FSU In Bathroom Airing Cupboard

[Amateur]

Hi all, first post on here but have been visiting the site for a while.

Here goes as it seems to be a bit of a grey area this one! -

In my bathroom there is an airing cupboard with a full size solid door on it at the end of the bath which houses the combi boiler. Originally the combi was powered via a FSU in the kitchen on the bungalow ring main. I rewired the kitchen (1st fix only) during a refurb to be on its own circuit and wanted the boiler on its own circuit too. As there was an unused FSU (old immersion circuit) in the airing cupboard i didnt see a problem in taking the supply for the boiler from there instead so before the sparks came to second fix and also install a new RCD consumer i wired the boiler flex to this FSU instead. The switch is 1300mm away from the end of the bath so well out of the 600mm zone 2. You would have to reach around the cupboard door when it is open too.

The grey area comes into it where some are saying there should be no switches or sockets in the airing cupboard due to the proximity of the bath and the regs on zones. Others are saying it would be classified as a separate room and in which case not a special location zone?

Im sure this is going to create some mixed replies but what are your thoughts?

Cheers

 

[Wilko]

Can I ask, do you know how far the airing cupboard is from the bath (closest point) ?

 

[Amateur]

The bath is fitted against the outer wall of the airing cupboard. The switch is on the furthest wall inside the cupboard which is 1300mm from the end of the bath.

 

[Andy78]

I used to be against this sort of installation in a bathroom but have slowly been persuaded that it is permissible by the regs.

701.32.1 states that partitions including doors and walls may be taken into account where they effectively limit the extent of the location and its zones.

 

[Amateur]

So would you say its fine then Andy? The guy that fitted the new consumer never flagged it up and i have only utilised an existing circuit, not installed a new one.

 

[Wilko]

I agree with Andy, and reading the OSG section 8.1 it also gives guidance that an airing cupboard may be considered outside the bathroom zones. But of course it really has to have a proper door , be protected from water splashes and the circuit requires an RCD.

 

[Amateur]

Cheers Wilko, it does indeed have a proper door and RCD protection. I forgot to mention though that the cupboard is also opposite a shower cubicle, 1500mm away.

 

[Octopus]

Its in a cupboard, so zones do not apply...

 

[Amateur]

This whole thing only came about because a plumbing/heating site i was on said if your combi is in the bathroom then the controls and FSU have to be outside the bathroom. I think that might have been relating to actually mounted on the bathroom wall though rather than in an airing cupboard within the bathroom.

 

[Ian1981]

If it's in a cupboard with a door it's out of the zones

 

[Amateur]

Well everyone, thats enough for me and i can stop thinking about it now!

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I cant help wonder though why they drilled through the wall into the kitchen and spurred off the ring with an FSU when there was a live FSU right next to the boiler!

 

[bigspark17]

Its definatly outside the bathroom zones. Youve done right.

 

[telectrix]

bath in peace.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

It's not in the location.
Yes it's outside of the zones, but then so are your bedrooms, hall, kitchen, etc.