Towel Rail Wiring
 

Hi there, my mother - awkward as she is - is having a heated towel rail fitted, which is fair enough. But she now would like it to be heated by a heating element which is a pain in the arse. Have questions about the wiring.

I know that the element needs to be connected via a fused spur, which is no problem, but the towel rails i have seen have had a FCU situated just below the towel rail. The towel rail is to be situated at the end of the bath (Zone 1) and i'm wondering if it's safe to have an FCU situated here or not. If not then how else could it be wired up.

Little help pls.

In article ,
discjockey1999 wrote:
I know that the element needs to be connected via a fused spur, which
is no problem, but the towel rails i have seen have had a FCU situated
just below the towel rail. The towel rail is to be situated at the end
of the bath (Zone 1) and i'm wondering if it's safe to have an FCU
situated here or not. If not then how else could it be wired up.

Use a cord outlet to do the change from cable to heat resistant flex and
situate the FCU elsewhere - like outside the bathroom.

--
*I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Use a cord outlet to do the change from cable to heat resistant flex and
situate the FCU elsewhere - like outside the bathroom.

An ordinary flex outlet isn't allowed in Zone 1 or Zone 2 since it
wouldn't meet the IPx4 requirement. To make a connection in those zones
you'd need a IPx4 (or better) adaptable box and cable glands. Best to
get the connection into Zone 3 if possible - i.e. at least 600mm from
the bath - and then an ordinary FCU can be used.

Did the OP realy mean Zone 1 - over the bath?

An electric towel rail is not allowed in Zone 1 unless it "cannot
reasonably be located elsewhere." If it is installed in Zone 1 it must
be 30mA RCD protected. If it's fed from a RCD protected ring (or
radial) circuit, itself fed from the RCD side of a split-load CU then
then you're OK, otherwise an RCD spur will be required. (The RCD
protection is not required for Zone 2 or beyond.)

If installed in either Zone 1 or 2 the rail must be suitable for those
areas and should meet IPx4.

Don't forget the supplementary bonding, if required.

--
Andy

In article ,
Andy Wade wrote:
Use a cord outlet to do the change from cable to heat resistant flex
and situate the FCU elsewhere - like outside the bathroom.

An ordinary flex outlet isn't allowed in Zone 1 or Zone 2 since it
wouldn't meet the IPx4 requirement.

I'll take your word for it. However, I'd then say the towel rail itself
isn't either, since the last one I saw didn't have a flex inlet that would
meet IPx4.

--
*If you think nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of payments *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I'll take your word for it. However, I'd then say the towel rail itself
isn't either, since the last one I saw didn't have a flex inlet that would
meet IPx4.

I covered that by saying:

If installed in either Zone 1 or 2 the rail must be suitable for
those areas and should meet IPx4.

If in doubt the OP should check with the appliance manufacturer.

--
Andy

In article ,
Andy Wade wrote:
I'll take your word for it. However, I'd then say the towel rail
itself isn't either, since the last one I saw didn't have a flex inlet
that would meet IPx4.

I covered that by saying:

If installed in either Zone 1 or 2 the rail must be suitable for those
areas and should meet IPx4.

If in doubt the OP should check with the appliance manufacturer.


Wonder if sealing both with something like silicone would make it comply?

--
*Re-elect nobody

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Wonder if sealing both with something like silicone would make it comply?

Not if you want it to pass a Part P inspection...

--
Andy