electric towel rail installation

[gm4jnw]

Have a new 70watt towel rail which needs installing in the bathroom. Its well out of reach of the bath or taps. Can a fused spur be taken off the ring main? thanks

[Owain]

Yes, with the switchfuse bit preferably outside the bathroom and just a flex outlet plate in the bathroom.

Owain

[Andy Wade]

Yes, but:

- the appliance should be in Zone 2 or 3 (or beyond the zones), i.e. no part of the appliance can be directly over the bath or a shower tray;

- the fused connection unit must be in Zone 3 or beyond the Zones, i.e. it must be more than 600 mm horizontally away from the nearest edge of the bath of shower tray (also apply common sense to its location to avoid any risk of splashing);

- the FCU must include an isolating switch (unless lockable isolation is provided outside the bathroom);

- if the appliance is within the Zones (i.e.

[David Hansen]

On 15 Jul 2006 04:23:25 -0700 someone who may be " [e-mail]" wrote this:-

How far is "well out of reach"? Some people might have different views on this. How many metres?

Yes.

However, that is the easy question. What matters is largely the position of the controlling switch. There are a number of possibilities, some of which are:-

1) a switched fused connection unit at low level by the towel rail, suitably far from the bath. One with a neon light is useful. This being fed from an unfused spur.

2) a fused connection unit at a suitable location on the ring main. From this a double pole pull cord switch in the bathroom and a low level cord outlet. A neon is again useful, either in the switch or in the cord outlet (one may have to have a fuse in a cord outlet with neon, I have not seen one without)

3) a switched fused connection unit outside the bathroom, with a cord outlet as in 2) inside.

4) a dedicated circuit connected to a time clock somewhere that brings on the towel rail(s) as one sees fit. Each rail needs a local double pole switch and, if necessary, cord outlet as above.

[ARWadsworth]

And make it an RCD switched fuse if the ring is not RCD protected.

Adam

[gm4jnw]

Thanks guys.

GM4JNW would be a scottish call sign, up to last year I was in Scotland (isle of Lewis) I left the island in September but kept my [e-mail] email address for newgroups. Am G4JNW now more at

Good news about ok to take it off the ring main!

I was going to take the cable through the ceiling into the loft space and have a fused spur their as I have a ring main in the loft space. The reason is that the towel rail is one of those shaped like a 2 level shelf, the cable is long enough to go through the ceiling and at

70watts thought it would be negiligable. I can earth it to either the cold water pipe going to the solar panels or to the pipes going to the header tank.

The towel rail would be well away from the sink or bath so no problems there.

Trust all this is within regs.

Ohh all the house circuits are on RCD's at the mains consumer unit.

[David Hansen]

On 15 Jul 2006 15:09:17 -0700 someone who may be " [e-mail]" wrote this:-

It may be long enough, but is it sensible? More sensible would be to have a cord outlet by the rail and fixed wiring to the cord outlet. One of the advantages of this is that your supplementary bonding can then just be run to the cord outlet, as the protective conductor of the cord is considered adequate to serve as both conductors over a short distance.

How is the towel rail to be switched? How easily accessible will the fuses be?

[gm4jnw]

The towel rail/shelf has a waterproof switch as part of the shelf factory fitted. The fused box I guess would be best in the corridor just outside the bathroom, although it could go just to the side of the rail/shelf on the wall, before the cable goes up through the ceiling or indeed above the ceiling on the wall in the loft - what would you advise?

My whole house has one of those consumer units with RCD's on each circuit.

[David Hansen]

On 17 Jul 2006 04:07:19 -0700 someone who may be " [e-mail]" wrote this:-

Double or single pole?

If it is a single pole one then you will need a double pole one elsewhere, perhaps as part of a switched fused connection unit.

If the unit includes a switch then this should be lockable, if out of direct observation.

The best place, if there is no switch in the unit.

Probably the best place, if there is a switch in the unit.

The worst place, due to being inaccessible.

Whatever way you do it, fit a cord outlet by the towel rail to minimise the length of flexible cable.