Have a new 70watt towel rail which needs installing in the bathroom.
Its well out of reach of the bath or taps.
Can a fused spur be taken off the ring main?
thanks

wrote:

Have a new 70watt towel rail which needs installing in the bathroom.
Its well out of reach of the bath or taps.
Can a fused spur be taken off the ring main?

Yes, but:

- the appliance should be in Zone 2 or 3 (or beyond the zones), i.e. no
part of the appliance can be directly over the bath or a shower tray;

- the fused connection unit must be in Zone 3 or beyond the Zones, i.e.
it must be more than 600 mm horizontally away from the nearest edge
of the bath of shower tray (also apply common sense to its location
to avoid any risk of splashing);

- the FCU must include an isolating switch (unless lockable isolation
is provided outside the bathroom);

- if the appliance is within the Zones (i.e. 3 m horizontally away
from the nearest edge of the bath of shower tray) its circuit
protective (earth) conductor must be connected to the supplementary
bonding, regardless of proximity to any taps, etc.

From your callsign I deduce that you are in Scotland, therefore Part P
is not applicable here.

--
Andy

On 15 Jul 2006 04:23:25 -0700 someone who may be "
wrote this:-

Have a new 70watt towel rail which needs installing in the bathroom.

Very useful things.

Its well out of reach of the bath or taps.

How far is "well out of reach"? Some people might have different
views on this. How many metres?

Can a fused spur be taken off the ring main?

Yes.

However, that is the easy question. What matters is largely the
position of the controlling switch. There are a number of
possibilities, some of which a-

1) a switched fused connection unit at low level by the towel rail,
suitably far from the bath. One with a neon light is useful. This
being fed from an unfused spur.

2) a fused connection unit at a suitable location on the ring main.
From this a double pole pull cord switch in the bathroom and a low
level cord outlet. A neon is again useful, either in the switch or
in the cord outlet (one may have to have a fuse in a cord outlet
with neon, I have not seen one without)

3) a switched fused connection unit outside the bathroom, with a
cord outlet as in 2) inside.

4) a dedicated circuit connected to a time clock somewhere that
brings on the towel rail(s) as one sees fit. Each rail needs a local
double pole switch and, if necessary, cord outlet as above.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

"Owain" wrote in message
...
wrote:
Have a new 70watt towel rail which needs installing in the bathroom.
Its well out of reach of the bath or taps.
Can a fused spur be taken off the ring main?

Yes, with the switchfuse bit preferably outside the bathroom and just a
flex outlet plate in the bathroom.

Owain

And make it an RCD switched fuse if the ring is not RCD protected.

Adam

Thanks guys.

GM4JNW would be a scottish call sign, up to last year I was in Scotland
(isle of Lewis)
I left the island in September but kept my email
address for newgroups.
Am G4JNW now more at www.g4jnw.co.uk

Good news about ok to take it off the ring main!

I was going to take the cable through the ceiling into the loft space
and have a fused spur their as I have a ring main in the loft space.
The reason is that the towel rail is one of those shaped like a 2 level
shelf, the cable is long enough to go through the ceiling and at
70watts thought it would be negiligable. I can earth it to either the
cold water pipe going to the solar panels or to the pipes going to the
header tank.

The towel rail would be well away from the sink or bath so no problems
there.

Trust all this is within regs.

Ohh all the house circuits are on RCD's at the mains consumer unit.

On 15 Jul 2006 15:09:17 -0700 someone who may be "
wrote this:-

I was going to take the cable through the ceiling into the loft space
and have a fused spur their as I have a ring main in the loft space.
The reason is that the towel rail is one of those shaped like a 2 level
shelf, the cable is long enough to go through the ceiling

It may be long enough, but is it sensible? More sensible would be to
have a cord outlet by the rail and fixed wiring to the cord outlet.
One of the advantages of this is that your supplementary bonding can
then just be run to the cord outlet, as the protective conductor of
the cord is considered adequate to serve as both conductors over a
short distance.

How is the towel rail to be switched? How easily accessible will the
fuses be?



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

How is the towel rail to be switched? How easily accessible will the
fuses be?

The towel rail/shelf has a waterproof switch as part of the shelf
factory fitted.
The fused box I guess would be best in the corridor just outside the
bathroom, although it could go just to the side of the rail/shelf on
the wall, before the cable goes up through the ceiling or indeed above
the ceiling on the wall in the loft - what would you advise?

My whole house has one of those consumer units with RCD's on each
circuit.

On 17 Jul 2006 04:07:19 -0700 someone who may be "
wrote this:-

The towel rail/shelf has a waterproof switch as part of the shelf
factory fitted.

Double or single pole?

If it is a single pole one then you will need a double pole one
elsewhere, perhaps as part of a switched fused connection unit.

The fused box I guess would be best in the corridor just outside the
bathroom,

If the unit includes a switch then this should be lockable, if out
of direct observation.

although it could go just to the side of the rail/shelf on the wall,

The best place, if there is no switch in the unit.

before the cable goes up through the ceiling

Probably the best place, if there is a switch in the unit.

or indeed above the ceiling on the wall in the loft

The worst place, due to being inaccessible.

Whatever way you do it, fit a cord outlet by the towel rail to
minimise the length of flexible cable.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54