Kitchen fitter has mentioned that it may not be allowed to have an electrical socket anywhere where it could be reached while someone had their hand in the kitchen sink.
I guess it depends how long your arms are, but these seems to preclude providing sockets on some otherwise very usable bits of worktop!
e.g. was going to put the kettle in the corner between the sink and the wall, but can't see how to power it if this rule applies.
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.
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
2381/2 as well in order to get into the NIC/etc. The latter *should* have least meant he's actually read the regs. In a way it's good, if he lacks understanding, that he's erring on the side of caution - but it is unnecessary in this case.
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.
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.
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.
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