I've never come across this before?!

[D Skelton]

Hey peeps,

A customer of mine (a landlady) has a small flat she's renting and wanted me to have a look behind a socket in the kitchen. When I went to look what I found was a 2g socket mounted in a dry lining box in a stud wall. Directly behind (on the other side of the wall) is a shower. The stud wall cavity is maybe four or five inches and where the shower has been mounted, the plastic cold water pipe feeding it was in such a position that meant whoever installed the socket had to cut a small corner out of the rear of the dry lining box to accomodate a plastic bend in the pipe. This intrudes only a few millimeters into the enclosure provided by the dry lining box.

Her worry is safety and I was a bit miffed as to what problems, if any could be caused by this and also, what code I would have given it should I have been carrying out a PIR.

What are your thoughts? Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture so I hope my explanation is good.

As I've said, its a plastic cold water pipe and there is RCD protection.

 

[telectrix]

sounds very ingenious. as long as the socket isn't pressing on the water pipe, i wouldn't worry. only possible problem would be a water leak , but that could happen if the pipe was a few feet above the socket.

 

[D Skelton]

Yeah, just looks a bit of a bodge but I couldn't think of anything regs wise that would forbid this.

 

[needasparks]

Don't think you would find it in the regs, it sounds like one of them things just a bit of common sence is needed.
If you have doubts about it and it may pose a danger try and work out a solution but then if your judgement thinks it is concidered not a problem tell the customer, just remember your the magician sorry i meant electrician. lol

 

[Richard Burns]

Regs wise: 50mm separation between different services?
Safety wise: condensation on a cold pipe dripping inside the box (and probably straight out again)?

I would not really think this is too hazardous.

 

[D Skelton]

Lol, yeah, I told her that if it was my house I would leave it as I couldn't see it posing a problem. I told her I couldn't think of any regulations that would not permit this which she seemed happy with but her response was "I just want to be able to sleep at night knowing my tenant is safe". I told her I'd come away and do a bit of research. Can't find anything online, can't find anything in the BGB so now I'm on 'ere

 

[D Skelton]

Regs wise: 50mm separation between different services?

What's the reg number for that?

 

[needasparks]

Well done fella, you could not do any more than that.

 

[hermetic]

I think I wpould be more worried about the shower leaking through the pb and it getting wet that way. RCD protection or not, I think I would move it.

 

[needasparks]

I would just fix the shower leak.

 

[Richard Burns]

What's the reg number for that?

Hey I had to look it up and I cant find 50mm. 528.3 just says suitable separation.
I may have been thinking of 25mm for gas pipes. Edit: probably 50mm for band I Band II, must read and remember the regs more!
Wonder where i got that from, I will have to look further!

 

[Adam W]

I think it depends on the situation, ie if there is any chance of mutual detrimental influence (water getting in the socket) or for example a plumber changing the shower and having access to the rear of the socket through the hole in the fastfix box, which they probably wouldn't have isolated.
I would have said condensation is unlikely to form on the outside of a plastic pipe, but again it's down to the situation.

 

[wildgoose]

"I think I wpould be more worried about the shower leaking through the pb and it getting wet that way".

If the shower leaks then who know where the moisture ends up anyway ? Providing there's RCD protection and the socket when fitted, has clearance to the pipe, then I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

A possible option to fix (assuming no retiling needed), is to:-
1, No Nails a small baton vertically behind the plasterboard at the pipe end.
2. Pollyfiller it level.
3, Cut the plasterboard on the opposite vertical side to allow refitting of dry line box .
4, Refit the moved-over socket.

Would this be such a big issue if the customer is still concerned ?

 

[D Skelton]

Naa, she has said she is happy for me to fit a surface box to house the socket. I did explain it wasn't neccessary but hey, what the customer wants the customer gets

Cheers for the advice guys!

 

[SPARTYKUS]

She sounds more consiencious than alot of landlord/ladies !!

 

[D Skelton]

She sounds more consiencious than alot of landlord/ladies !!

So true! Yes, she's a very nice lady. It's only the flat downstairs that they rent out so not a career landlord.

 

[Marvo]

I would think if the box has been cut to accommodate the pipe elbow then the IP rating of the box has been compromised or lowered. According to my local regs this would be non-compliant but I'm not sure what the UK regs say.
In the real world I would usually just apply common sense.