Does LED bathroom mirror require fused spur?

[barki]

Hi all,

There is an LED lit mirror in our upstairs bathroom. It has no fused spur. I didn't wire it in.

When we go on holiday I like to turn most things off, and I've noticed that this mirror has a red power indicator which is on at all times. There is no way on the unit itself to switch it completely off. Because it doesn't have an intermediate switch, I can't turn it off when we leave, which I am not keen on.

I notice that it's powered by the upstairs lighting circuit which is 30ma RCD protected according to the consumer box.

I checked behind the mirror hoping to see an outlet and a switch but the cable has just been fed down from the lighting circuit in the loft presumably from a junction box.

It is not above a bathtub or shower tray but it is above a sink.

Should I be looking at adding a fused spur (perhaps behind or adjacent to the mirror?).

Grateful for your advice.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Should I be looking at adding a fused spur (perhaps behind or adjacent to the mirror?).

It's up to you. Just a switch would do. It's not a regulation requirement.

P.S. Not actually a spur but people keep calling them that. The cable is the spur.

 

[Murdochcat]

If it bothers you that much, switch off the upstairs lighting circuit breaker

 

[blup]

Add a socket to the lighting circuit and unplug/switch off when you need to isolate

 

[pete01]

Add a socket to the lighting circuit and unplug/switch off when you need to isolate

Good idea he can climb up and down the loft evertime he wants to unplug it

 

[pete01]

I've got an fcu in the airing cupboard for my mirror, to be honest I just leave it on all the time anyway.

 

[blup]

Good idea he can climb up and down the loft evertime he wants to unplug it

It will give him some pre holiday exercise

 

[JohnW2]

Add a socket to the lighting circuit and unplug/switch off when you need to isolate

Good idea he can climb up and down the loft evertime he wants to unplug it

Would that be a significant burden on the (presumably very very rare) occasions on which he wanted/needed to 'isolate' it?

 

[morqthana]

If it bothers you that much, switch off the upstairs lighting circuit breaker

This.

 

[blup]

Would that be a significant burden on the (presumably very very rare) occasions on which he wanted/needed to 'isolate' it?

If he likes to turn things off generally he can isolate at the DB. Or wire in a switch or pull switch. Just making suggestions.

 

[barki]

Thanks all, much appreciated

 

[JohnW2]

If he likes to turn things off generally he can isolate at the DB. Or wire in a switch or pull switch. Just making suggestions.

Quite so.

 

[plugwash]

Does LED bathroom mirror require fused spur?

In your particular case no.

BS7671 nowadays specifies (with some exceptions) a maximum protective device rating for ES/BC/SES/SBC lampholders of 16A. It doesn't specify anything in particular for light fittings without user-replacable bulbs, but in the absence of other instructions from the manufacturer it seems reasonable to apply the same limit to them (not least because people often swap-out light fittings without thinking too hard).

If lighting is fed from a lighting circuit, then the MCB at the consumer unit is nearly always less than 16A, so normally no further over-current protection is needed.

OTOH if lighting is fed from a socket circuit then the MCB is usually greater than 16A and a fused connection unit is used to provide protection to the light and the wiring feeding it. A fused connection unit is also an "accessory to BS1363" and thus satisfies the requirements of the dispensation that allows for ring final circuits to be wired with 32A overcurrent protection but only 20A cable.