I'm in the middle of doing up my house and I want to check that the electrics in my bathroom are up to scratch as I have noticed that there is no cross bonding in the bathroom [so far I have just been replacing like for like].
I have copper H&C pipes coming straight up from downstairs buried in the plaster of the bathroom which go up the wall to the loft. Under the floor in the bathroom the copper pipes are spurred off to the thermostatic mixer shower, again all embedded in the wall. Also under the floor, but this time using plastic pipes, the H&C are spurred off for the bath, basin and cistern. Obviously I have metal taps on the bath and basin.
I also have an electric towel rad in zone 3 [electric only, not connected to copper pipes at all].
Now what do I need to bond?
The copper pipes are cross bonded in the kitchen [at the rising mains] and in the loft [at the boiler]. So do they need cross bonding again in the bathroom [cant hurt I suppose]. The shower is directly attached to the copper supply pipes, all metal fixings, so do I need to bond this? [Besides, there is no place to attatch a cable too, it is the wall surface mounted mixer type].
The basin and bath taps are both on the end of plastic pipes, there is no way they can become live. Again any need to bond these?
What about the electric towel rad. As this should be earthed does it need bonding? [I'm not sure it is earthed, I will check but the last time I saw a towel rad element in B&Q I'm sure I can remeber it only having L&N?]
Speaking of the towel rad, it has a flex outlet in zone 3 and then a dedicated cable back to a 6a fuse in the consumer unit, via a timer switch next to the consumer unit. Is a flex outlet OK in zone 3? Do I need to have a switch immediately outside the bathroom or is it OK to be on a dedicated circuit that can be switched off at the consumer unit? [although there are probably concerns there about touching the consumer unit with wet hands in an emergency!, should I put a switch or switched FCU next to the timer unit].
Any thoughts would be welcome...
I have copper H&C pipes coming straight up from downstairs buried in the plaster of the bathroom which go up the wall to the loft. Under the floor in the bathroom the copper pipes are spurred off to the thermostatic mixer shower, again all embedded in the wall. Also under the floor, but this time using plastic pipes, the H&C are spurred off for the bath, basin and cistern. Obviously I have metal taps on the bath and basin.
I also have an electric towel rad in zone 3 [electric only, not connected to copper pipes at all].
Now what do I need to bond?
The copper pipes are cross bonded in the kitchen [at the rising mains] and in the loft [at the boiler]. So do they need cross bonding again in the bathroom [cant hurt I suppose]. The shower is directly attached to the copper supply pipes, all metal fixings, so do I need to bond this? [Besides, there is no place to attatch a cable too, it is the wall surface mounted mixer type].
The basin and bath taps are both on the end of plastic pipes, there is no way they can become live. Again any need to bond these?
What about the electric towel rad. As this should be earthed does it need bonding? [I'm not sure it is earthed, I will check but the last time I saw a towel rad element in B&Q I'm sure I can remeber it only having L&N?]
Speaking of the towel rad, it has a flex outlet in zone 3 and then a dedicated cable back to a 6a fuse in the consumer unit, via a timer switch next to the consumer unit. Is a flex outlet OK in zone 3? Do I need to have a switch immediately outside the bathroom or is it OK to be on a dedicated circuit that can be switched off at the consumer unit? [although there are probably concerns there about touching the consumer unit with wet hands in an emergency!, should I put a switch or switched FCU next to the timer unit].
Any thoughts would be welcome...
