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Does this installation violate any regulations?

I have a water pipe running above and in close proximity to my electrical meter and CU (consumer unit) and I was wondering if this violates any installation regulations and would likely mean that I cannot obtain an electrical installation inspection certificate for my property?

The house did not originally have plumbing in this area and the previous owners have installed this pipe to service a shower room on the floor above.

Any thoughts on if this is a problem would be appreciated. Suggestions for what can be done would also be welcomed.

Thanks,

Andrew.

  • An interesting question!

    I think that we must assume that the drain is sound and will not leak all over the electrical tackle. I am not at all sure that it is within scope of an EICR. Of course if the drain were leaking and the electrical installation was soaking wet, a report should mention it.

    That bit of plastic above the CU needs to be put back into its proper place.

    I suspect that the CU is hardly "accessible" as it should be, but you wouldn't (shouldn't) get a fail for that.

    Whoever butchered the cornice should be strung up.

  • It should be OK, no different to a socket under a sink

  • That is not a water pipe. It is a waste pipe but the only thing you need to do is to make sure that no water leaks from it, or indeed sneaks down the outside of it due to poor installation above. 

    If it had been a metal one  you might have had to earth it..

    If anyone is silly enough to tell you it is not compliant, ask them to quote which reg they think it fails, and why. If it was  mine I'd probably move the bell transformer and fill the holes in and paint the pipe to match the wall but that is not  an electrical regs issue, more of an offences against the naked eye...

    Now, are those red and black tails insulated with modern plastics, or an exciting mix of cotton and perished rubber?

    Mike..

  • It is in my view very poor practice to install a waste pipe as illustrated, but as has been said not in breach of any specific regulation.

    Had the waste pipe been installed first, then it would be very poor practice to install the electrical equipment as illustrated, but again not in breach of any specific regulation.

  • It's o.k. Chris, the consumer unit has a drain hole at the bottom with tails in it but it will still work as a drain hole.

    Z.

  • 528.3.2, Condensation?

    Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd 528.3.4 perhaps?

    Z.

  • well to fail either of those regs it would be getting wet. And I agree, you need to ensure that it is dry, but that is all. I'd be very surprised if the waste from a shower suffered condensation - if anything the waste water  is likely to be warmer, rather than colder than the local air temp. A bath I suppose if the users take ice baths, but it is unlikely. If it was a drip line from an air con and chilled, then condensate would merit more serious thought.

    It is certainly not a thing of beauty.

    Mike.

  • "If it had been a metal one  you might have had to earth it.."

    What?

  • The right hand pipe looks to go to the shower. The left hand pipe looks to go outside, and is either the vent pipe, basin waste or macerator waste. My money is on vent pipe. If open to the air, there is a chance of condensation forming on the pipework, if cold outside, and dripping from the joint sockets onto bell transformer and meter.

  • I would move the bell transformer anyway, but if for any reason condesation is possible, then lagging the pipe or a shelf over the meter would reduce the drip risk.

    I have just realized the upper joint  into the cornice is a compression type. Do be very careful that  this is fully water tight.

    The consumer unit is recent and in a perfect world there would be installation paperwork for it.