Electrics by the sink, a few questions

[happyhero]

Hi my wife is renting an office with a friend and there is a tiny kitchen area which has one of those hot water tanks over the sink fed from an adjacent spur. There is also a socket to the side near the floor and a light switch on the wall to the right, basically a few electrical items close to the sink, see pictures

This is the fuseboard not sure what make that is, anybody know?

What I would like to know is are these items ok being so near the sink and shouldn't there be some sort of RCD type protection involved?

Also what would you suggest as cheapest/simplest solution if anything needs doing as my wife will probably end up paying for it and is not to bothered how it will look within reason?

Also side question, my images seem so small on here whereas they are big on my PC, how can I get them so that they look bigger on here?

Any help advice appreciated.

 

[securespark]

Fuseboard is Wylex. Older design, could be anywhere from 1980 onwards.

Depends when the stuff was installed as to whether it has RCD protection or not. In this case, it does not. That means it is not to current standards. The kitchen is not subject to the same regulation as a bathroom, so electrical items can be closer to sinks and taps (in a bathroom a socket outlet cannot be closer to a bath or shower than 3 metres).

This is because (generally, anyhow!) you are not naked and wet in a kitchen, but you are in a bathroom, so are considerably more vulnerable to shock risk.

As for the pictures, it depends how you uploaded them.

I cannot see any issues with the positioning of the accessories, either.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

This is the fuseboard not sure what make that is, anybody know?

It's a standard dated fuse board, that alone does not make it unsafe

What I would like to know is are these items ok being so near the sink and shouldn't there be some sort of RCD type protection involved?

There is nothing illegal or non-compliant as it stands.

Also what would you suggest as cheapest/simplest solution if anything needs doing as my wife will probably end up paying for it and is not to bothered how it will look within reason?

If you are wanting additional protection via RCD, the simplest solution would be to replace the fronts of socket outlet and FCU (to single point water heater) to ones that have integral 30mA RCD protection.


But this would only offer protection against a faulty appliance and flex.
But as this is a let property, this should be down to the landlord and alteration should not be made without their written consent.
Has the landlord had a report done on the the condition of the electrical installation that your wife has a copy of? As the landlord has a duty of care to prove that the installation is safe for continued use.

Also side question, my images seem so small on here whereas they are big on my PC, how can I get them so that they look bigger on here?

Pass never had a problem making mine look bigger

 

[OwainDIYer]

positioning does not appear to be a problem, but the Electricity At Work regulations will apply, and that old fuseboard looks like it might not be touch safe with the fuseholders missing and the gaps where the fuse cover is removed.

I would suggest that if any earthed (not double-insulated) portable appliances are used, an RCD adapter be used for added safety.

 

[securespark]

Can't see any immediate issues regarding IP breaches, but to be sure, wwe need a larger piccy.

I've enlarged it but it's lost focus:

I can see from the original it's saved as a thumbnail.

You need to post it as a larger size.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Also side question, my images seem so small on here whereas they are big on my PC, how can I get them so that they look bigger on here?

Any help advice appreciated.

Upload the pictures to your profile using the images button in the forum top tool bar. Make an "album" to put them in. When you've done that, each image will get a DIYnot BBCode: like: [net)2801/57276_34813019.jpg[/net] Just copy and paste the codes into your post.

 

[rjm2k]

Untitled

• happyhero
• 7 Mar 2013
• 1

 

[JohnD]

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=129539

in your post, click on "Show my Images" in blue, below the text box, and then select the ones you want.

They will look better if you put a blank line between each pic

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

^^^^ Like that!! ^^^^

 

[happyhero]

Untitled

• happyhero
• 7 Mar 2013
• 1

this any better, sorry original picture isn't the best

 

[happyhero]

But isn't there something wrong with the fact you could have one hand in a bowl of water and one on the switch, I know it would be a stupid thing to do but you can imagine someone in mid conversation not concentrating on what they are doing and doing just that.

Does just come down to bad practice rather than breaching any regulations?

I certainly would not fancy that layout in my house.

Also would you do anything here to improve safety etc?

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

No. That is my way of thinking though. Apparently pre 14th edition or just a 'string ' measure of common sense (remember that??)

As to today, 17th edition amd1 states 150mm above work surface and 300mm from the edge of sink/drainer. Or it could be the OSG or building regs for sparks. One of them.

 

[viewer]

If it is an office, then it comes under Health and Safety at Work Act and Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act. Both dealt with by Environmental Health at local authority.

 

[Taylortwocities]

No. That is my way of thinking though. Apparently pre 14th edition or just a 'string ' measure of common sense (remember that??)

As to today, 17th edition amd1 states 150mm above work surface and 300mm from the edge of sink/drainer. Or it could be the OSG or building regs for sparks. One of them.

BS7671 does not state the height of sockets or specific distances from sinks in anything other than bathrooms/pools/saunas.

The 300m item comes from the building regs GUIDE for sparks.

Height in kitchens, there's no specific height. It depends on what you want/need.
150mm above work surface doesn't work if you have a large upstand, for instance...

 

[streetlighter]

I would want RCD protection on the sockets myself if that's the only upgrade you make it would be well worth it.
The only issue with it being an office is how many desktop computers are there going to be as there power supplies leak current to earth and can cause RCDs to trip.
Shouldn't be a problem if its a small office.