Isolation for a bathroom fan

[SparkyChick]

Regulation 134.1.1 on page 21 of the big yellow book states:-

"Good workmanship by skilled or instructed persons and proper materials shall be used in the erection of the electrical installation. The installation of electrical equipment shall take account of manufacturers' instructions."

 

[Mark payne]

Thank you sparkychick, I forward that on to my boss.

 

[SparkyChick]

Mark, the issue with the regs is that it's not a statutory document. The advice from a sparks point of view is that if you follow the regs, evidence that you have done so presents a strong case in your defence if something goes wrong. It could be they elected not to fit them, but my understanding is that would need to be recorded as a departure from BS7671 (the regs) and should have included a risk assessment so that whoever made that decision can demonstrate they thought about the situation upfront and concluded that in that given scenario it's acceptable to not fit the isolator.

The fact the lights go out isn't a problem from a sparks perspective, it's our normal working environment, but if used in a domestic setting, the householder may not be equipped to deal with it so it's preferential to keep the lights on which requires the isolator so they can work on the fan.

 

[Richard Burns]

Because the manufacturers instructions state the fan must have a triple pole isolator then one should have been provided (probably in a location to which guests do not have access.

In your current position, as you have described, I would switch off the lighting MCB and disconnect the power supply to the fan and terminate safely (if this is within your skill set) and then restore the power to the lighting circuit.

 

[Mark payne]

Thank you everyone who replied to my question. The area manager is calling to see me on Thursday to look at the problem. When he spoke to the installation contractor they claimed that they didn't need to fit an isolator as they were connecting the new fan to the existing wiring (which was probably 15th edition installation) this isn't true as all the wiring on each floor was ripped out during the refurbishment.
I will let you know what the outcome is.

 

[Midwest]

The problem I have is that there two fans stuck on full speed that won't reset and the contractor won't be back to fix them for a week or so. I can't disconnect them as it is a windowless bathroom, so an isolactor just for the fan would have been useful

Probably the reasoning behind having an isolator, like any other appliance