Electrical question - ping Adam

We had a built-in garage converted to a kitchen about 10 years ago, and all its electrics are connected to a new (at the time) fully RCD consumer unit. [The rest of the house is still on the old non-RCD CU].

All the major kitchen appliances - oven, microwave, ceramic hob, induction hob - each have their own dedicated radial circuit. The ring main is relatively lightly loaded - hand-held appliances, dishwasher, warming drawer, fridge, extractor fan - and little else.

We're about to have our en-suite bathroom refurbished. It is directly over one end of the kitchen, whose (RCD-protected) ring main cabling is accessible under the floor boards.

Is there any reason why we can't break into and extend the ring (Wagos or whatever) and use it to power everything in the en-suite - body drier (possibly, <3kW), extractor fan, heated towel rail, illuminated mirror, LED downlights (via a fused spur)?

The electrician employed by the contractor doing the bathroom wants to run a new lighting circuit and a new power circuit all the way from the CU - which would be massively expensive and massively disruptive compared with what I would like to do. He seems worried about covering his arse. Does he *really* need to do that?

[There will also be a pumped shower, but the pump will be near the airing cupboard and a long way from the en-suite, and will be powered separately].
Reply to
Roger Mills
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IANA electrician (or Adam), but ISTR there's a limit on floor area that can be served by one ring. Ah yes, 100m2:

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How close are you to that?

Is there anything in the bathroom that would be taking lots of amps for an extended time?

I can see how a separate spur is 'neater', and easier for him to test (no random other stuff on it).

Would the new stuff have RCD protection if it was on the main ring? If not I don't think that would be allowed (especially not in a bathroom). He could fit an RCBO in the main CU to address that, assuming RCBOs are available for your brand of CU (if it's that old they might not be). It is possible he doesn't want to touch a non-RCD CU because he fears that will mean everything needs an RCD, but I think it's only the modified parts that need RCD protection.

Another thought: could you borrow one of the radials from the kitchen - microwave say - and extend that into the bathroom? Then it would simply be a longer radial. I doubt there's much risk of the drier and microwave being on together for an extended time.

Theo

Reply to
Theo

It's a recommendation rather than a limit. If you can show that the ring can reasonably supply a larger floor area (e.g. store rooms, attics) then it's OK to exceed the 100m2.

Reply to
Chris Green

Nowhere near! The ring *only* serves the kitchen which is about 20 M^2. The en-suite would another 5 M^2 or less.

No.

Yes, this is a ring installed for the new kitchen, connected to a new full-RCD CU.

Possibly, but I doubt whether 'Jobsworth' would buy that, either.

Reply to
Roger Mills

I would not have a problem with it.

10 years ago the lighting in the conversion would have had to be RCD protected. Can the lighting circuit from the kitchen also not be extended into the ensuite?

Other options would be to keep the exiting lighting from the old CU and have a RCD fused spur outside the ensite similar to a fan isolator.

Some people get paranoid about 3kW items on a ring. If it's for short term usage then it's fine.

Reply to
ARW

Not easily. There are a couple of down-lighters under the en-suite, but the switch is at the other end of the kitchen, under the main bedroom. The down-lighters won't have an accessible permanent live.

Perfectly possible. But I've currently got a power shower in the en-suite fed from an RCD spur on the old (non-RCD) ring. That could have provided power to the re-furbished en-suite but was rejected by 'Jobsworth'.

Indeed. The main contractor said "My electricians feel more comfortable putting new rings in for the body dryer and one for the lighting as they have to certify the works and if there are any problems in the future or any over loading they will be at fault."!

Reply to
Roger Mills

The trouble is you are fighting youngsters like these

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Nothing wrong with their work but they do talk a lot of s**te whilst making a video instead of getting in with the job.

Reply to
ARW

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