sockets "near" sinks

There is no regulation that lays down a specific distance. It is down to the judgment of the person doing the installation and/or signing it off. However the normal 'rule' is 300mm and you will find this distance mentioned in various guidance such as the Electricians Guide to Building Regulations.

Regards Bruce

That is not AFAIK stated in the IEE regs in a specific manner (though other regs concerning suitability of fitting for the environment would come into play) - and I have scanned then for exactly this. There is no "zoning" for kitchens, unlike bathrooms.

Conventional wisdom suggests 300m or a foot away from the sink bowl is reasonable, to take it far enough away to avoid being splashed.

I don't think so. Is this kitchen fitter a Part P self certifying bloke? If no, it's not upto him anyway - refer to your electrician. If yes, then he's quite possibly been on a similar course to the one I did which was all of 4 days so doesn't really leave you with a deep understanding of the rules - though I would have thought he should have done the

I like to keep at least 300m away from the washing up as well... ;-)

It would probably mean your neighbours do it for you ;-)

Is it me, or does this not make a mockey of all the fuss about no sockets allowed in the bathroom?

Depends on how much time you spend naked wet and bare foot in your kitchen ;-)

There is no specific requirement in the 17th, except that any wiring accessory should be suitable for the location. The general guideline is 300mm from the sink or hob (trailing leads).

Main Equipotential Bonding needs to be correct incidentally, CW HW pipes bonded in the bathroom if not all circuits supplied by RCBO etc, no requirement to bond CW HW Kitchen sink - there is no bath or shower in most kitchens.

The only problem you MAY have with a sink & electrical devices is "loose nozzle spray taps" which some interpret as being a shower.

The theory is that it is unlikely that your whole body is wet - but yes, it is conceivable that you could put a wet hand on the plug with the other leaning on an earthy sink, but this should take more effort (or carelessness) than a bathroom. And people are stupid enough to try to use a hairdryer next to a bath (or worse, in it); also the expectancy of being dripping wet and grabbing for the hairdryer or leaning on the socket is much higher. This is where the 3m rule comes in - usually longer than most appliance flexes to prevent this.

Yes, some people will use extension leads, and Darwin will be standing in for St Peter on that day.

Does that include having a session with the wife using lots of custard?

Dave

The analysis would go: is custard electrically conductive?

So, if going on a custard fuelled session, mind the sockets and best fit RCDs :)

On Mon, 24 May 2010 09:13:52 -0700 (PDT) someone who may be Martin Pentreath wrote this:-

Sockets are allowed in rooms containing a bath or shower, in certain circumstances.

Does that only work if your Mrs is some kind of tart? ;-)

One also wonders why not lemon curd? Oh, no hang on that was Sherlock Holmes...

(Lemon entry my dear Watson!)

The IET have not yet published a table, but I am looking forward to the "How many of them can you fit into a kitchen sink?" 2010 amendments to the 17th edition regulations.

Cheers

Adam

With or without chains on?

Chains are table 2, leather is table 3, rubber is table 4.

Table xxx is the Dutchess of York.

Adam

Sounds nasty. Wonder if Domestos deals with that?

DomestOS? I not running that, nor TescOS.

Kills everything it touches like it says.

Unlike Windows, which kills everything it touches despite claiming the opposite!

Or Linux, which kills you...

Here in Australia I have an ordinary light switch in the bathroom and a ordinary socket about 300mm from the basin. The whole installation is RCD protected though.