the loo while drying their hair. Conversely, I could see that running an extension lead from outside the bathroom might supply both an aesthetic and psychological higher bar. So the 3m rule seems less than perfect.


    In this particular case, making the sockets a bit inaccessible and/or labelling them "for washing machine only" or similar might do the trick.
  • 0
    Cheers guys.   Yes a fixed screen and a strait line.  I'll make a decision when i am back next week.  



    Gary
  • 0
    Curiously the guidance talks only of where the 13A socket (Allowed) is located, not the equipment which obviously can be closer


    PLUS 290 or 300cm is surely within 'meansurement error'/tolerance (3.3%) ? 
    https://electrical.theiet.org/wiring-matters/issues/53/section-701-locations-containing-a-bath-or-shower/


    "230 V 13 A socket outlets are allowed, but only if they are at least 3 m horizontally from the boundary of zone 1."


    There is an additional note (that I am sure all follow ;) ) reiterating the permitted by manufacturer requirement

    "Check that manufacturer’s instructions confirm that the equipment is suitable for use in the relevant zone before installation in addition to checking the IP rating."

  • 0

    Andy88:

    Curiously the guidance talks only of where the 13A socket (Allowed) is located, not the equipment which obviously can be closer


    PLUS 290 or 300cm is surely within 'meansurement error'/tolerance (3.3%) ? 
    https://electrical.theiet.org/wiring-matters/issues/53/section-701-locations-containing-a-bath-or-shower/


    "230 V 13 A socket outlets are allowed, but only if they are at least 3 m horizontally from the boundary of zone 1."


    There is an additional note (that I am sure all follow ;) ) reiterating the permitted by manufacturer requirement

    "Check that manufacturer’s instructions confirm that the equipment is suitable for use in the relevant zone before installation in addition to checking the IP rating."

     




    Cheers Andy.  At 3 meters it isn't in any zone but i get what you are saying re being suitable for the location. 


    Gary



    Gary


     

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