Bathroom breaker question(s)!

[jinko]

Hi guys,

Need some advice about bathroom electrics. I'm an electronics engineer by trade, and know what I'm doing, but need some advice re the regs before I get the sparky in (the less he needs to do, the smaller his bill will be!)

Bathroom USED to have:
- pull-switch ceiling light on upstairs light cct (non-rcd side of a 16th ed cu)
- wall-mounted electric heater on dedicated radial (shared mcb with upstairs sockets on rcd protected side of 16th ed cu.... Via a fcu outside the bathroom)

In doing the place up, central heating has been put in so the electric heater has gone, and been replaced with an over-mirror light with a shaver socket.

Lighting cct mcbs have been replaced with rcbo's (so now every piece of copper in every wall has some rcd protection!)

My questions are:
- Is it ok for this light/shaver socket to share an mcb with the upstairs sockets?
- Should it have its own breaker?
- If it has its own breaker (eg a "bathroom breaker" labelled on the cu) does the main light (pull cord) also need to be on this breaker?
- Am I worrying too much?

I need to get a sparky's report on the place anyway (so the mortgage co will release their retention!), but would like to get this done properly first for him to sign off (assuming he needs to).

Any assistance gratefully received!

 

[echoes]

- Is it ok for this light/shaver socket to share an mcb with the upstairs sockets?

Yes

- Should it have its own breaker?

Not necessary - Shaver sockets and bathroom lights often use a local lighting circuit, but an FCU from a local power circut is also fine. (Fused as per the instructions for the light, or 5A if no instructions.)

- If it has its own breaker (eg a "bathroom breaker" labelled on the cu) does the main light (pull cord) also need to be on this breaker?

No.

- Am I worrying too much?

Ony a little bit!

An important thing about bathrooms is that all circuits here must be RCD protected. You have this via the RCD in the CU, and the RCBOs for the lighing circuits.

Another important thing is supplementary bonding: this may be omitted if all the conductive parts entering the bathroom are effectively connected to the main bonding AND all circuits in the bathroom are RCD protected.
Otherwise it may be required, which involves connecting all extraneous conductive parts (copper water and CH pipes usually) in the bathroom together, and to the CPC (earth) conductor of all circuits in the bathroom.

[And work in the bathroom zones may be notifiable]

 

[jinko]

Thanks echoes!

I'll get the sparky in, in that case.

Supplemental bonding is already in place, and the whole place seems to be wired as per 16th Ed (with the exception of the two lighting ccts now being on RCBOs).

Hopefully he'll find nothing amiss, and I'll get my 5k back off the mortgage co... Which should then pay for the kitchen ... The next phase of this building site that I'm trying to live in!