If I install a socket in the space between kitchen units for a washer, should I fit a FCU above the worksurface to control the appliance?
Socket for washing machine. Switched above units?
- Thread starter cascas
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Yes, then you have the means to isolate the appliance without dragging it out. 
Might also be worth considering wiring the washer flex into a flex outlet plate rather than have a socket. Beware though that this may invalidate any warranty on your machine. Check with manufacturer.
Might also be worth considering wiring the washer flex into a flex outlet plate rather than have a socket. Beware though that this may invalidate any warranty on your machine. Check with manufacturer.
Rather than an FCU you can just fit a 20Amp dual pole switch - the cable to the washer will be protected by the plug fuse.
I prefer just a flex outlet behind the washer (then you can push the appliance right back).
and an FCU above with the fuse in it. Then you can easily access the fuse if it goes with the machine full of wet clothes.
The warranty/plug thing is an urban myth.
and an FCU above with the fuse in it. Then you can easily access the fuse if it goes with the machine full of wet clothes.
The warranty/plug thing is an urban myth.
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opinions differ.
I prefer a plug and socket behind the machine, so it is easy for someone even with no skills and no screwdriver, to pull out the old machine or plug in a new one.
If you use an FCU as well as a fused plug, then yes, in the event of a fault, either or both fuses may blow, which can give you more work. However if there is such a fault, the machine is going to have to come out anyway for repair or replacement, so no big deal.
I prefer a plug and socket behind the machine, so it is easy for someone even with no skills and no screwdriver, to pull out the old machine or plug in a new one.
If you use an FCU as well as a fused plug, then yes, in the event of a fault, either or both fuses may blow, which can give you more work. However if there is such a fault, the machine is going to have to come out anyway for repair or replacement, so no big deal.
One would certainly hope so (in a sane world) but I've certainly known of cases in which manufacturer's have tried all sorts of ridiculous wriggling in attempts to get out of warranty claims. Admittedly, persistance in fighting often succeeds in such situations, but it can be an awful hassle.
On a related topic, when it comes to replacing appliances, I have heard of cases in which suppliers who offer a (free or otherwise) 'installation service' are not prepared to get involved in any 'installing' which involves more electrically than plugging a plug into a socket. To be fair to them and their employers/insurers, I suppose that many of them may not, as judged in some fashions, be 'qualified' to open up an accessory and wire an appliance into it; they may not even have appropriate tools!
Kind Regards, John.
P
Paul_C
Agreed. Even without worrying about somebody unskilled having to do that, it's far easier to just pull the plug and then reconnect if and when necessary.
An alternative is to use a BS546 15A plug & socket combination for the final connection.
I agree it's best to leave the 13 amp plug on and plug into a socket controlled by fused spur unit or 20 amp dp switch.
I don't think flex outlets are particularly helpful if it means a non-electrician may have to wire the flex in. Also, if a new washing machine is delivered, it's very likely the installer may refuse to disconnect the old one/connect the new one.
Where space behind the appliance is limited, one solution is a socket in adjacent cupboard (if there is one) with a nice neat round hole in the back for the plug to be fed through.
15 amp plugs and sockets may be ok, but would cause all kinds of confusion and mayhem for those who not familiar with them, which is just about anyone who is not an electrician.
... or anyone who is over 'a certain age'
However, I agree with all you say. Kind Regards, John.
... or anyone who is over 'a certain age'
Kind Regards, John.
You can just imagine the response if someone found the 15 amp plug and socket. There would be suggestions that the whole house is dangerous, or needs rewiring. Someone would claim that an out of date piece of equipment has been installed.
Unfortunately, that very thing happened to a colleague of mine just last year, at the hands of a PIR undertaken by an electrician who came highly recommended. Apparently, in addition to whatever he wrote on the PIR, he commented verbally "at least it's not brown"!!
Kind Regards, John
P
Paul_C
To be blunt, it seems to me that there are now far too many in the trade who (a) seem to have no idea about anything which is a little different from the current norm but perfectly acceptable, (b) have little to no idea of how certain things were done in the past, and (c) are ready to condemn as "dangerous" anything which doesn't meet every last detailed requirement of the current standard, even though that standard has only been in use for three years.
As for periodic inspection reports, one has only to look at the examples quoted on this and other forums to see that various electricians' (and in some cases I use the term loosely) ideas about what is acceptable and what is dangerous vary so wildly and illogically as to render the PIR of today practically worthless.
As for periodic inspection reports, one has only to look at the examples quoted on this and other forums to see that various electricians' (and in some cases I use the term loosely) ideas about what is acceptable and what is dangerous vary so wildly and illogically as to render the PIR of today practically worthless.
Unfortunately, there do appear to be too many of them - and perhaps you should add a (d), really underlying the other three, of having inadequate (or worse) understanding and knowledge of the underlying principles. A good example was the one I quoted recently, of an electrician who tried to convince me that I needed an RCD physically closer to a shower 'because the fault current would have become too low to trip the RCD in the CU by the time it got back there'!
That is perhaps the most worrying thing.
Of course, as in most walk of life, the majority are probably 'OK' and a significant proportion very good - but the unsuspecting member of the public will often be hard-pressed to distinguish them from that other group!
What would be ideal (but probably totally impractical), in addition to improved education and training, would be a regulated system in which the regulator re-inspects at random installations which have had PIRs (or electrical work) undertaken by registered/'licensed' electricians - with the teeth to impose sanctions or require re-training when appropriate. That's what happens in many walks of life.
Kind Regards, John
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