Running Cable underneath bath???

[dabomb3k]

am i right in thinking as long as the bath has a panel on it and it is not accessible then i can run cable under the bath?

i need to do this solely for convenience.. my rooms are on 2 different levels so when running a cable under my floorboard in my bedroom and running it by the pipes, it comes out in my bathroom just under the bath (the bath is a sunken bath and the cable comes through underneath the steps)

all i want to do is run it straight down from under the bath into my back room which is going to be my kitchen, is this okay?? no junction box will be used, just standard 2.5mm and 6mm t+e for a radial circuit and cooker circuit

thanks for your help, someone has already run an old lighting cable that exact path but it means nothing in this house and i cant for the life of me remember the regs on the bit underneath the bath

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yes. No different rules than anywhere else.

 

[dabomb3k]

fantastic, that makes my life so much easier, ill run it tomorrow

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

A little bit of common sense is required, hot pipes and copper pipes would be my concern.

 

[JohnW2]

A little bit of common sense is required, hot pipes and copper pipes would be my concern.

Hot pipes I understand (and obviously agree) - but what is your concern about 'copper pipes'?

Kind Regards, John

 

[stillp]

[quote="JohnW2";p="2826474what is your concern about 'copper pipes'?

[/quote]Perhaps the fact that they're conductive?

 

[JohnW2]

what is your concern about 'copper pipes'?

Perhaps the fact that they're conductive?

In context, that's the most obvious answer. But if, as we do, we consdier that the insulation+sheathing of T+E cable renders it to be safe enough to be touched/handled by human beings (when there are live conductors within), what would be the problem with it touching a (cold) earthed metallic conductor? ... let's face it, we don't even have a problem with SI (i.e. unsheathed) live conductors touching the earthed conductive conduit that surrounds them!

Kind Regards, John

 

[stillp]

How do you know it's earthed?

 

[JohnW2]

How do you know it's earthed?

Fair enough - it possibly may not be, but that doesn't alter what I said. If it's considered safe enough to be handled by humans, it's surely safe enough to touch a conductor, earthed or not?

Kind Regards, John

 

[stillp]

I imagine the concern expressed by PBoD was that if the pipe is not earthed, and the cable insulation develops a fault, there could be a risk of the taps becoming live.

 

[EFLImpudence]

There are pipes all over the place. That's why I wrote:

Yes. No different rules than anywhere else.

The fact that it is under a bath has no relevance.

I imagine the concern expressed by PBoD was that if the pipe is not earthed, and the cable insulation develops a fault, there could be a risk of the taps becoming live.

How is that likely?

 

[JohnW2]

I imagine the concern expressed by PBoD was that if the pipe is not earthed, and the cable insulation develops a fault, there could be a risk of the taps becoming live.

I suppose it must have been, but my question was a serious one. After all, if "the cable insulation (both layers) develops a fault", there is also risk that a person touching it could be in trouble.

My 'serious question' related to the fact that I don't recall ever having seen any suggestion that (the outside of!) insulated+sheathed cables should not come into contact with conductors (innumerable examples of which we could undoubtedly find if we looked), and I wondered if I had been missing something.

Kind Regards, John

 

[dabomb3k]

Sorry for my new found confusion but I'm not entirely sure now...

Are you saying its okay for me too run the cable under the bath and rest it in the same way as running it in say under a bedroom floor? Or that no it's not and should be treated as one of the special locations

Bit confused now! Sorry

 

[JohnW2]

Sorry for my new found confusion but I'm not entirely sure now... Are you saying its okay for me too run the cable under the bath and rest it in the same way as running it in say under a bedroom floor? Or that no it's not and should be treated as one of the special locations Bit confused now! Sorry

As EFLI said at the start, there are no different rules under a bath than from anywhere else. Indeed, AFAIAA, there are not even any different rules about cable installation in a 'special location'.

PBoD is certainly right in saying that it would be sensible to make sure that the cable kept away from hot pipes (and maybe all pipes, but that's more debatable), so it would do no harm to use a clip or three to make sure that couldn't happen.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]