Hi since the extensions finished the old kitchen is redundant SWMBO
wants a downstairs WC, as its big enough I was going to stick in a
shower too at the same time - the only query I have is theres a
cupboard in there with the Main CU - will this be OK in a bathroom -
as if there is an issue with condensation/steam then it was a kitchen
once and made more steam than a shower will :-)
anyhting in the regs?

thanks.

On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 07:03:54 -0800 (PST), Staffbull
wrote:

Hi since the extensions finished the old kitchen is redundant SWMBO
wants a downstairs WC, as its big enough I was going to stick in a
shower too at the same time - the only query I have is theres a
cupboard in there with the Main CU - will this be OK in a bathroom -
as if there is an issue with condensation/steam then it was a kitchen
once and made more steam than a shower will :-)
anyhting in the regs?

Well, it can't be more dangerous than this:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...yE58uebzb6doyQ

Or rather it can. For the authentic Bolivian electric shower
experience, not only should the connecting wires be twisted together
above your head but the on/off switch should be mounted without a
cover directly underneath on the same wall.

Nick

In article ,
lid says...
Well, it can't be more dangerous than this:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...yE58uebzb6doyQ

If you google for elecric shower head, you'll see loads of similar
examples.

I presume this is why that sort isn't availabe in most civilised
countries 'cos of the difficulty of making connections safely.

--
Skipweasel - never knowingly understood.

On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:30:31 -0000, Skipweasel
wrote:

In article ,
says...
Well, it can't be more dangerous than this:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...yE58uebzb6doyQ

If you google for elecric shower head, you'll see loads of similar
examples.

I presume this is why that sort isn't availabe in most civilised
countries 'cos of the difficulty of making connections safely.

I'm tempted to bring one of them back with me some time. The water
comes in through the horizontal tube that fixes it to the wall[1] and
it would amuse me to put one in the bathroom connected to the normal
mixer tap supply and install twisty wires and exposed switches - for
decorative purposes only - just so my house guests can experience some
of the fear that I've been put through.

Nick
[1]The rubber hose attached to the side of the shower rose is a
flexible bidet-like device. See? It gets better and better.

On Feb 27, 6:46*pm, Nick Odell
wrote:
On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:30:31 -0000, Skipweasel

wrote:
In article ,
says...
Well, it can't be more dangerous than this:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...yE58uebzb6doyQ

If you google for elecric shower head, you'll see loads of similar
examples.

I presume this is why that sort isn't availabe in most civilised
countries 'cos of the difficulty of making connections safely.

I'm tempted to bring one of them back with me some time. The water
comes in through the horizontal tube that fixes it to the wall[1] and
it would amuse me to put one in the bathroom connected to the normal
mixer tap supply and install twisty wires and exposed switches - for
decorative purposes only - just so my house guests can experience some
of the fear that I've been put through.

Nick
[1]The rubber hose attached to the side of the shower rose is a
flexible bidet-like device. See? It gets better and better.

if its bolivia - theyre probably so coked up they have no
fear !!!!!!!!!

In article ,
Nick Odell writes:
On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:30:31 -0000, Skipweasel
wrote:

In article ,
says...
Well, it can't be more dangerous than this:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...yE58uebzb6doyQ

If you google for elecric shower head, you'll see loads of similar
examples.

I presume this is why that sort isn't availabe in most civilised
countries 'cos of the difficulty of making connections safely.

I'm tempted to bring one of them back with me some time. The water
comes in through the horizontal tube that fixes it to the wall[1] and
it would amuse me to put one in the bathroom connected to the normal
mixer tap supply and install twisty wires and exposed switches - for
decorative purposes only - just so my house guests can experience some
of the fear that I've been put through.

A knife switch, preferably...
That would match one a friend saw in some 3rd world country where
he decided to have a cycling holiday some years back...
Just what you don't want to see after a hard day's cycling when
you arrive at your next hotel. He did use it, but only very
tentitively put one bodypart under it at once, although quite
how that would help any I can't imagine.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Staffbull wrote:
Hi since the extensions finished the old kitchen is redundant SWMBO
wants a downstairs WC, as its big enough I was going to stick in a
shower too at the same time - the only query I have is theres a
cupboard in there with the Main CU - will this be OK in a bathroom -
as if there is an issue with condensation/steam then it was a kitchen
once and made more steam than a shower will :-)
anyhting in the regs?

