Switch near sink

[John]

My missus has decided that the kitchen gets too cold in winter and as we're in the middle of the kitchen refurb we've got a Myson Kickspace heater to go in there. It has to be fed from an FCU (fused, according to the installation manual at 2A - never seen a domestic 2A fuse so may have to be 3A unless you tell me otherwise) which will be behind the unit.

Because the FCU isn't going to be easily accessible in case of an emergency, commonsense (and maybe even the regs, I don't know) would dictate that I put in an isolator switch and the best place for it in my particular situation would be fairly close to the sink. Would someone have a look at

please and confirm for me (or otherwise, of course) that it's OK to put a switch in that location.

I happen to have a 45A double-pole switch surplus to requirements at the moment so it may be overkill but I intend to use that as the isolator.

Cheers,

John.

[noelogara]

I would put it a bit further to the left just clear of the sink but well away from any potential spray or splash. otherwise its ok on the wall there. If that is the feed cable I would keep it in line with that and a foot higher than you indicated. Err on the safe side.

[noelogara]

I would put it a bit further to the left just clear of the sink but well away from any potential spray or splash. otherwise its ok on the wall there. If that is the feed cable I would keep it in line with that and a foot higher than you indicated. Err on the safe side.

[Christian McArdle]

I wouldn't bother. There is no need for emergency switching. I would just use the switch on the FCU, mounted on the floor or wall behind the plinth, next to the Kickspace unit. If there is an electrical fire (extraordinarily unlikely), there's always the CU main switch, which will usually be safer to access than a local switch.

Christian.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

[John]

Thanks Noel, but if I go any further to the left it'll be in the window :o)

I'm actually going to take Christian's advice on this one because if I don't have to do it then it's obviously less work for me :o)

Cheers.

[John]

That's brilliant Christian, thanks.

John.

[John]

I'll go t't foot of our stairs! Never knew they existed - I thought 3A was the lowest. Cheers Dave

John.

[Andy Wade]

No, but there is a need for "switching off for mechanical maintenance" [Reg 462-01-01] and because it's a motor circuit there needs to be "a readily accessible device to switch off the motor and all associated equipment including any automatic circuit breaker" [131-14-02].

That's not readily accessible and fails to meet regs, IMHO. The OP should stick to Plan A, but note that it's recommended that accessories should be at least 300 mm away from the edge of a sink or draining board, which is clearly not met by the proposed location. Can it be moved to the right of the sink unit?

2 A 'plug' fuses (BS 1362) but I'm sure a 3 A would be fine in this case

- it's only to protect the flexible cord to the appliance.

[Christian McArdle]

Behind the plinth is no problem here. You need to remove it anyway to maintain the unit.

I wasn't aware of this applying to small domestic fans. I thought it was intended to cover industrial machinery. If it does cover domestic fans, then you might get away with fitting the KickSpace with a plug and just providing a socket nearby.

Christian.

[Andy Wade]

Oops, that was meant to be "2 A 'plug' fuses (BS 1362) are available but ..."

[Andy Wade]

True.

_Every_motor_ is what it says (c.f. bathroom fan isolators). I don't see what you'd gain by using a plug & socket - it would still need to be in a readily accessible position, so why not use a wall-mounted isolator switch?

[noelogara]

> Well, I'll go t't foot of our stairs! Never knew they existed - I thought 3A

Isnt that a 1000 w heater John? How could a 2 amp fuse supply that? i would imagine you will just connect it to your power circuit which is on a 32amp fuse unit. the 2 amp fuse is only for the Christmas lights.

[Christian McArdle]

Simply that it might circumvent the rule, as the regs stop at the socket. Unfortunately, the device is physically plumbed in, so it might not count.

I was not aware that a bathroom fan isolator was intended for emergency switching. I thought it was purely for maintenance isolation.

Christian.

[manatbandq]

hint: Google "Myson Kickspace Heater" and don't assume so much.

MBQ

[Christian McArdle]

The KickSpace is available in many forms. Only the electric and duo (dual fuel) models have heating elements. I presumed that the OP had the hydronic type that only requires power to operate the fan.

The electric model range goes up to 3kW.

Christian.

[Christian McArdle]

Personally, if I did have to have a switch for this, I'd use a flat plate switch mounted next to the heater on the plinth. I don't think I'd want such an unnecessary switch mounted so close to the sink.

Christian.

[Andy Wade]

Not in this case. The heater is fixed electrical equipment and as such is part of the electrical installation within the scope of BS 7671. The regs stop at the point at which the flexible cord enters the appliance (or perhaps at the point where the flexible cord is connected the the FCU or flex outlet, etc. - discuss).

No, we agreed that emergency switching isn't relevant here. The fan isolator is required to comply with 462-01-01 (switching off for mechanical maintenance) and with 131-14-02, i.e. the fundamental requirement for an accessible and safe means of switching off a motor and any associated control gear (run-on timer, humidistat, etc.).

[Peter Lynch]

Forgive me if I'm thinking about this the wrong way. But, if your kitchen gets cold in the winter, can't you just turn the oven on for a little while? Or is more about style than substance?

Pete

[John]

Not really Andy. The space to the right of the sink unit is the only place for our cooker to go. We have a free-standing gas cooker with eye-level grill there, so really the only place for the switch is where I hoped it could go. Any ideas?

John.