how close can socket go to sink

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Presently I have a socket (for kettle) 1 or 2 ft from sink ie it is possible to hold one hand under tap and stick the other in socket. I am getting new kitchen soon and was wondering if I need to remove/disconnect this supply[it has its own circuit and is not on ringmain]. If it is ok with any latest regulations I'll leave it there.Please advise.thanks
 
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theres no set distance im sure! but it aint got practice and could be picked up on a Periodic, some kitchens are small enough anyway for things to be close. Its more common sense i suppose.
 
There is nothing in the wiring regulations re this (I wish there were). The Electricians Guide to the Building Regulations recommends a minimum distance of 300mm (a foot in old money).

Please note the words GUIDE and RECOMMENDS.........
 
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You shouldn't be able to put one hand on a water tap and the other on a mains switch.
 
Arm' reach was in the 15th when I started, but has not been used with reference to kitchens. It is deemed to be 2.5m.

It used to be used in bathrooms where the light fitting, infra-red heater etc should be placed out of arm's reach. Bathroom zoning have largely replaced it.

Also, arm's reach is used with regard to simultaneously accessible parts at different potentials. [BS7671:2008, p61]

Could a tap and an accessory be deemed to be "simultaneously accessible parts at different potentials"?
 
Hi, sure,
I'm not a sparky, (just the cream of trades , salt of the earth, a bricky)
but if I was getting out of the bath, wet through, washing up, etc.
I would like to think that if, in a moment of madness, I suddenly thought, "Oh I'd like a brew" that I would be obliged through the design of the kitchen/bathroom to disengage myself from the earth, in order to engage with the mains electric.
sounds like common sense to me.
 
Ideally should be 1000mm. At least 300mm. These are recommendations as described in the regs, so you are ok to leave the socket where it is. If you are redesigning everything to fit your kitchen then aim for 1000mm. It's not a requirement though.
 
I would be obliged through the design of the kitchen/bathroom to disengage myself from the earth, in order to engage with the mains electric.
sounds like common sense to me.

Don't worry too much. New installations already have measures in place to protect you from electric shock - including the disconnection of supply when required, so you don't need to levitate whenever you fancy a brew.
 
OK, Guys,
I'll stick to laying bricks, and converting the unworthy.











Not so much a religion, more a bunch of cults.
 
many thanks for all the advice
Its not ideal but I'll leave it in place (very small kitchen by the way otherwise ideal distances would probably have been used)
 
just in case my last comment was ambiguous..
"its not ideal" - the socket that is not the advice...all the advice was much appreciated
 

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