Kitchen Rewire

Nelly67 · 22 Aug 2007

Hi all.
I am just about to fit a new kitchen including a bit of rewiring.

I am obviously going to have the work inspected and signed off by a qualified person but I have a couple of questions.

1 - Do all of my kitchen appliances HAVE to have a fused Spur (Washing machine, fridgefreezer, dishwasher, tumble dryer). Is this a must?? or is is just recommended???

2 - Do sunken ceiling lights in a kitchen need to be IP rated, if so what rating or does this only apply to the bathroom???

3 - If I am chasing in 2.5mm Twin & Earth then do I still need to use conduit or such like ????

Thats about it for now but i'm sure I'll think of some more soon

Thanks in advance. Nelly

pdcelec · 22 Aug 2007

the work will need to be installed to BS7671 and the Building Regulations. By following these codes of practice the system will be safe and comply with the relevant rules

Steve · 22 Aug 2007

1i. There are 2 ways to comply with the building regs:
a)use a qualified electrician to do all the electrical work.
b)notify the local building control that you intend to do the work yourself, and pay their charge in advance. They will send someone to inspect and test.

1ii. They dont have to have a fused spur, but where a socket is located behind a permenant appliance such as those you mention, it should have accessible isolation. This can be accomplished by a 20 amp double pole switch located above the worktop, controlling the single socket behind the appliance. The DP switch goes ON the ring main, not as a spur.

2. No they dont. However it is wise to consider more efficient forms of lighting than halogen downlighters. See here.

3. There are safe zones that extend horizontally and vertically from all electrical accessories. In these zones it is acceptable to run cables without additional protection. There are also safe zones 15cm from every corner of every wall. It is always recommended, however, to use metal or plastic capping to protect from the plasterers trowel.

Nelly67 · 23 Aug 2007

CRAFTY, I read the link to alternative lighting and have to exclude the led's mainly due to the not white light issue, if you use the CFL bulbs then are they instant light of do they behave like a flouro tube (flicker) or like an energy saving bulb (take a while to brighten up)????

They sound intersesting and having to space the gu10's away from joists is a pain when it comes to planning

Nelly67 · 23 Aug 2007

BTW Off to bed so I will look forward to any reply tomorrow, thanks, Neil

electronicsuk · 23 Aug 2007

Nelly67 said:
if you use the CFL bulbs then are they instant light of do they behave like a flouro tube (flicker) or like an energy saving bulb (take a while to brighten up)????

They take a little time to warm up like most other CFLs. I seem to be plugging LEDs a lot just recently for some reason, but have you taken a look at warm white models instead of the typical cool white that you describe?

Steve · 23 Aug 2007

CFL = Compact Fluorescent Lamp.

This is the technology that describes the energy saving lamps that plug into standard lamp holders (GU10, edison screw and bayonet), as well as the newer PLC 2 and 4 pin type fittings.

It seems to me that the more compact they make these lamps, the longer they take to warm up and reach full brightness. The 9 watt ones in my bathroom take a good 2-3 minutes to warm up, but this isnt a problem as they are left on all night. And while warming up they give enough light to have a no2 etc.

Nelly67 · 23 Aug 2007

Hmmmmm. The warming up tie could be a problem for a kitchen, I can appreciate that if may give off enough light for you no.2 but when it's half time and Spurs are beating Arsenal 3-0, I just want to run to the kitchen, click on the light, grab a beer from the fridge and get back in to see the replay of the goals!!! not wait about for my lights to warm up!!!

I could always get the missus to go and switch them on at the 40 minute mark

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Kitchen Rewire

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