Bathroom heated towel rail

[bpowell555]

I've looked around this board a while and *gasp* got a copy of the Reader's Digest DIY Manual. I'd like to fit an electric towel rail in my bathroom though currently the only power is from the light pull switch that also controls the untimed extractor fan.

Part P aside, I now think the following would be the way to go:

* Confirm which nearby sockets are not on a spur: choice of three
* Somehow run a spur to an FCU outside the bathroom leading to a
* Sealed connection point (flat plate with a single cable hole, can't remember the name) in the bathroom that can be connected to the towel rail

I'm thinking I can burry all the necessary cabling to the FCU in skirting and then drill through one wall. Feeling pretty optimistic about this project: any one think of something to burst my bubble?

Cheers.

 

[bpowell555]

Is cabling behind skirting ok? What about round a door frame?

Cheers

 

[andy]

Is cabling behind skirting ok? What about round a door frame?

Cheers

cable is not OK behind skirting, since its not in the permited area. if you dont know what these are, search. as for connecting, what you have said is OK, and its also called a 'blanking plate'

also, see 1A here

(altho you havent posted in 2 places)

 

[bpowell555]

re: 1a, I getcha

Re searching for location... will do,

 

[securespark]

Not a blanking plate, a flex outlet...

 

[bpowell555]

flex outlet, that's the one,

ta.

 

[bpowell555]

I've searched the cable routing posts and am back to square one. I can't chase into walls because the paper is handblocked and I don't really want to destroy it. I can't go in the floor because its concrete. I can't access the ceiling cavity - flat roof. I probably shouldn't think about going via the garden . Its possible I could chisel some metal conduit into a groove deep enough between two of the hall floor tiles but I don't think there is the space.

There is some "pipe trunking"(?) running along what would be the correct side of the hall that probably contains the bathroom water pipes. If I can open that up and have a look then one of two possibilities presents itself:

* It already contains wire conduit - presto! + see below
* It doesn't - would it be acceptable in this sort of circumstance to run conduit parallel to the water pipes (its currently boxed in with what looks like mdf - luverly) then drop down to the fcu height outside the bathroom, which could be chased, before drilling through to the bathroom?


I'm learning - getting there!!!


Cheers.

 

[mapj1]

Another idea might be mini trunking at floor skirting board level, painted to match, and chgase into wall when decorating permits. Surface wiring is not ideal, but it neatly bypasses all the routing problems, as permitted zones are not an issue when the cable route is visible.

 

[bpowell555]

Floor skirting board level as in under new skirting? That might blend in quite nicely .. hmmm

edit: of course I know mini-trunking goes on top of the skirting

Will check out the boxed in pipes and see if I can run something up there,

Cheers.

 

[bpowell555]

DONE. Got the deal of the decade off screwfix, the 12v and 2kg SDS and pummelled my way through 6 metres of render on breeze blocks with a 20mm chisel, ran cable through oval conduit off an fcu located in a distant airing cupboard, marked the entry to the bathroom with a blanking plate and flex outlet to towel rail. Plasterer is coming tomorrow. Running cable along the pipes was a no go as they ran up to the flat roof cavity: ceiling down job.

2 years, that's got to be a record

 

[bernardgreen]

2 years, that's got to be a record

Quite quick for a DIY job

I have 25 year old jobs to finish.....

 

[bpowell555]

Something to aspire to (I'm only 30)