Question about Regs & Spurs??

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Hi All,

Hope that someone can give me a bit of guidance.
We are about to undertake a major refurb of the bathroom/en-suite

Main Bathroom

Existing Electrics: Ceiling Rose with Pull Cord. Extractor Fan (not timed) with Pull Cord. Shaver Socket.

Proposed Electrics: My Wife would like a Whirlpool bath with some spots in the ceiling. In addition, she is keen to have under floor heating controlled by a thermostat.

En-Suite Shower Room

Existing Electrics: Ceiling Rose with Pull Cord. Extractor Fan with pull cord, Shaver Socket.

Proposed electrics: I would like a pumped power shower. Also a couple of spots in the ceiling. We have a gravity fed system with a header tank in the loft, a hot water tank in the airing cupboard and a Maxi Boiler in the kitchen.

The bathroom fitter came round last night and specified that in order to be able to have the above; he would need three 5A fused spurs.

One for the Whirlpool, one for the under floor heating and one for the processor controlled pumped power shower. All to be provided outside the bathroom/en-suite. He said that because of new regulations introduced a few months back, that these fused Spur would need to be fitted by a suitably qualified electrician and a Part B certificate obtained, which according to him would cost “an arm and a leg”. He then went on to say, that if these spurs were “already” in place before he came to install the two bathrooms, then that would be ok. Is this correct? If I were to provide these spurs myself, would I still need to obtain a certificate?

I have some experience in moving sockets & also extending ring mains, so have no qualms about carrying out the necessary work.

Are three spurs necessary? Most of the house has been decorated apart from my office, which is the third bedroom. I have been told that only one spur is allowed to be branched off a socket? What I was thinking was to break into the ring main in my office from a double socket and extend the ring main by chasing the new cabling into the loft area and back down again after looping thru the three 5A fused spurs. Is this allowed? Once in the loft area, depending on where the pumps/thermostatic controller will eventually end up, either in the loft space/airing cupboard or on the wall outside the main bathroom, I can run the control, power cables thru the ceiling/walls as the bathroom/en-suite are going to be re-tiled anyway. I think this is a neater solution than having to lift carpets & rip floorboards up and disturb any of the existing decorations. We also just want to replace the extractor fans with a like for like model, not timed, so I assume the existing Fan power cabling requirements will not change? Also can the spots be powered from the existing ceiling roses?

If anyone has any different suggestions then I am all ears.

Sorry for the long winded post, but hopefully I have explained everything.

Regards Tsg9
 
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Tsg9 said:
He said that because of new regulations introduced a few months back, that these fused Spur would need to be fitted by a suitably qualified electrician and a Part B certificate obtained,
It's Part P.

which according to him would cost “an arm and a leg”.
If you use a registered electrician the extra cost should be minimal.

He then went on to say, that if these spurs were “already” in place before he came to install the two bathrooms, then that would be ok. Is this correct?
No. He's got it all wrong. Adding those spurs outside the bathroom/shower room is not notifiable, but installing items in the bathroom is notifiable.

If I were to provide these spurs myself, would I still need to obtain a certificate?
No, because that work is not notifiable. Read this, and follow and read the links in it: //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=211977#211977

Are three spurs necessary?
Yes.

Most of the house has been decorated apart from my office, which is the third bedroom. I have been told that only one spur is allowed to be branched off a socket?
Yes.

What I was thinking was to break into the ring main in my office from a double socket and extend the ring main by chasing the new cabling into the loft area and back down again after looping thru the three 5A fused spurs. Is this allowed?
Yes, but be aware of the rules concerning buried cables:

http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/C5-43.pdf

http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/concealedcables.pdf

Once in the loft area, depending on where the pumps/thermostatic controller will eventually end up, either in the loft space/airing cupboard or on the wall outside the main bathroom, I can run the control, power cables thru the ceiling/walls as the bathroom/en-suite are going to be re-tiled anyway. I think this is a neater solution than having to lift carpets & rip floorboards up and disturb any of the existing decorations.
Provided it doesn't end up contravening the rules on buried cables..

We also just want to replace the extractor fans with a like for like model, not timed, so I assume the existing Fan power cabling requirements will not change?
They'll be the same, but I'm very surprised that you don't want timed ones.

Also can the spots be powered from the existing ceiling roses?
Yes.
 
Thanks for the comprehensive reply, will take a look at the various links that you suggested...
 

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