Combi boiler in bathroom - electrical regulations

[DB]

I currently have a gas combi boiler wall mounted inside a cupboard in a bathroom used for rented accommodation. The cupboard door begins about 120cm above floor level.

I wish to reorganise the bathroom to ad a shower enclosure and the obvious place for the bath is for the bath end to be under this cupboard. I presume that this would not be acceptable to electrical regulations as a person standing in the bath could open the door and touch the boiler. Would this be acceptable if the cupboard was locked?

Many thanks for the advice, David

[BigWallop]

Not at all Acceptable DB. Not knowing the exact layout of the site I have to say also, you'll need to look out for the pipework going to and coming from the boiler as well.

The boiler, of course, could only have one cable bundle coming from the main control centre in another room, and, if this is the case, then all switching is outwith the bathroom and the cables to the boiler should properly insulated with no bare ends sticking out all over the place. That would be acceptable, but only if the wiring is properly covered with something that protects it from moisture and mechanical damage.

All pipework should currently be earth bonded if the property has need for this, so that shouldn't be a cause for concern either.

If you're installing a polycarbonate or glass-fibre bath against pipes from a boiler, then you may find the bath will melt around the point of contact. So the bath under the cupboard against or very close to the pipes may not be a good idea.

Any more info' on the total layout, with measurements, would help.

[DB]

Thanks for your reply - perhaps I was not too clear in the original post.

The boiler is already installed wall mounted in an airing cupboard in the bathroom. The boiler and airing cupboard door are both about 120cm above floor level. All plumbing from the boiler is inside the cupboard, there is no way pipes from the boiler could come into contact with the bath as there is the wall in between. All pipework inside the airing cupboard is clearly earth bonded.

The visible electrics inside the airing cupboard to the boiler are as follows: two mains type leads and an earth enter a wall mounted control box adjacent to the boiler, from this two smaller leads connect to the boiler. This is all very well sealed, and although not in trunking this could easily be added.

The potential problem is that with the door to the cupboard open the horizontal distance from the edge of the bath to the boiler is about 40cm and so it could be touched by someone standing (not sitting), which is why I wondered is putting a lock on the door makes the boiler, in effect, in a separate room.

Thanks again for any help, David

[BigWallop]

Ah Ha !!! I see, said the blind man. So it would be only the door of the airing cupboard that would swing open above the bath? If it is, then the door would need to be lined with heat resistant material on the inside, and should not be open louver. Something like 18mm plywood with heat resistant lining would do the trick.

A proper screw-down lock and not just a latch would need to be fitted, along with good venting from another room adjacent to the airing cupboard so no fogging from steam can build up around the boiler and the electrics.

It would be best to get advice from the CORGI advisory people on this to keep yourself safe and not sorry.

Good luck with it.

[Christian McArdle]

My understanding is that it does. The use of a "tool" (in this case a key, but a screwdriver would also suffice) is required to make a compartment otherwise in reach to be "outside the zones". You should still put the system on an RCD, and the boiler must be room sealed (balanced or fanned flue). I believe it actually acceptable to have a boiler directly in a bathroom not enclosed, but not within 40cm of the bath.

Christian.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I believe it's 60cm horizontally from the edge of the bath, but that's from memory.

I have thought a few times that there would be a market for a boiler manufacturer who actually designed their boiler to work near a shower. Given the unit is already room-sealed, I doubt it would be much effort, and it would reduce the 60cm figure, making their boiler a possibility in situations where others couldn't be used.

[Christian McArdle]

Almost like a massive gas shower that happens to heat the radiators, too?

I'm not sure many shower cubicles would be large enough. ;-)

Christian.

[Owain]

"Christian McArdle" wrote | > I have thought a few times that there would be a market for a | > boiler manufacturer who actually designed their boiler to work | > near a shower. | Almost like a massive gas shower that happens to heat the radiators, too? | I'm not sure many shower cubicles would be large enough. ;-)

To meet the needs of post war housing, there were prefabricated frameworks with a hot water cylinder, with kitchen sink taps already mounted on one side and bath taps on the other side. Build the walls and furniture round them.

Owain

[Christian McArdle]

Nowadays, you can get complete prefabricated bathrooms, right down to the plumbing, tiling and bog roll holder that just get craned into position.

Christian.

[Ed Sirett]

The problem is that whilst the combustion chamber is room sealed the electrics are scarcely better protected than a TV set (say) from water ingress.