Bathroom first fix

[Gra426]

Hello All,

I am about to begin with a batroom first fix and was looking for some advice with regards to the regs. The batroom is going to have underfloor heating, a TV, and whirlpool bath, and also a fan run via a pir from the lighting cicuit. Obviously with this amount of gear in the room I dont want isolators all cluttered outside of the bathroom door. Ther is an adjacent under stairs closet (batroom is on ground floor) where I would like to mount all of the isolators. I do understand that the switches mounted under the stairs are maybe not as obvious as they could be in this location, but it will look a hell of a lot neater. Will this still conform with the regs and part p. I have looked through my regs book but does not appear totaly clear to me.

Any comments or advice would be gratefully recieved.
Cheers. Gra

 

[miner69er]

Can't see any issue with them being in the understair cupboard as long as the switches are marked clearly as to their function. As you wrote, it will make the install a lot neater. Nobody wants rows of switchgear along the wall.
However, you could use a gridplate to isolate them all indiviually if you want them on the outside of the bathroom where they are most visible, that would be fairly neat and tidy. The choice as they say is yours. Personally i'd put them under the stairs out of the way.

 

[Gra426]

Thanks for that. Under the stairs it is then.

Cheers.

 

[telectrix]

agree with above.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Just make sure they are still accessible once all the usual 'under the stairs' junk is piled in there.

 

[Engineer54]

Let's put all these switches/isolators for the bathroom, in the cupboard under the stairs, where they will be readily accessible, ..well by bending down to see what switch your pressing maybe!! ... Mad as March hares!!

 

[Gra426]

Thanks,

I was thinking of mounting them about 1.5m high on the wall with the cable run in trunking so access should not be a problem.

 

[telectrix]

Let's put all these switches/isolators for the bathroom, in the cupboard under the stairs, where they will be readily accessible, ..well by bending down to see what switch your pressing maybe!! ... Mad as March hares!!

but accessible for maintenance, eng. home owners won't accept what would be the norm in a factory shop floor. within reason we have to consider the aesthetics more.

 

[Gra426]

I agree telectrix. As far as I see it. Providing the isolation is identified and familiar to the home owner there should not be an issue. In industry where you have a large number of circuits having isolation near by and obvious is helpfull. However, in a domestic enviroment who wants to look at banks of switches all over the walls.

 

[Engineer54]

but accessible for maintenance, eng. home owners won't accept what would be the norm in a factory shop floor. within reason we have to consider the aesthetics more.

Depends on what you mean by accessible, most of the under-stair cupboards i've seen, you'd need to almost get on your knees to see what your doing!! Not only that, they tend to get filled with coats and other stuff. This set up sounds as daft as the idiot that wanted to install all his switches for under kitchen worktop appliance outlets. in the CU cupboard at the other end of the hallway passage.

 

[telectrix]

i know. customer won't accept any cables on show, but god the wet-pants plumber can slap in surface mounted radiator pipes then nail some horrendous trunking over them and customer thinks it's fine. i'm in the process of chasing all ours into the walls as and when decorating each room.

 

[Gra426]

Remember Engineer 54 these switches are not for everyday use they are for maintenance/service. How often would you envisage doing either on the equipment that I am installing. Not very often I think. To mount them in a hallway in full view looks untidy and is of little practical purpose.

 

[Engineer54]

i know. customer won't accept any cables on show, but god the wet-pants plumber can slap in surface mounted radiator pipes then nail some horrendous trunking over them and customer thinks it's fine. i'm in the process of chasing all ours into the walls as and when decorating each room.

Very true...lol!!

But whats wrong with a grid switch arrangement outside the bathroom, clear to everyone, even to any new owners that come along in the future??

 

[telectrix]

lost count of the number of CUs i've had to get to, under stairs, 2ft. off floor, on my belly with a torch. a few isolators as OP wants to put them , i'd consider a luxury.

 

[Engineer54]

Remember Engineer 54 these switches are not for everyday use they are for maintenance/service. How often would you envisage doing either on the equipment that I am installing. Not very often I think. To mount them in a hallway in full view looks untidy and is of little practical purpose.

What you mean, like the MCB's?? Look you can do what you like, it's your house, it doesn't make it the correct way of doing things. And i'm not applying factory shop floor thinking, i haven't worked within factory environment for donkey's years...

 

[Gra426]

What have mcb's got to do with the location of isolators? As long as they are identified there is not an issue. Even if they were not identified I'm pretty sure that anybody worth there salt would be able to locate them as the board is also located under the stairs. By the way what in your opinion makes this installation method incorrect?

 

[kingeri]

Could be worse, the isolators for the bathroom fan and 12v SELV light (just the one) are in the loft in my house! Not as bad as it sounds, as the loft is a conversion and the isolators are accessible.

 

[Octopus]

Ask your scheme?

 

[Guest55]

isolate all the bathroom gadgets with a row of 5-6 pullcords in front of the window.....
then tie a load of sea shells , wind chimes or other such trinkets to the cords and make a design feature out of it

or plan B and not bother with any of it lol.

 

[telectrix]

wind chimes don't work any more. the wind turbine farms have nicked all the wind.