Home Office Skirt

[mbelectric]

I was asked to give a quote for remedial work on a PIR in a terraced house. One of the observations was "No Home Office Skirt in bathroom".

I have to be honest and admit I had never heard of 'Home Office Skirt' but a quick google search soon cleared that up.

In the bathroom is a standard pendant lampholder with lampshade. I was under the impression that pendant lampholders were not allowed in bathrooms at all although they are very high ceilings and the lampholder is probably more than 2.25m from the floor (I will measure it today).

Are batten lampholders permitted in bathrooms because they have a Home Office Skirt and if so, does putting the Home Office Skirt onto a pendant instead comply with the regs as the PIR suggests.

(I hope I get some answers as the wife will spot "Home Office Skirt" in Google search and I could be in trouble!)

 

[Chri5]

Years ago (in the 30's/40's) the Factories Act was also known as the Home Office (H.O.) Regulations and parts of this are still referred to in HSE publications (see Appendix 3 of the Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989). I was told that the H.O. shroud (or skirt) achieved compliance with these regulations because it prevented the metal cap of the lamp being touched in damp situations. There were various other standards around in those days including Ministry of Works and Parker Morris requirements ? when I was an apprentice maintaining old domestic properties, I was told this required one lighting point and one socket outlet in each room. That was in the days when the bedroom lighting point was not positioned in the centre of the ceiling but offset towards the window because this would prevent the shadow of anyone undressing in the room being seen on the curtains outside! ? apparently, the H.O. shroud has even outlived this requirement.

via Google

 

[ericmark]

I can see the point of a home office skirt on a Edison screw lamp but why with a bayonet type?

 

[ColJack]

maybe to stop any possible condensation dripping on the lamp? with a wide skirt it should miss most of the lamp, or at the very least, the metal bit...

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[Lectrician]

It is a very old and obsolete reg - It was to prevent a person in a damp environment being able to touch the metal lamp cap.

If the light is out of the zones, it can be what ever you wish!

 

[ericmark]

The only history I could find was The IET forum and it does relate to how old the regulation was. But it was not an IEE or IET regulation and there was nothing about it being repealed so not so sure on the obsolete bit.
It was only a few years ago the Isle of Mann repealed the law it had about being able to shoot a Scotsman wearing a kilt. And the same with Chester and Welshman within the City walls. There are loads of old laws still on statute books that no body takes any notice of for example Part P.

 

[Stoday]

I remember Parker morris from my training days in the late 1950's.

The recommendations also included temperatures: 65 deg F in the living room, 60 in the kitchen and 55 elsewhere. By implication you had to wear woolly jumpers in the winter too...

 

[securespark]

Eeee, Home Office skirts, there's a blast from the past!

Learnt about these at college (for you younger ones, I started on the 15th).

As I said to the letcherer, it's what's in the Home Office skirt I'm interested in...

 

[crystal ball]

I remember rewiring council houses in the eighties and the spec was H/O skirts downstairs and bathroom, and standard upstairs, our engineer reckoned it was because of concrete floors downstairs

http://www.hager.co.uk/menu/product...ling-accessories/standard-range/1024-1483.htm

 

[JohnD]

I remember being required to use them in the 1970's and I still have a box of Batten lampholders with skirts on them. Not sure when I got them but the box is quite dusty.

 

[mbelectric]

It seems it's a strange thing to report then, considering the PIR was done in Aug 08 and the light is outside all the zones.

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[Lectrician]

Typical sparky living in the dark ages.......just the type who SHOULD NOT be undertaking PIR's!

 

[securespark]

I remember being required to use them in the 1970's and I still have a box of Batten lampholders with skirts on them. Not sure when I got them but the box is quite dusty.

But if you buy a batten lampholder today, they've all got HO skirts.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

As I said to the letcherer, it's what's in the Home Office skirt I'm interested in...

In that case you need to turn Safe Search off and do a Google Images search for home office skirt....