It is not steam but naked wet persons touching the CU that could be a
problem.

I would not work on such an electrical setup.

--
Adam

On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:19:15 -0800 (PST), Staffbull
wrote:

On Feb 27, 6:46*pm, Nick Odell
wrote:
On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:30:31 -0000, Skipweasel

wrote:
In article ,
says...
Well, it can't be more dangerous than this:-
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...yE58uebzb6doyQ

If you google for elecric shower head, you'll see loads of similar
examples.

I presume this is why that sort isn't availabe in most civilised
countries 'cos of the difficulty of making connections safely.

I'm tempted to bring one of them back with me some time. The water
comes in through the horizontal tube that fixes it to the wall[1] and
it would amuse me to put one in the bathroom connected to the normal
mixer tap supply and install twisty wires and exposed switches - for
decorative purposes only - just so my house guests can experience some
of the fear that I've been put through.

Nick
[1]The rubber hose attached to the side of the shower rose is a
flexible bidet-like device. See? It gets better and better.

if its bolivia - theyre probably so coked up they have no
fear !!!!!!!!!

In Bolivia, it's raw coca leaves and bicarbonate of soda (coca y bica)
to ease altitude sickness and suppress hunger. The processed stuff is
illegal (translation: exported.) Nevertheless, I was grateful that in
one hotel I was using neither: the tingling effect from the badly
earthed wiring that reached me through the plumbing might have been
disguised by the numbing, tingling effect of the leaves.

I took a cold shower the after carefully isolating all the wiring
from outside the bathroom.

Nick

On 27 Feb,
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:


A knife switch, preferably...
That would match one a friend saw in some 3rd world country where
he decided to have a cycling holiday some years back...
Just what you don't want to see after a hard day's cycling when
you arrive at your next hotel. He did use it, but only very
tentitively put one bodypart under it at once, although quite
how that would help any I can't imagine.


At a place I worked at 40 years ago we had a switchboard (415v 3 phase 500A)
which had open knife switches. In front of the switchboard was a 1" thick
rubber mat. A routine check 30 years earlier involved checking the knife
switches for overheating by feeling them (fine with insulating mat). Someone
was in a hurry one night and decided to check two together to save time (he
mustn't have heard of the 'keep one hand behind your back rule'). The routine
checking (other than a visual) was abandoned shortly afterwards.

--
B Thumbs
Change lycos to yahoo to reply

On Feb 27, 7:31*pm, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:
Staffbull wrote:
Hi since the extensions finished the old kitchen is redundant SWMBO
wants a downstairs WC, as its big enough I was going to stick in a
shower too at the same time - the only query I have is theres a
cupboard in there with the Main CU *- will this be OK in a bathroom -
as if there is an issue with condensation/steam then it was a kitchen
once and made more steam than a shower will :-)
anyhting in the regs?

It is not steam but naked wet persons touching the CU that could be a
problem.

I would not work on such an electrical setup.

Would it be OK if put in a locked / only accessible with a tool
cupboard?

Cheers,
David.

David Robinson wrote:
On Feb 27, 7:31 pm, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:
Staffbull wrote:
Hi since the extensions finished the old kitchen is redundant SWMBO
wants a downstairs WC, as its big enough I was going to stick in a
shower too at the same time - the only query I have is theres a
cupboard in there with the Main CU - will this be OK in a bathroom -
as if there is an issue with condensation/steam then it was a
kitchen once and made more steam than a shower will :-)
anyhting in the regs?

It is not steam but naked wet persons touching the CU that could be a
problem.

I would not work on such an electrical setup.

Would it be OK if put in a locked / only accessible with a tool
cupboard?

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not switch it
off in an emergency.

I cannot find any regs that say a CU cannot go in a cupboard in a bathroom
as it is effectively then out of the zones. The cupbard would need to be
able to keep the moisture out. So maybe it is a legal possibility.

--
Adam

On Feb 28, 2:37*pm, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:
David Robinson wrote:
snip
Would it be OK if put in a locked / only accessible with a tool
cupboard?

