Utility room- special location?

[Gees]

Is a utility room with a sink a "special location" ?

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• Gees
• 12 Apr 2010
• 1

 

[electronicsuk]

No.

 

[ColJack]

dou you ever prepare food in there?

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

hhmmm, interesting question.... ( to which i don't know the answer )

I suppose it may depend on the definition of what a kitchen is and how far that could be reasonable applied in a practical sense.

If it is just 'kitchen = place where food is prepared'
then if i ever sit in my front room and open a bag of crisps, does that then become a kitchen

 

[Gees]

dou you ever prepare food in there?

we sometimes use a microwave oven in there, when the kitchen sort of " overflows" It was just that with the room ahving a sink, water etc I would have thought it was the same as a kitchen as far as the electrics where concerned. After all what is so special about food preparation? I use a gas cooker !!

 

[electronicsuk]

dou you ever prepare food in there?

we sometimes use a microwave oven in there, when the kitchen sort of " overflows" It was just that with the room ahving a sink, water etc I would have thought it was the same as a kitchen as far as the electrics where concerned. After all what is so special about food preparation? I use a gas cooker !!

I have no idea what is so special about food preparation, but it is important as far as the building regulations are concerned:

"...a room or part of a room which contains a sink and food preparation facilities..."

So, a utility room with a sink is NOT a kitchen if you don't prepare food in there. If this was the only area of the house that could be construed as being used for food preparation, that may be a different matter, but you already have a kitchen next door. This is a utility room, so as far as I'm concerned, any work you carry out within it is not notifiable.

Of course, it's all open to your own interpretation of the regs, but I think it's highly unlikely you will ever find yourself in a situation where, having carried out the work, you will be forced to justify your reasons for not classing the room as a kitchen.

 

[chivers67]

With a sink and water about personally i'd treat it as a special location even if food wasn't prepared in it.

 

[Gees]

dou you ever prepare food in there?

we sometimes use a microwave oven in there, when the kitchen sort of " overflows" It was just that with the room ahving a sink, water etc I would have thought it was the same as a kitchen as far as the electrics where concerned. After all what is so special about food preparation? I use a gas cooker !!

I have no idea what is so special about food preparation, but it is important as far as the building regulations are concerned:

"...a room or part of a room which contains a sink and food preparation facilities..."

So, a utility room with a sink is NOT a kitchen if you don't prepare food in there. If this was the only area of the house that could be construed as being used for food preparation, that may be a different matter, but you already have a kitchen next door. This is a utility room, so as far as I'm concerned, any work you carry out within it is not notifiable.

Of course, it's all open to your own interpretation of the regs, but I think it's highly unlikely you will ever find yourself in a situation where, having carried out the work, you will be forced to justify your reasons for not classing the room as a kitchen.

Just goes to show how "half baked"( kitchen BAKED ) some building regulations are !!
I am going to add a few sockets and replace the light in there ( will I have to stop the new light from illuminating the kitchen )

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• Gees
• 12 Apr 2010
• 1

 

[Spark123]

With a sink and water about personally i'd treat it as a special location even if food wasn't prepared in it.

I wouldn't, I wouldn't even treat a kitchen as a special location.

Not to say that work in a kitchen isn't notifiable, it just isn't a special location.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

After all what is so special about food preparation? I use a gas cooker !!

Lots of people have lots of work done in kitchens. There are glossy magazines devoted to kitchens & bathrooms.

There are large chains of retailers whose business is entirely the supply of kitchens.

There are people who earn their living as kitchen fitters.

In short, there's a significant electrical opportunity associated with replacing/refurbishing kitchens, large enough for NICEIC etc to get all upset about the fact the people replacing/refurbishing kitchens were not compelled to use electricians, large enough for them to decide that it was Not Right that electricians could not lay claim to the right to do the work, and large enough for them to bleat to the government for years until we got Part P.

Utility rooms are far less common, so they weren't bothered about them.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

With a sink and water about personally i'd treat it as a special location even if food wasn't prepared in it.

What effect would that decision have on how you carried out electrical work there?

 

[Gees]

After all what is so special about food preparation? I use a gas cooker !!

Utility rooms are far less common, so they weren't bothered about them.

I will have to get the work done quick then... There is an election soon and the new government may insist we all have CCTV in our homes, linked to a central monitoring service so they can tell when we do something "Iffy"

 

[Paul_C]

In short, there's a significant electrical opportunity associated with replacing/refurbishing kitchens, large enough for NICEIC etc to get all upset about the fact the people replacing/refurbishing kitchens were not compelled to use electricians, large enough for them to decide that it was Not Right that electricians could not lay claim to the right to do the work, and large enough for them to bleat to the government for years until we got Part P.

The old protectionism racket in other words. If some of these groups thought they could get away with it, I'm sure they'd press for the sort of law which exists in Australia which makes it illegal for a non-licensed person to do almost anything beyond change a lamp or fuse.

 

[riveralt]

In short, there's a significant electrical opportunity associated with replacing/refurbishing kitchens, large enough for NICEIC etc to get all upset about the fact the people replacing/refurbishing kitchens were not compelled to use electricians, large enough for them to decide that it was Not Right that electricians could not lay claim to the right to do the work, and large enough for them to bleat to the government for years until we got Part P.

The old protectionism racket in other words. If some of these groups thought they could get away with it, I'm sure they'd press for the sort of law which exists in Australia which makes it illegal for a non-licensed person to do almost anything beyond change a lamp or fuse.

I've never understood why there is a definite no no for Gas DIY but not Electrical DIY - is gas more dangerous than electric?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I've never understood why there is a definite no no for Gas DIY

There isn't but you're not allowed to say that on this site.