Electrical Assistance Required

[leevis]

Hi
I am in the process of converting a kitchen into an office and need some advice re the electrics.

There are various sockets in the kitchen and i am going to move a lot of these as there will be a plasterboard skin added to the room, not a massive issue this one.

The issue i might have is the lighting and the installation of an extractor fan.

There is currently ONE light in there and i would like to install downlighters so will have to take the ceiling down which also is not a big issue.

I do need an extractor fan in there as there are no windows (long story) and i am not sure whether i can just install the fan onto the end of the downlighters via an isolator? Not looked into it but am guessing that the lighting will be twin and earth.

Is it possible to just use twin and earth to supply the lights and then come out of the last downlighter to the isolator and then to the fan?

Curious

 

[ericmark]

Yes it is possible, but your main problem is LABC. Changing a rooms use to or from a kitchen or bathroom normally involves planning permission. If this is the case then the LABC has to authorise anyone not a scheme member to do electrical work.

And the LABC inspector can be easy going or a right pain.

So step one is work out if you can do the work, even in England where the rules are not so strict, once the LABC is involved they are responsible for site safety so can say who can do what.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes it is possible, but your main problem is LABC. Changing a rooms use to or from a kitchen or bathroom normally involves planning permission....

I don't think that is true, unless there is a 'change of use' of the property as a whole (e.g. from residential to commercial, or vice versa). In any event ..

If this is the case then the LABC has to authorise anyone not a scheme member to do electrical work.

I think that that, per se, is certainly not true. A requirement for Planning Permission has nothing to do with whether or not approval id required for electrical work.

What the OP is doing might require Building Regulations approval - I think that creating a new bathroom (and maybe also kitchen) does, but I'm not so sure about removal of one. If it did require Building Regs approval, then that might, in the manner you suggest, also apply to any electrical work involved.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

There is currently ONE light in there and i would like to install downlighters so will have to take the ceiling down which also is not a big issue.

Have you thought about pitting a suspended ceiling in? It would make your suggested adaptions so much easier and reversible.

 

[sparkwright]

You aren't going to want the extractor fan coming on with the lights, are you?

 

[JohnW2]

You aren't going to want the extractor fan coming on with the lights, are you?

Why not? If the room has no windows, and the OP wants to have an extractor fan, would he probably not want it to come on whenever the room was occupied (when, inevitably, the lights would be on)?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

You aren't going to want the extractor fan coming on with the lights, are you?

I would expect so, but with a separate switch so it can be turned off when not required.

 

[sparkwright]

Why not? If the room has no windows, and the OP wants to have an extractor fan, would he probably not want it to come on whenever the room was occupied (when, inevitably, the lights would be on)?

Kind Regards, John

I assumed with it being an office, a fan running all the time it's occupied (when the light is on) would seriously get on your nerves.

 

[JohnW2]

I would expect so, but with a separate switch so it can be turned off when not required.

Indeed. The OP is (probably for the wrong reason - i.e. because he thinks it is 'required' ) proposing an 'isolator' between lights and fan, and that could (to keep all wiring above ceiling) be a pull switch.

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

A TP iso would provide for this

 

[JohnW2]

I assumed with it being an office, a fan running all the time it's occupied (when the light is on) would seriously get on your nerves.

It might - but if the OP doesn't want it on whenever the office is occupied why/when would he want it on?

I know plenty of offices where the blown heating/AC results in significant noise all the time - but people rapidly get used to it (and hence stop 'noticing' it).

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

A TP iso would provide for this

I doubt that it would need to be 'TP', since I can't see why he would want a timer fan (with 'over-run') in an office.

Kind Regards, John

 

[sparkwright]

It might - but if the OP doesn't want it on whenever the office is occupied why/when would he want it on?

I know plenty of offices where the blown heating/AC results in significant noise all the time - but people rapidly get used to it (and hence stop 'noticing' it).

Kind Regards, John

Because he would have it on when he feels like it when he's in the office.

The lights would surely HAVE to be on all the time when he's in the office because there are no windows.

He said he wanted to connect the fan to the last light.

H then suggested fitting a switch to the fan, which would solve my concerns.

Apologies if I have misunderstood.

 

[JohnW2]

Because he would have it on when he feels like it when he's in the office.

OK, but I had assumed (perhaps wrongly) that, given the absence of windows, he felt that he would always need it on when he was in the office.

The lights would surely HAVE to be on all the time when he's in the office because there are no windows.

Exactly, which would obviously satisfy the above, if that's what he wanted. However ...

... H then suggested fitting a switch to the fan, which would solve my concerns.

I'm not sure about the "then" - he said that right at the start. He's always proposed the isolator (although, as I've said, probably because he believed that it was 'required') but, as I said, if that is, say, a ceiling-mounted DP switch (as I've said, TP should not be necessary), he can use that to switch off the fan if he wants.

Apologies if I have misunderstood.

I doubt that you misunderstood - we've probably just been somewhat 'talking at cross-purposes', albeit essentially saying the same thing

Kind Regards, John

 

[leevis]

Hi All
Thanks for all the comments on this one.
The purpose of the fan is to turn the air in the room, I am guessing that this is required.
I think that it will have to be on when the lights go on, not a massive deal really, if it get annoying I will use the isolator to turn it off.
That being said, is there a different solution? Humidistat one might be OK but then again its not humid enough likely.
Can only see that the lighting one being the only solution here, there is a model with a pull cord though but thats just asking never to be turned on and I assume that it needs to work? Only going to be me in there