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not switch it
off in an emergency.

I cannot find any regs that say a CU cannot go in a cupboard in a bathroom
as it is effectively then out of the zones. The cupbard would need to be
able to keep the moisture out. So maybe it is a legal possibility.

It doesn't seem a very good idea - if there were someone in the shower
at the time an emergency occurred they'd probably have locked the door
and it could take rather longer than you'd want to get access - even
if you could make them hear you...

--
Mike

On 28/02/2011 18:24, docholliday wrote:
On Feb 28, 2:37 pm,
wrote:
David wrote:
snip
Would it be OK if put in a locked / only accessible with a tool
cupboard?

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not switch it
off in an emergency.

I cannot find any regs that say a CU cannot go in a cupboard in a bathroom
as it is effectively then out of the zones. The cupbard would need to be
able to keep the moisture out. So maybe it is a legal possibility.

It doesn't seem a very good idea - if there were someone in the shower
at the time an emergency occurred they'd probably have locked the door
and it could take rather longer than you'd want to get access - even
if you could make them hear you...

--
Mike

Loads of new build around here have the CU in the down stairs cloak.
Same situation could occur there?

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Feb 28, 6:36*pm, The Medway Handyman
wrote:
On 28/02/2011 18:24, docholliday wrote:





On Feb 28, 2:37 pm,
wrote:
David *wrote:
snip
Would it be OK if put in a locked / only accessible with a tool
cupboard?

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not switch it
off in an emergency.

I cannot find any regs that say a CU cannot go in a cupboard in a bathroom
as it is effectively then out of the zones. The cupbard would need to be
able to keep the moisture out. So maybe it is a legal possibility.

It doesn't seem a very good idea - if there were someone in the shower
at the time an emergency occurred they'd probably have locked the door
and it could take rather longer than you'd want to get access - even
if you could make them hear you...

--
Mike

Loads of new build around here have the CU in the down stairs cloak.
Same situation could occur there?

True - though I certainly don't usually spend nearly as long there as
I would in a shower...
--
Mike

On 28/02/11 14:37, ARWadsworth wrote:

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not switch it
off in an emergency.

I was thinking about this the other day. Our house (and most houses around
the same area) have the CU in the garage which is normally kept locked.

It's an old CU and fusebox as well, not a modern CU with RCD. How are you
supposed to get to it to switch off in an emergency?

funkyoldcortina wrote:
On 28/02/11 14:37, ARWadsworth wrote:

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not
switch it off in an emergency.

I was thinking about this the other day. Our house (and most houses
around the same area) have the CU in the garage which is normally
kept locked.
It's an old CU and fusebox as well, not a modern CU with RCD. How are
you supposed to get to it to switch off in an emergency?

Indeed there are many CUs in unsuitable places. You would be hard pushed to
get to one in a cupboard under the stairs in a hurry in most houses due to
the clutter in there.

--
Adam

On 03/03/11 10:32, ARWadsworth wrote:
wrote:
On 28/02/11 14:37, ARWadsworth wrote:

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not
switch it off in an emergency.

I was thinking about this the other day. Our house (and most houses
around the same area) have the CU in the garage which is normally
kept locked.
It's an old CU and fusebox as well, not a modern CU with RCD. How are
you supposed to get to it to switch off in an emergency?

Indeed there are many CUs in unsuitable places. You would be hard pushed to
get to one in a cupboard under the stairs in a hurry in most houses due to
the clutter in there.


It would be so bad if I could get it replaced with a modern CU with RCD &
MCBs. But when I spoke to a leccy about it, he said he would have to certify
the whole installation as compliant with the latest edition of the standard,
which it likely wouldn't be, and so would end up being very costly.

Seems stupid to me, to actually put people off making their installations
safer because to do so would open a whole other can of expensive worms.

On Mar 3, 10:32*am, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:
funkyoldcortina wrote:
On 28/02/11 14:37, ARWadsworth wrote:

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not
switch it off in an emergency.

I was thinking about this the other day. Our house (and most houses
around the same area) have the CU in the garage which is normally
kept locked.
It's an old CU and fusebox as well, not a modern CU with RCD. How are
you supposed to get to it to switch off in an emergency?

