supply cupboard with single rear wall

[Anteaus]

Upgrading a CU in a cupboard built of single skin 15mm ply, which also forms the rear wall of a fitted wardrobe in the adjacent bedroom. The CU itself will be on a mounting board spaced about 5mm from the wall and will be metal, so reasonably safe against penetration, but the meter and tails are on the single ply skin. Not sure if the 50mm clearance requirement applies here as the cables aren't inside a wall, but from a safety standpoint the wardrobe back wall is exactly the kind of place someone might put a screw into, not realising there's an 80A circuit only 15mm away.

Wondering if I should contact the supply company and ask them to remount the meter more satisfactorily, or perhaps just put a double skin, or maybe a steel sheet, on the wardrobe back wall?

 

[Iggifer]

I'm not sure I totally understand the setup here, but I for one, do not generally put screws into the backs of my cupboards.

Where is the meter currently mounted? Surely not to the fabric of this cupboard? Where is the service head?

 

[Anteaus]

Meter on one side of 15mm plywood sheet, other side of this sheet forms the lower half of a fitted wardrobe back wall.

Service head is elsewhere, supply comes in via conduit.

 

[Iggifer]

I'm amazed they actually fitted the meter to it. I guess you could get the meter moved then bring the tails in in SWA.

I think that's the best way to make good on a bad situation. Surely it must look rough as ....?

 

[Anteaus]

No, installation is neat enough, just that the high likelihood of someone putting a hook on that wall obviously hadn't occurred to the supply electrician, and the clearance is far too small. In fact he might not have realised it was a single skin, I didn't until I drilled a hole in it and saw light through it from the room beyond. Basically, damn bad building design.

I guess I could double-skin the wardrobe with drywall, but that would take quite a bit off its depth. A steel sheet is the other option AFAICS.

 

[Taylortwocities]

If the wall is 100mm or less thick, then the safe zone also extends to the other side of the wall (see WIKI).
Essentially, when doing any work on a wall, one should always consider what is on the other side!

 

[Anteaus]

If the wall is 100mm or less thick, then the safe zone also extends to the other side of the wall

True, and this is one of those situations where it probably IS compliant with the literal word of the regs, but is not very safe since it's just the sort of place where an unsuspecting room occupant would screw in a hook for her handbag collection or whatever. Which just goes to show that you cannot achieve safety through red tape.

 

[Iggifer]

Stick a sticker on the other side of the cupboard! Although I don't think they make a 'Do not put hooks on this surface' warning stickers, with a little lightning bolt on them! So you might need to resort to a label printer.