Kitchen sockets

On Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:37:53 -0800 (PST), a certain chimpanzee, Martin Bonner randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

You're not kidding! The electrician doing up my mum's kitchen (a NICEIC bod, mind!) swore blind that, "you can't have pendant lights in a kitchen".

But there is a specific recommendation of 150 mm in the 'official' guidance - i.e. the Electrician's Guide to the Building Regs (EGBR) or the OSG, or both.

Here's a summary of the EGBR guidance relating to kitchens:

(i) accessories to be on building fabric, not on kitchen furniture;

(ii) control switches to be mounted to avoid need to reach over hobs;

(iii) sockets to be a minimum of 450 mm above floor;

(iv) accessories a min. of 300 mm from edge of sink or draining board;

(v) sockets for washing m/c's or dishwashers etc. to be positioned so as not to be dripped or splashed on if plumbing leaks;

(vi) sockets to be min. 150 mm above worktop (to centre-line of skt);

(vii) sockets supplying under-worktop appliances to be accessible when appliance pulled out;

(viii) built-in appliances to be connected to socket or FCU that is readily accessible when appliance is in normal use, OR controlled by readily accessible DP switch or switched FCU;

(ix) light switches to be readily accessible;

(x) manufacturer's instructions should be followed.

In the IEE "electricians guide to the building regs in eth section

that does not mean it's a compulsory, but as it's in the IEE guide I think it's wise to follow it.

Robert

I've heard that too, and from another NICEIC. Where are they getting it from?

There is a tendency to simply and gold-plate the regs. I've been told that a boiler couldn't have a non-RCD supply as "It's water and electricty" A customer was told you you can't have a open flue gas fire in a bedroom (wrong you can provided it's < 14kW, and has an "oxy-pilot").

Many thanks for this - just what I was looking for.

I reckon that makes 80% of the sockets for washing machines that I see against the guidance.

Heh! I shall have to tell my stickler-for-the-regs sparkie mate that. He (like me) likes to put sockets for the dishwasher & washing machine on the inside walls of the sink unit rather than on the building wall either at the back of the machine bay or tucked up under the sink.

Behind the machine it's hard to plug the machine in & out & ensure the machine's cable doesn't get snagged by pipes &c, and if there is a leak of the water-spraying everywhere type it could go over the plug & socket without being noticed. On the wall at the back of the sink unit it's hard to get to and likely to get wet. On the inside wall of the sink unit, high up and near the front, it's accessible and out of harm's way. And the sink unit isn't likely to be moved by a non-competent/skilled/instructed person any more than any other accessory if the kitchen's being refitted.

But de Law is de Law. I suppose the pukka way would be to fit a commando socket to the building fabric and make the sink unit with its socket(s) a plug-in.

On Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:01:45 -0800 (PST), a certain chimpanzee, Andy Dingley randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

After he'd checked, it apparently came from the specification for wiring in Liverpool council houses.