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Shaver socket installation

Leo James

Dear IET forum,

I'd like to get a shaver socket installed in a cupboard that used to hold an immersion heater, adjacent to the bathroom. The cupboard currently has a standard single socket, supplied direct from the consumer unit by a dedicated supply with an MCB rated at 16 amps that I presume used to power the heater. This circuit doesn't supply power to anything else, nor do I plan for it to do so.

Ideally, I'd like to use the existing wiring, rather than running the shaver socket off either a ring main or lighting circuit. Questions:-

1) is this possible?

2) would it only require someone to replace the MCB with one at a lower rating of, say, 3A and install the shaver socket?

3) would it be necessary to install a 3A FCU to protect the shaver socket? If so, would a change to the MCB also be necessary?

Many thanks

Leo

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  • 0

    Many thanks for the helpful advice. I realise my initial request said "adjacent to the bathroom", but should have said "adjacent to the bath". The spell checker being helpful, perhaps? 

    So, the cupboard is in the bathroom. There are some pipes in there, including a hot pipe for the show so yes, it does get a bit warm. I was wanting to use it mainly for safely charging an electric toothbrush, rather than using it for an electric shaver. 

    Sorry for the confusion, any further advice much appreciated!

Reply
  • 0

    Many thanks for the helpful advice. I realise my initial request said "adjacent to the bathroom", but should have said "adjacent to the bath". The spell checker being helpful, perhaps? 

    So, the cupboard is in the bathroom. There are some pipes in there, including a hot pipe for the show so yes, it does get a bit warm. I was wanting to use it mainly for safely charging an electric toothbrush, rather than using it for an electric shaver. 

    Sorry for the confusion, any further advice much appreciated!

Children
  • +1 in reply to Leo James

    Ah. 'near the bath' really alters things quite a bit. Unless the cupboard is kept locked closed and needs a key or tool to open it, as then it is not 'in the bathroom' for regs purposes. Hoewver assuming this a cupboard you intend to be able to open during normal use of the bathroom, then read on.

    In the bathroom you should not have a normal 13A socket, unless 2,5m or more from the edge of zone 1 (Zone 1 is in effect the outline of the bath and an imaginary box extending vertically above it as far as a standing person may reach - so usually the ceiling, unless your rooms are very grand when (from memory - someone will correct me) it is 2.25m . Zone 0 is in side the bath and zone 2 is 60cm further out than zone 1.

    You may argue you have a socket already, and you are not making it worse. Or it may be that the cupboard locks, or that the route to the nearest edge of bath is more than 2.5metres....


    However you can have a transformer isolated shaver socket pretty much anywhere except in zone 1 so long as  you are happy it will not get wet with normal use and normal arm waving.. By the sink mirror is common, but in a cupboard is also fine.

    Note however that many transformer isolated sockets are only rated to 20VA (20 watts of power in a resistive load, or the same current in anything that is not a resistor), and get quite hot at full load - please check the load your charger imposes, it should be on the name plate.


    Now to come up to regs the wiring to that socket really ought to be RCD protected. At this point someone will try and sell you a complete new consumer unit and half a rewire.  While that make sense if you need major rewiring anyway, for one socket it makes no sense at all. It may be that RCBOs exist for your consumer unit or that an external RCD can be added. If you can post a photo we can probably advise better.

    Mike.

  • 0 in reply to mapj1

    Hi Mike,

    here's my consumer unit. Circuit in question is one to the right of the right hand smoke alarm circuit

    Many thanks!

    Leo

  • 0 in reply to Leo James

    Hi Leo. Ah well you have RCDs - just check the socket goes dead with the RCD nearest to the main switch, as looks to be grouped with it, and then all that concern vanishes - it is already an RCD protected circuit.

    Now your choices are two - either

    1) plug in a razor adaptor for a quid or so, and use the charger carefully, avoiding unplugging it with wet hands, Yes, the 13A socket is a non-compliance with the letter of the regs, but used safely it will be no worse than it was last year.

    (and most continentals manage 230V bathroom sockets without major problems)

    2) remove the 13A socket and fit a transformer isolated shaver point. Then you are fully regs legal as it were, but probably limited to quite a low wattage, so check what your charger needs.

    As a non bathroom regs matter, if the cupboard gets warm, remember that current handling ability is reduced.

    Mike

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