Hard wired kitchen appliances

[bowza]

hi,

im rewiring a kitchen and all the appliances have to be hard wired to fexe outlets, the fcu's are going to be located in one of the cupboards, it complys with regs because the cupboard is screwed to the wall and all fcus are going to be labeled. the client has requested to have to fcus in the mains cupboard wich is in the hall way with the consumer unit. its over 6 meters away from the kitchen. is this acceptable? i was always under the impresion that they need to be localised, within the kitchen?

i know of other options eg, having sockets located in the unit next to the appliance but thats not my main concern. is there limit to how far the fcus can be from the fitted appliances?



thanks

 

[Guest55]

sorry , but this has got p*** poor design written all over it.
i take these are the customers plans ?

 

[D Skelton]

No, as long as they are readily accessible. Ideally any means of switching off an appliance would be local, but there is nothing in the regs that specifically states that they must be local.

Would there be no possibility of utilising a grid switch for each hard wired appliance somewhere within the kitchen?

 

[bowza]

sorry , but this has got p*** poor design written all over it.
i take these are the customers plans ?

yes, i reccomended a grid system for the 4 appliances. but they think its ugly.

 

[bowza]

No, as long as they are readily accessible. Ideally any means of switching off an appliance would be local, but there is nothing in the regs that specifically states that they must be local.

Would there be no possibility of utilising a grid switch for each hard wired appliance somewhere within the kitchen?

surely being all the way in the hall way is not readily accessible

 

[dan86]

all that hassle just for 4 appliances? seems a faff to me.
dunno about the rest of you, but I like to move my appliances round once in a way. PITA is they ever decide they wanna do that!

 

[telectrix]

so's his missus, probably, but he allows her in the kitchen.

 

[valleybilly]

4mm radial/fcu to all appliances & isolation via CU or fcu job done !

 

[dan86]

where she belongs!

 

[telectrix]

only as long as she's functional.

 

[Des 56]

Whether there could be a reg found to exclude their design or not

Give them a load of bull and save them from their own stupidity

 

[D Skelton]

surely being all the way in the hall way is not readily accessible

That is something only you can make a decision on. How readily accessible a means of switching off is I would say is completely down to the designer to decide based on their interpretation of the meaning of 'readily accessible'.

Like I said it's not ideal, but regarding any regulation, well in my opinion, so long as an appliance can be switched off easily and quickly then you're fine. I guess the next question is; how long is the hallway

 

[Octopus]

I can't believe how stupid some customers are.

Just say you can't do it - its your name that will be on the cert and notification!

 

[Silly Sausage]

.......... I guess the next question is; how long is the hallway

......

 

[Johnuk]

god people can be thick, and I bet they had someone telling them it will look better

 

[Johnuk]

oh and stop spamming the same questions all the time!!!!!!

 

[onions1066]

Is this the same job as the lighting override switch?

 

[Adam W]

Put them all on pull switches. Or have a bank of FCUs in the shed at the bottom of the garden, out of the way. Perfectly accessible. If you can get in to get the mower out you can get in to isolate the washing machine.

 

[Steve_P]

Just tell them that the maximum distance for isolation switches is 3m from the appliance so they can't have it.

Sometimes, the customer isn't always right and it's those times that we have to tell them that they are wrong.

 

[dan86]

Sometimes, the customer isn't always right and it's those times that we have to tell them that they are wrong.

I think we All agree with that! I don't however agree with giving them duff info to justify ourselves.
at the end of the day, we can advise, but what they want has to be final. providing it meets regs. they pay our wages and we don't have to live with it

 

[telectrix]

but if a plumber told them they had to have the stop cock above the worktop, they wouldn't blink. bloody customers. who needs them. roll on wireless sockets.

 

[Steve_P]

Yeah I know Dan but sometimes it's that or slapping them up the side of the head. Lots less painful than biting my lip, at least for me anyway.

Tel mate? Haven't you seen the wireless sockets in B&Q yet? Can be installed by 5 year olds too, says so on the packet, least I think it does, it's in Chinese.

 

[Engineer54]

Your clients seem to be exceptionally stupid, tell them anything you like to get this ridiculously stupid idea out of their heads. Sometimes fools need to be protected from themselves, and this situation falls squarely into that category!! lol!!

 

[ian.settle1]

so's his missus, probably, but he allows her in the kitchen.

She has do the cooking and the clean the dishes (thats why women have smaller feet to get closer to the sink)

 

[Rockingit]

Well, I'll go and get my tin hat on because..... I think it's actually quite a good idea. There's no requirement for the iso to be 'local', just readily accessible, and there isn't even really a regs requirement for using FSU's given that they've all got 13A plugs on the end of them and are only white goods at 1-2kw rating each, it's just something we do because it seems to make sense and no-one wants to go pulling plinths and cupboards around to turn something off.

The less there is on the wall in a kitchen the less there is to catch dirt and germs.

 

[colshaws]

Well, I'll go and get my tin hat on because..... I think it's actually quite a good idea. There's no requirement for the iso to be 'local', just readily accessible, and there isn't even really a regs requirement for using FSU's given that they've all got 13A plugs on the end of them and are only white goods at 1-2kw rating each, it's just something we do because it seems to make sense and no-one wants to go pulling plinths and cupboards around to turn something off.

The less there is on the wall in a kitchen the less there is to catch dirt and germs.

I also agree , if the switches are in a cupboard in the hall (or even a kitchen cupboard full of tins of beans) and the customer obviously knows the location then they are readilly accessable to any body who needs to operate them for maintenance purposes.

 

[Engineer54]

I also agree , if the switches are in a cupboard in the hall (or even a kitchen cupboard full of tins of beans) and the customer obviously knows the location then they are readilly accessable to any body who needs to operate them for maintenance purposes.

Hard wiring white goods from switches not even in the same room a good idea?? Now where are all the those people banging on about removing moulded plugs?? lol!! In this case they may even have a valid point!! lol!!

Lord give me strength!! lol!!

 

[colshaws]

ENG 54
With these white goods all being fused at the switch and the switch being for maintenance purposes, I dont understand the reason for loads of switches on the kitchen wall, this is a genuine question as i am still learning the rights and wrongs and cannot see any definitive reason in the BRG.

 

[Steve_P]

I have to say that I like fcu's and cable outlets for appliances but 1 above the other. In 10 years time, when the cupboard is all full of the usual overflow that should have been binned, there's (hopefully) going to be some poor sod searching all over the place for those switches. Oh, unless there's a sodding great sign on the outside, in neon lights, saying "FCU'S FOR APPLIANCES ARE HIDING IN HERE". Unlikely though. Last holiday let I re-wired had all the switches above the worktop and all had nice neat labels on them. The customer wanted them all under the worktop at the back of the cupboards but as with that last man out switch, a little explanation as to why they are there and ease of access and the customer agreed. Simples.

 

[Engineer54]

ENG 54
With these white goods all being fused at the switch and the switch being for maintenance purposes, I dont understand the reason for loads of switches on the kitchen wall, this is a genuine question as i am still learning the rights and wrongs and cannot see any definitive reason in the BRG.

And i don't understand why any sane person would want a load of FCU'S in a CU cupboard the other end of a hallway controlling white goods in the kitchen!!! So how are you going to connect these hard wired white goods, take the hard wiring into the appliances, or use a JB?? This just gets sillier as it goes along!!