Limits of a special location - 701.32.1

[pompeygit]

Recently stayed at a friends house in Italy and quite amazed at the electrics in the bathroom. Lights are controlled by rocker switch inside the bathroom less than 500mm from sink/vanity edge. It was also possible to open the shower curtain and reach a socket into which was plugged a washing machine. Oh yes and the sink unit also had a socket at shelf level just to the right of the sink. Quite amazing how on the continent they view danger so different from us.
To be honest I don't see this shower in a bedroom as a danger in practical terms, but I guess our regs are in place as a result of some sort of incident decades ago.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Recently stayed at a friends house in Italy.......Quite amazing how on the continent they view danger so different from us.

Those Italians, so brave!

Untitled

• PrenticeBoyofDerry
• 23 Dec 2013
• 1

 

[ericmark]

My late fathers bedroom has a shower cubical in the corner and in this case the door and wall does not meet the ceiling although in real terms no water could escape as far as BS7671:2008 goes sockets need to be 3 meters away.

If I was to fit panels above door and side then the 3 meter rule would go away.

I have been surprised to find most shower doors are not 2.25 meters high I would have expected there to be some to comply with regs. The 2.25 meters is measured from bedroom floor not the shower basin which seems strange but if we look at slightly larger shower areas like with a wet room where there is a very small room smaller than required to fit a bath but bigger than the cubical it is apparent that there must be a line drawn and if the cubical is not considered as a room then neither is the wet room so floor to ceiling door or to 2.25 meters must make that cubical a room.

Risk assessment would give different results. In my parents very small bathroom if asked to fit a shaver socket I would but in spite of the wet room being much bigger I would not as it is common to remove the shower head and aim at the walls when washing down but would not do that in the bath room.