Quick way to get a shaving socket into the bathroom

amjl2000 · 8 Apr 2016

Hi all
I'd like to have a shaving socket in the bathroom, if only to have the toothbrush charger in there (currently sitting on the landing floor, where it's been for 5 years now).

According to regs, I can't do it myself, because
1. It's a bathroom
2. It's likely mean a new ring (the bathroom is in the extension, and it's above the garage where the fuse box is, so would be simpler to run something from there than find the sockets ring and break into it)

I was wondering if it is possible (i.e. legal, albeit probably frowned upon), to run a cable from the landing (i.e. with a plug on the end) through a cupboard on the landing, put a FCU in the cupboard against the bathroom wall, and then put the shaving socket in the bathroom (probably inside a vanity unit)... it's more a 'temporary'/removable solution rather than running to the cost of getting a qualified sparky in for a single socket.

Thanks for reading

EFLImpudence · 8 Apr 2016

amjl2000 said:
I'd like to have a shaving socket in the bathroom, if only to have the toothbrush charger in there (currently sitting on the landing floor, where it's been for 5 years now).

Ok, make sure you buy a suitable one for charging toothbrushes as well as shaving.

According to regs, I can't do it myself, because
1. It's a bathroom

If more than 600mm. from edge of bath that doesn't matter.

2. It's likely mean a new ring (the bathroom is in the extension, and it's above the garage where the fuse box is, so would be simpler to run something from there than find the sockets ring and break into it)

The light circuit would be better (not a ring).
New concealed unprotected cables will require RCD protection and must be installed in the correct routes.

I was wondering if it is possible (i.e. legal, albeit probably frowned upon), to run a cable from the landing (i.e. with a plug on the end) through a cupboard on the landing, put a FCU in the cupboard against the bathroom wall, and then put the shaving socket in the bathroom (probably inside a vanity unit)... it's more a 'temporary'/removable solution rather than running to the cost of getting a qualified sparky in for a single socket.

You could but you won't need an FCU when using a plug.

chivers67 · 8 Apr 2016

Does your current consumer unit have RCD protection?

amjl2000 · 8 Apr 2016

Thanks for your input.
Getting into the lights circuit would be problematic, if only (again) for the effort required to run the loop out to a suitable point for a connection.

The consumer unit in the garage that serves the extension appears to be MCB only. Though there is an electric shower attached to it (presumably on the ring, and with local RCD protection).
If I were to utilise a socket in the main house, then that is also not RCD protected from what I can tell (it's a Memera 21, very old looking). When my dad put some vanity lights in his bathroom, he put a socket in the attic above, and used a plug-in RCD inline. I'm imagining doing the same as that.

stillp · 8 Apr 2016

amjl2000 said:
Though there is an electric shower attached to it (presumably on the ring

I hope not!

amjl2000 · 8 Apr 2016

stillp said:
amjl2000 said:

Though there is an electric shower attached to it (presumably on the ring

Click to expand...

I hope not!

OK, saying that makes me go off and check in more detail...

The shower is not on the ring. There are 3 circuits in the extension: lights, ring, shower. It's only 3 small rooms, so no separate up/down circuits.
I have looked up close and there's a SQOE063030, which is a RCCB in the extension CU (Schneider Qwikline2).

big-all · 8 Apr 2016

if you have a fan with overun it will have both live and nuetral
others will let you know if thats a good or bad idea

Taylortwocities · 8 Apr 2016

big-all said:
if you have a fan with overun it will have both live and nuetral

That's an option. Coul;d you wire from the fan?
It sounds like the whole extension is protected by an RCD. Show us a pic of the wiring to the fan.
I don't suppose you have anything useful like a multimeter, to make a test or two?

sparkwright · 9 Apr 2016

Pictures would be very helpful.

It would be best of course to get someone just to fit this thing properly, rather than mess about with plugging things in and that.

If accessing the lighting above is difficult, how easy is it to run a cable from the shaver position to the consumer unit?

