New Shower added in utility room and sockets

mydigitalhome · Jan 13, 2011

Hi can you help? recently rewired a utility room and added some extra sockets all RCD protected on split board. Anyway today I returned to the property to install an extract fan in my absence my client has decided to add a shower in the corner of the utility room (Did not know about this at the time of wiring) and sockets are now within 400mm of the glass shower cublicle. I have not done a cert. yet as I have not been able to finish all the electrical work as waiting for other trades to finish. Has putting a shower in the utility room made this a bathroom? i.e. no sockets within 3m. Anyone have any thoughts as to how I should deal with this. Any help would be appreciated.

Paul.M · Jan 13, 2011

Good news and bad news for you. Bad news, you are now in (what seems like) zone 2. Good news(ish) If its a permanent shower partition you only have to move the sockets another 200mm for them to be out of zone two but will have to be SELV sockets. In other words yes you have to be 3 meters away to have normal 230V sockets.

Des 56 · Jan 13, 2011

Well,when you did the install it was not a shower room

Your installation complied at the time and the certificate should reflect that,it is for a utility room as per the description on that certificate

The certificate that you have completed shows the date prior to other works being carried out
The shower obviously wasn't installed by yourself,so that responsibility should now rest with the person who did install the shower( which was after your certificate date)

IQ Electrical · Jan 13, 2011

Yes, Des has hit the nail here and your only duty now that you've seen the issue is to inform the client (I'd do it in writing) that since the addition of the shower (by others) the installation does not comply with BS7671:2008.

NMc · Jan 13, 2011

Be careful here you have not finished your installation so you cant hide behind somebody else. You need to correct the situation as an extra to your original contract

mydigitalhome · Jan 13, 2011

yes, plan to give the client the bad news tomorrow. lol

ian.settle1 · Jan 13, 2011

mydigitalhome said:
Hi can you help? recently rewired a utility room and added some extra sockets all RCD protected on split board. Anyway today I returned to the property to install an extract fan in my absence my client has decided to add a shower in the corner of the utility room (Did not know about this at the time of wiring) and sockets are now within 400mm of the glass shower cublicle. I have not done a cert. yet as I have not been able to finish all the electrical work as waiting for other trades to finish. Has putting a shower in the utility room made this a bathroom? i.e. no sockets within 3m. Anyone have any thoughts as to how I should deal with this. Any help would be appreciated.

Does it make it notifiable under Part P with a shower now fitted
?