UK Is this meter and consumer unit location safe and upto spec? (kitchen cabinet, water pipes)

[idiotrenovatingahouse]

Hello,

I am renovating my kitchen and looking for advice on best placement of the meter and consumer unit. I am primarily concerned with:

• Building regs
• Electrical regs
• Fire safety

It's just a simple dwelling, not HMO or anything. Currently, the meter and consumer unit is inside of a brick "pantry" section at the corner of the room which will be knocked down. I'd like to keep cost down of course, and have them stay at that position. With a little shifting it should fit into a cabinet, which is L shape to provide better access to the CU/meter if needed.

Please note placements not to scale, distance from water pipes should be plenty (> 400mm). Corner cabinet is 900mm in width along the wall (towards the hob). There is a service void behind and under the cabinets where the pipework would be. Could someone please advise on if this proposed layout and placement of CU/meter is safe and upto spec?

 

[timhoward]

Looking at the photo I’m slightly doubting the gas pipe location meets the BS6891 rule - 15cm away from CU as far as I recall.

If it were me I’d leave the service head where it is, stick a switched fuse in, run some armoured up to cupboard above and move CU as close to a part M compliant position as I could.
If it’s been rewired, and all the cables are coming down, I sense it wouldn’t be a major undertaking. It will all likely need carefuly exposing anyway to safely work on the new kitchen and to 1st fix the new kitchen so I’d seize the chance to makes things easier.

Consumer units in kitchen cupboards (and behind garage doors) are my pet hate but I’d far rather work in a wall cupboard than a base cupboard.

 

[baldelectrician]

I thought I had posted earlier, but did not

If I were doing a rewire at your property I would have NOT replaced the consumer unit there.

I would have either
Ran an armour from the meter location to a new consumer unit location thus locating the unit to a sensible place

I did this in a house 6 years ago where the existing consumer unit was in a garage far away from any useful place. We ran a 25mm 3 core amour to a walk in kitchen cupboard in the middle of the house which had floor to ceiling access (wooden floors)
The meter was in the garage was only a 6 way 100A unit with 2 circuits, the 100A REC fuse was sufficient for the 25mm armour, we added a DP switch in the garage consumer unit (supply) to allow the armour to the rest of the house to be isolated.

OR
suggested you get the supply moved

 

[Teddy Lop]

I thought I had posted earlier, but did not

If I were doing a rewire at your property I would have NOT replaced the consumer unit there.

I would have either
Ran an armour from the meter location to a new consumer unit location thus locating the unit to a sensible place

I did this in a house 6 years ago where the existing consumer unit was in a garage far away from any useful place. We ran a 25mm 3 core amour to a walk in kitchen cupboard in the middle of the house which had floor to ceiling access (wooden floors)
The meter was in the garage was only a 6 way 100A unit with 2 circuits, the 100A REC fuse was sufficient for the 25mm armour, we added a DP switch in the garage consumer unit (supply) to allow the armour to the rest of the house to be isolated.

OR
suggested you get the supply moved

DNO might have an opinion on what their fuse is good for no? And if you back it up the zs can quickly become a nightmare...

Know what you mean about con unit location but often one has to cede to the customer.... Maybe above the meter rather than beside... (It's a drag convincing them right up by the ceiling "out the way" isn't the best place half the time.. I've had a couple that were in a cupboard high level but above the door height, so behind the bulkhead, necessitating the most unbelievable back twisting contortion to get to... You just know that was the idea of a madam inflicted on a "great value multi trade builderfitter" without the cojones to tell her to stop being so silly.)

 

[pc1966]

And this, ladies and gentlemen, illustrates why we should have building regulations like the French where there is a requirement for clear and easy access around the electrical distribution board.

 

[SparkyChick]

And this, ladies and gentlemen, illustrates why we should have building regulations like the French where there is a requirement for clear and easy access around the electrical distribution board.

I'd go further and probably mandate some kind of minimum sized plant room which is fireproofed, with all utilities entering (if we carry on as we're going that will only be water and electricity, so no concerns about gas leaks) in there.

 

[Teddy Lop]

And this, ladies and gentlemen, illustrates why we should have building regulations like the French where there is a requirement for clear and easy access around the electrical distribution board.

IMO Better to do something about those ignoring regulations first! Current system is like having a speed limit but not enforcing anyone without a number plate then reducing the limit because of all the crashes the no-plate people are causing.