Does this comply with building regs?

[Goldspoon]

I'm a plumber...

When drilling walls I always have this feeling that I'm about to hit something that will fry my insides. So I am careful to think about where cable/wires "should be" (although I know that this may not be the case).

In this present bathroom job I arrived this morning to find the electrician had been in - to extend some wiring (was shave socket but is to be electric towel rail). I am instructed just to fill it all in and tile over. Top is old (so all filled in) and bottom is new.

Question is - I know that building regs state that wires have to be buried in a certain way (running horizontally to or vertically to the fitting unless protected etc.) but note that in the case pictured this extension of the wiring would leave a person drilling a hole in danger as this new wiring route has a right angle.

Is what the electrician has done within the rules?

 

[migs]

I'm a plumber...

When drilling walls I always have this feeling that I'm about to hit something that will fry my insides. So I am careful to think about where cable/wires "should be" (although I know that this may not be the case).

In this present bathroom job I arrived this morning to find the electrician had been in - to extend some wiring (was shave socket but is to be electric towel rail). I am instructed just to fill it all in and tile over. Top is old (so all filled in) and bottom is new.

Question is - I know that building regs state that wires have to be buried in a certain way (running horizontally to or vertically to the fitting unless protected etc.) but note that in the case pictured this extension of the wiring would leave a person drilling a hole in danger as this new wiring route has a right angle.

Is what the electrician has done within the rules?

Hi Goldspoon!
Before answer your question i have to make another one, is the box of old shaver socket do be tiled over or not?

 

[Taylortwocities]

That is not allowed. you are corect. The wiring must be horizontal or vertical from the accessory. It would be OK if the box at the top was still there, but not if its to be filled in.

The electrician should reroute the cable vertically from the ceiling directly to the new position.

Here's one reason why its dangerous. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3735928.stm

By the way, I guess the original box housed a shaver socket, but what is going in the new one??

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Switched FCU?

Shaver sockets are usually on the lighting circuit - I wonder if this spark plans to put the towel rail on it?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Or it could be one of those shaver sockets that you cannot use in a bathroom....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Why put one of those near the floor when installing a towel rail?

 

[Goldspoon]

In answer to migs question above - the old shaver box will be filled in and tiled over.

 

[daytona]

in that case no,its not allowed.get him back mate.get him to use oval over the cable,yes i know you dont have to,but how cheap is it? it does improve the job.

why on earth is he taking the feed for towel rail from lighting?
are you sure hes a sparks?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Nope - not allowed.

Demonstrably dangerous and therefore unlawful.

 

[Taylortwocities]

in that case no,its not allowed.get him back mate.get him to use oval over the cable,

Using oval will not fix the issue. The cable run is out of the safe zone, period.

The only solution would be to use earthed, steel conduit for this run, or bury the cable more than 50mm deep.

Otherwise, reroute it, correctly.

 

[jason1958]

Drilling...
Might be worth investigating the Bosch DMF 10.
Would have saved many lives I suspect for just 44-50ukp on fleabay.

Works reasonably well.
Detects cable / live cable, non-ferrous (copper & lead water/gas), ferrous.
No experience of its ability to detect stud/noggins.

Complex LCD display tells you what it is (cable/live/ferrous).
Zoom facility to pin-point location more accurately, supposedly.
You have a hole in the detector head where you draw a pencil mark.

Handy for pre 1987 15th cables which will be routed diagonally anywhere.
That is where assumptions about zones can *really* be very very wrong.

Another good tool would be a Fluke Voltalert or similar.
Something that will confirm if something is live, such as the MEB clamp you are about to remove is actually carrying current because of a broken PME neutral. Someone in Wales found that out, but was too dead to tell anyone himself.

Better than drilling a customers cable or damage only later being found when it makes a copper pipe live with no MEB &/or RCD present.

 

[migs]

So i have to say that is ilegal what that electrician is doing :
. The cable should run vertical from the celing to the new box and be protect by an rcd because the cable in runing with less 50mm deep and because every circuit in the bathroom has to be rcd protect to the 17th edition

 

[electronicsuk]

So i have ti say that is ilegal what that electrician is doing :
. The cable should run vertical from the celing to the new box and be protect by an rcd because the cable in runing with less 50mm deep and because every circuit in the bathroom has to be rcd protect to the 17th edition

Your assumptions are correct, although what your electrician has done is not illegal. It's a contravention of the regs, but regulations are just that, not law.

 

[GaryMo]

So i have to say that is ilegal what that electrician is doing :
. The cable should run vertical from the celing to the new box and be protect by an rcd because the cable in runing with less 50mm deep and because every circuit in the bathroom has to be rcd protect to the 17th edition

Illegal?
Was the installation designed to the 17th edition or more likely the 16th edition?

 

[Spark123]

BS7671 in itself is not statutory. However Part P of the building regs in England and Wales is. One method of showing compliance with P1 of part P is to work to BS7671.
In the absence of working to BS7671, the electrician is on his own to show how he complied with "P1 Reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury. "