Socket Outlet In Airing Cupboard?

[wildgoose]

I went around to a friends house the other day to do some tiling in his bathroom. He said around 3 years ago. that the emersion had been removed with the hotwater tank when a combi boiler was fitted. The company who did the job replaced the emersions heaters' fused spur outlet with a normal switched socket.

I know that this socket is tucked away within the airing cubboard but technically I thought it was still within the bathroom and so this pre 17th edition installation surely does not comply? I recommended therefore that the socket was removed.

Any contradicting thoughts out there?

 

[EdwardCurrent]

Hello.

Hard to say without having a 'gander' .
An airing cupboard is not a 'special location' as such. If your friend is not happy with the position of the socket, couldn't a 'spur' or blank plate be fitted to stop appliances being plugged in, and taken into the bathroom ( i take it this is what bothers you ?) ??.

Ed

ps socket outlets are permitted in a bathroom, so long as they are over 3 metres away from zone1, and have rcd and ingress of water protection. Did you tell him that the lighting circ (bathroom) needs to be RCD protected too !!!!!

 

[Space cat]

and taken into the bathroom

What if the airing cupboard is in the bathroom?

 

[wildgoose]

Yep! I'm concerned that a fan heater could be plugged into this outlet to warm the bathroom - Scary but it happens all the time!

Regarding comment about the bathroom lighting needing to be fed via RCD.

I didn't look at the CU because I was busy doing a freeby on the tiling but this will only apply to the 17th regs which is not retrospective. Since this original and probably untouched lighting cct predates the 17th edition, then it only needs to comply with the requirements at that time!

 

[EdwardCurrent]

Points taken.

At the end of the day, if you feel the socket is cause for concern where it is located, then you are right to do away with it.

Ed.

 

[ColJack]

doesn't make any difference, if the airing cupboard has a door it's not IN the bathroom..

I have a socket outlet about 1M from the bathroom door and the bath is directly next to the door.. so following your logic, I must take a 3M piece of string and use it to trace a zone out from the edge of the bath.

I've just done this and unfortunately now have to remove a socket in each bedroom, 1 in the hall, 1 in the lounge and 2 from the kitchen as these all fall within the reach of the 3M piece of string......

 

[kevindgas]

doesn't make any difference, if the airing cupboard has a door it's not IN the bathroom..

correct same would apply if the boiler was in there as well, once you put a door on it becomes a compartment

I have a socket outlet about 1M from the bathroom door and the bath is directly next to the door.. so following your logic, I must take a 3M piece of string and use it to trace a zone out from the edge of the bath.

I've just done this and unfortunately now have to remove a socket in each bedroom, 1 in the hall, 1 in the lounge and 2 from the kitchen as these all fall within the reach of the 3M piece of string......

[/quote]

 

[AndrewDavie]

doesn't make any difference, if the airing cupboard has a door it's not IN the bathroom..

I have a socket outlet about 1M from the bathroom door and the bath is directly next to the door.. so following your logic, I must take a 3M piece of string and use it to trace a zone out from the edge of the bath.

I've just done this and unfortunately now have to remove a socket in each bedroom, 1 in the hall, 1 in the lounge and 2 from the kitchen as these all fall within the reach of the 3M piece of string......

I think it doesn't count as soon as you leave the room, as the bathroom will have a door on it. Yes, they could leave the door open to connect things, but having the door open will lessen the effect of condensation.
And many people will insist on closing the bathroom door even when they are alone at home.

 

[FourFootMedia]

I think it doesn't count as soon as you leave the room, as the bathroom will have a door on it.

In the same way an airing cupboard would have a door on...?

 

[AndrewDavie]

I think it doesn't count as soon as you leave the room, as the bathroom will have a door on it.

In the same way an airing cupboard would have a door on...?

Yes. So at the letter of the regs, a socket in the airing cupboard would be allowed, I wouldn't recommend it.
Not just due to being in a bathroom, but due to the chance of someone deciding that the clothes needed warming faster, sticking a 3kW heater in there and closing the door.

(Or I could be talking *******s - I've got my 2382 exam on Wednesday)

 

[ColJack]

I think it doesn't count as soon as you leave the room, as the bathroom will have a door on it. Yes, they could leave the door open to connect things, but having the door open will lessen the effect of condensation.
And many people will insist on closing the bathroom door even when they are alone at home.

that was the pint I was trying to make.

if someone is stupid enough to put a 3KW fire in a cupboard then that's up to them

an airing cupboard is not uses for warming or drying clothes, it's to put linin in for storage..

the fact that many such cupboards contain the immersion heater is just coincidental..

 

[Space cat]

We have an airing cupboard in the bathroom. We also have two teenagers and I have no doubt whatsoever that if there was a socket in the cupboard they would use it; not for a fan heater but to plug in a radio or CD player. They've taken their noise boxes into the bathroom before. I know this because they weren't smart enough to put the extension lead away afterwards.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yep! I'm concerned that a fan heater could be plugged into this outlet to warm the bathroom - Scary but it happens all the time!

Oh dear.

Does that mean I should remove all the sockets in my house which are close enough to the bathroom to allow a fan heater to be taken in there and supplied via the longest commercially available extension lead?