Indeed there are many CUs in unsuitable places. You would be hard pushed to
get to one in a cupboard under the stairs in a hurry in most houses due to
the clutter in there.

--
Adam

I don't think any of mine have been good, with the exception of my
first house (dedicated meter and CU cupboard by front door -
convenient for the meter reader too). In my current house they're in
the cellar, which can be a real pain if the lights go out when you're
on the second floor, while in my last house the meter and CU were just
under the ceiling by the front door, requiring a trip to get the steps
out from the cupboard under the stairs as they were too high to reach
unaided. It was there because the power came in from an overhead cable
- the electricity board (it was pre-privatisation) refused to consider
moving the meter to an outside meter cupboard.
--
Mike

funkyoldcortina wrote:
On 03/03/11 10:32, ARWadsworth wrote:
wrote:
On 28/02/11 14:37, ARWadsworth wrote:

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not
switch it off in an emergency.

I was thinking about this the other day. Our house (and most houses
around the same area) have the CU in the garage which is normally
kept locked.
It's an old CU and fusebox as well, not a modern CU with RCD. How are
you supposed to get to it to switch off in an emergency?

Indeed there are many CUs in unsuitable places. You would be hard
pushed to
get to one in a cupboard under the stairs in a hurry in most houses
due to
the clutter in there.


It would be so bad if I could get it replaced with a modern CU with RCD
& MCBs. But when I spoke to a leccy about it, he said he would have to
certify the whole installation as compliant with the latest edition of
the standard, which it likely wouldn't be, and so would end up being
very costly.

Seems stupid to me, to actually put people off making their
installations safer because to do so would open a whole other can of
expensive worms.


There's a lot of regs like that.

Once you get involved with notifiable works, improvement doesn't count:
it's got to be to latest regs, or leave it as it is (repair only).


Usual law of unintended consequences etc.

Goes further than the building regs as well - ask anyone at the bottom
end of the pay/job market. Mostly they cant afford to go to work, and
the employers cant afford to take them on.

On Mar 3, 3:49*pm, funkyoldcortina wrote:
On 03/03/11 10:32, ARWadsworth wrote:



*wrote:
On 28/02/11 14:37, ARWadsworth wrote:

It most definately cannot be in a locked cupboard as you could not
switch it off in an emergency.

I was thinking about this the other day. Our house (and most houses
around the same area) have the CU in the garage which is normally
kept locked.
It's an old CU and fusebox as well, not a modern CU with RCD. How are
you supposed to get to it to switch off in an emergency?

Indeed there are many CUs in unsuitable places. You would be hard pushed to
get to one in a cupboard under the stairs in a hurry in most houses due to
the clutter in there.

It would be so bad if I could get it replaced with a modern CU with RCD &
MCBs. But when I spoke to a leccy about it, he said he would have to certify
the whole installation as compliant with the latest edition of the standard,
which it likely wouldn't be, and so would end up being very costly.

Seems stupid to me, to actually put people off making their installations
safer because to do so would open a whole other can of expensive worms.

America has had more of taht sort of legislation for longer than here,
as a result its not uncommon to see 1930s installs still in daily use.


NT

On Feb 27, 11:46*pm, wrote:
On 27 Feb, *
* * (Andrew Gabriel) wrote:



A knife switch, preferably...
That would match one a friend saw in some 3rd world country where
he decided to have a cycling holiday some years back...
Just what you don't want to see after a hard day's cycling when
you arrive at your next hotel. He did use it, but only very
tentitively put one bodypart under it at once, although quite
how that would help any I can't imagine.

At a place I worked at 40 years ago we had a switchboard (415v 3 phase 500A)
which had open knife switches. In front of the switchboard was a 1" thick
rubber mat. A routine check 30 years earlier involved checking the knife
switches for overheating by feeling them (fine with insulating mat). Someone
was in a hurry one night and decided to check two together to save time (he
mustn't have heard of the 'keep one hand behind your back rule'). The routine
checking (other than a visual) was abandoned shortly afterwards.

I once encountered a pair of 1.6kW arc lights driven from mercury
rectifiers in a workplace. Staff had seen the exact same equipment on
display in a museum. They had dedicated ventilation, but the fan wasnt
working.


NT