Sockets under windowsill + near sink

[sparky05084]

Hey all.

Not been here for a while. Hope everyone is well and enjoying the year 2012 thus far. Ok, basically I'm refurbing a kitchen in a ground floor flat. Now the plans that I have been given show all the final positions of the units etc, where the cooker space is, washer space, frige space blar blar you know the score.

The ony reasonable or most practical position to put the socket outlets (2 of) and the washing machine DP are underneath the windowsill over to the right hand side. Obviosuly not directly but about 6 inches below as the wall is being tiled. I'm not sure if there is any regulation that I need to comply with or is this acceptable. As I said there is no other place to put the points and would look stupid on the far right hand side wall where there is limited worktop space anyway (due to boiler cupboard).

Thats question 1. Question 2 is please correct me if I'm wrong should a socket outlet be sited not less than 300mm from the edge of a sink unit (be it the drainer or bowl itself)?

Reason being I want to add a socket at the opposite end of the room to cover each corner but the worktop adjacent to the cooker space falls next to the sink zone and I feel putting a socket there is pushing it as it's very close to the sink zone.

This isn't a new build by the way so don't know if that changes things.

Thanks for reading and would gretaly appreciate some advice/opinions.

 

[sjm]

IMHO if your cables are run in the safe zones, or in accordance with BS7671, then there is no problem with mounting them under a windowsill. I would not install a socket closer than 300mm from a sink, although I don't think this is a reg more a recommendation, I could be wrong and am ready to be corrected. You mention a cooker so also keep 300mm from the cooker as well.

 

[sparky05084]

Yes I appreciate what your saying with regard to safe zones. The cables are run within 150mm and are rcd protected (new wylex con unit incoorperating RCBO's). So, I have met the regs where rcd protection is concerned for additional protection.

Regarding the sink yes the cooker switch is outside the 300mm zone however, adding a socket outlet may just fall within it so I think I'll pass on that one and they will have to do without.

I think the sockets under the windowsill is more about asthetics if anything. I'm sure it will look ok when it's all tiled up and completed.

 

[sjm]

If you need a socket why not use a cooker control panel with socket outlet? That should do the trick.

 

[SparkyDips]

socket outlets to be installed 300mm from the edge of sink and gas/electric hobs. no socket outlets to be installed directly above gas/electric hobs. "Electricians guide to building regs."