Bathroom Consumer Unit

[electric-ian]

Have to do a PIR next week. I've been to the property before and know that for some unexplained reason the consumer unit is in the bathroom..

It's well outside the zones.

It doesn't feel right but I can't find a reason to condem it except maybe moisture & RH.

I suspect it wants changing anyway so anyone see any reason why I cant put an IP rated one back?

 

[vitoboy]

is it not possible to move it to the other side of the same wall..?
but if its outside all zones then i guess an ip rated one would be fine.
horrid but fine.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

This could be a bag of laughs if its fitted with RCd/RCBo etc and moisture gets in

 

[electric-ian]

Wont be able to relocate easily.. no wall space behind it that would allow reasonable access (airing cupboard / chimney breast). Also its in a house that was converted into flats in the 80's and sold off seprately so no access from above either.
I know it's a standard split-load board there at the moment so I'll have a better idea when I see what condition that's in.

 

[pennywise]

Build a cabinet around it

 

[Jason Smith]

my brain is screeming no no no ! but I think we need to look at this from two angles, is it gonna work in a moist atmosphere. And what is an Consumer unit is it a switched electrical accesory? and therfore can be within 0.8 of zone one ? thinking about things, it must be more important than a socket and therfore three meters from zone one as a mimimum, Right, unless someone knows the answer, this is a pass the buck decision, I would certainly go up the line to the building inspector for this one. I learnt the other day that you can have meter tails longer than the standard 2 metrs if there is an isolator installed by the electric company, however we wanna the answer to if it can be installed in a bathroom not the possibilities of how to move it.

 

[roukel01]

I agree with pennywise, if its well out of the way of the zones, then I wouldn't worry too much, if you're worried about moisture, get a decent extractor fan in with a humidistat, and as pennywise said, simply build a cupboard around it. At the end of the day, how often do you really reset RCD's/MCB's?? The chance of you touching the board with wet hands are very remote indeed. I've lived in my current house 2 years and haven't been to the board yet.

I rang elecsa up recently about a switched fused spur being on the wall directly above the sink in a kitchen, I honestly thought it would be a big no no due to water splashes and wet hands etc.. ELECSA technical department told me not to worry about it and not even mention it on the PIR

 

[WayneL]

At the end of the day, how often do you really reset RCD's/MCB's?? The chance of you touching the board with wet hands are very remote indeed. I've lived in my current house 2 years and haven't been to the board yet.

That tickled me - what about the quarterly testing of the trip button??

 

[pennywise]

Thats every 25 years isn't it

 

[roukel01]

That tickled me - what about the quarterly testing of the trip button??

Exactly, and who does that?? Not me, especially after a bath!

 

[WayneL]

Exactly, and who does that?? Not me, especially after a bath!

The missus then? Ha ha