If the cable can be run to the garage, presumably it could be wired into the consumer unit at a later date.

mapj1 · 9 Apr 2016

Surely you can extend an existing circuit, from the MCB in the consumer unit if required, into a space out of zone in the bathroom- nothing stops a spur on a ring being taken from the breaker directly after all, and we are not looking at an especially big load so a 13A fused spur will be more than you need.
If you surface wire it in plastic mini trunking all sorts of routing questions disappear... The only question is the RCD - press the RCD test button and see if she circuit you want to spur from goes dead. If not make it an RCD fused spur.

I'm assuming you are not Welsh however - the rules are far more restrictive there, as they are running with an older version of the building act and an older part P

amjl2000 · 9 Apr 2016

sparkwright said:
Pictures would be very helpful.

It would be best of course to get someone just to fit this thing properly, rather than mess about with plugging things in and that.

If accessing the lighting above is difficult, how easy is it to run a cable from the shaver position to the consumer unit?

If the cable can be run to the garage, presumably it could be wired into the consumer unit at a later date.

I appreciate the easiest thing is to get someone in to do it, but it is a cost/benefit exercise. It's not worth paying £150+ (random guess) for it. It's not just money either, I don't want to be pulling out the ceiling if I cannot do it in the cavity above (which I haven't actually checked yet, but the bathroom is part sloped so access above may not be that easy).

mapj1 said:
Surely you can extend an existing circuit, from the MCB in the consumer unit if required, into a space out of zone in the bathroom- nothing stops a spur on a ring being taken from the breaker directly after all, and we are not looking at an especially big load so a 13A fused spur will be more than you need.
If you surface wire it in plastic mini trunking all sorts of routing questions disappear... The only question is the RCD - press the RCD test button and see if she circuit you want to spur from goes dead. If not make it an RCD fused spur.

I'm assuming you are not Welsh however - the rules are far more restrictive there, as they are running with an older version of the building act and an older part P

Running a cable from the CU is reasonably straightforward (I'm happier making a service hole in the garage ceiling below). But I'd still need to get that signed off though? (It's effectively a new circuit)..
And even with a spur from an existing circuit, well I don't feel comfortable playing around with the CU.. gotta have my limits!
So it still means finding someone to come out and do it (unless the job could all be done in an hour by the sparky.

And while I'm not Welsh, I do live in the land of their fathers. I didn't realise that we were becoming that devolved. grr. If I'd known it had made a difference I would have mentioned it earlier!

Taylortwocities · 9 Apr 2016

I'll try and ask again

Taylortwocities said:
Could you wire from the fan?

sparkwright · 9 Apr 2016

If you was to run a cable from where you want the shaver socket to either the consumer unit position OR a point on a lighting circuit where there is a permanent live and a neutral (not all black or blue wires are neutrals) then an electrician can connect it up, and sign it off if you insist, in an hour hopefully.

Job done. Proper job. Won't need doing again. Finished.

amjl2000 · 12 Apr 2016

Taylortwocities said:
I'll try and ask again

Taylortwocities said:

Could you wire from the fan?

Click to expand...

Didn't know if this was directed to me or not... sorry
The fan is in the middle of the ceiling. I'd have to run ugly trunking across and down as I don't really want to cut a channel in the plaster (i know it's not difficult.. I'm trying for a low effort solution)

I have had a mild brainwave though... use the light circuit in the garage directly below (sorry if that's what any of you meant, I only thought of the bathroom lights). Spur off the permanent live, drill a hole up to the cavity behind the wall in the bathroom, poke a wire up and jobs a goodun. I'm pretty sure then that it wouldn't need to be certified. And as the CU is RCD protected, I wouldn't need additional protection.

Just gotta work out how far along the garage to drill the hole. The bathroom upstairs is under a sloped ceiling, so there's no measurement reference to the front or back of the house. That's for me to figure out

Thank you for your suggestions, they have been really helpful, and given a good insight at the potential of wiring.

Iggifer · 12 Apr 2016

If by cavity you mean a cavity between two skins of breeze/brick as opposed to stud work, that's a big no, no I'm afraid

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Quick way to get a shaving socket into the bathroom

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