I'm trying to put a mains socket in a kitchen and get it as far away from the sink as possible but that will mean it has to go under the boiler. Do the regs allow a mains sockt to be installed under a combi boiler?
Yes. You are supposed to keep gas and electric services separated, but I've never seen anyone take any notice of that. I can't recall what the distance is (it's part of gas regs, not electric regs).
Obviously, if the combi leaks, it could trip the RCD and cause additional inconvenience. I wouldn't do it for that reason.
To comply with Part P, sockets in te kitchen now need to be installed (or checked) by a qualified installer.
Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind but frankly it's a choice between being close to the sink where I can definitely see the possibility of a water dousing or under the combi where the chance of a leak is slim. If there's no regs against it I'm going to stick it under the combi.
As could a leak anywhere else in the house.
There is no specific wiring regulation to prohibit it, but common sense suggests that right under a boiler is not ideal should you ever get a leak.
(note there are not hard rules about distances from a sink either - although there is a guideline of at least 300mm IIRC)
How about *directly* under the connector for the washing machine? That's where there's a socket in our German house. (It's so close that you can't easily unplug the washing machine without disconnecting the filling hose first.)
I don't know if it meets local regs, but if I had owned the house when it was installed I'd certainly have said "Oy!"
How about *directly* under the connector for the washing machine? That's where there's a socket in our German house. (It's so close that you can't easily unplug the washing machine without disconnecting the filling hose first.)
I don't know if it meets local regs, but if I had owned the house when it was installed I'd certainly have said "Oy!"
The house I am working on at the moment has a combi boiler fitted around an existing socket in the corner of the kitchen
the socket is surface on top of the old vir conduit box
the socket sits between the flow and return pipes for the C H
The boiler was fitted there by British Gas and replaced an old floor standing boiler in the fireplace in the dining room next door with the fused spur and programme being left in their previous position
Why do I try to avoid getting the professionals in?
Regards
Tony
"checked by a qualified installer"? Surely a Part-P qualified intaller can only certify his own work. If you DIY it don't you need to get building control in to check it?
Robert
a qualified installer can check on others' work, but the trade bodies don't like it. (I was told this by an NICEIC contractor) Since our Building Control people don't have anyone with even a basic knowledge of electrical work, I'd rather find someone else to do the checks.
You'd probably get away with it until (a) Something went wrong, or (b) The surveyor notices it when you sell.
Every part of that statement is incorrect.
(a) if done properly then nothing will go wrong, or (b) tell them that the work was done before part P existed.
The work could be done by someone other than the part P registered installer doing the notification, but the work must be "supervised".
Of course the level of supervision required is variable.
I personally wouldn't worry, if the combi leaks, it's likely to leak all over its own electrics anyway.
Now there I prefer at least 600mm, making it less likely that the live kettle lead ends up in the bowl.
SteveW
Are there any these days that aren't 'cordless'?
That's exactly my problem though. There is not enough room between sink and combi to allow even 300mm, which is why it has to go under the combi.
When I sold I honestly declared that I had done sundry unapproved alterations to the electrics and no comment was raised. If I'd been pushed I would paid for a periodic inspection report, knowing that all was OK
I sold my house last year, which had had a kitchen refurbishment three years previously. The work wasn't certified.
The buyer's solicitor's questionnaire asked these questions:
- Has any electrical work been carried out aince 2005 Y/N
- answer: Y
- is a certificate available for this work Y/N
- answer: N
I doubt the buyers even read it.
When we bought our current house, the surveyor didn't comment on the electrics as he had no way of testing them. He had to red-flag them in his report, though, because there was no certificate available, and that's what the surveyor's trade union says they must do. The certificate turned up in the 3" bundle of papers we got from the seller's solicitor.
The whole system is basically a joke.
They're worse! Sometimes the base sticks when you pick up the kettle, then drops off a second or two later - perfectly timed to end up in the bowl!
SteveW
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