Waterproof in-line 3amp fuse holder for domestic wiring - does it exist?

[Spiritseeker]

Hi all,

I have been looking high and low for a waterproof 3amp in-line fuse holder, with no success. I am beginning to wonder if they exist. Perhaps they're under a different name? I need to power a 3amp bathroom fan from a 13amp power socket. The fuse can't be changed on the power socket due to other appliances using it, so the solution in my mind is to get a fuse holder in place along the wire. Is this possible?

many thanks in advance

 

[telectrix]

bad idea. fit a 3A FCU by the socket. and if no RCD on socket cct. fit a RCD FCU.

 

[Electro-tech]

I agree ^^^^^^^. Okay you ask for a waterproof inline fuse holder, so water is a problem!!, the socket in which you intend to plug the bathroom fan into , I take that to be in the bathroom too ?? What zone or distance would the socket be in or from a shower/bath etc ??

 

[Spiritseeker]

I appreciate the advice, I'll look into that.

The socket is external - it's for the lawnmower and garden appliances etc. The fan in the bathroom has an armoured cable goiing from that external socket up the outside wall of the house direct to the fan. I was thinking that the inline fuse holder could be 'inside' the wall, as there is fan ducting between fan and the outside, so was not envisaging much water/humidity in the void in the wall, but wanted to be on the safe side.

Can you get a waterproof RCD FCU to be installed on the outstide of the house by the socket?

 

[Electro-tech]

The Armoured cable obviously ,has been wrongly installed . Needs to be glanded,earthed , waterproof. Not on a plug.Sounds like you need to call in a qualified electrician.You are talking electrics in a special location outside, supplying another special location.

 

[telectrix]

agree. it wants ripping out and the job installing correctly. e.g. fed from lighting circuit, all internal. needs a qualified sparks . it will cost a few quid, but nowhere near as much as the result of a fire/ death.

 

[Spiritseeker]

Ideally that would be possible - unfortunately it would be a huge job due to the fact that the bathroom was completely renovated - tiled walls and floors. There is no access above due to no loft, and a qualified electrician fitted the outside socket, so it is all grounded.

When the bathroom was originally decorated, a qualified electrician installed the lights (spots) but didn't do this correctly, so I have a fear of being ripped off by 'qualified' people. He managed to wire the neutral and live the wrong way around (as per a second electrician's analysis). I can't get this corrected without ripping out the ceiling and replastering - impossible not only due to cost, but also due to having paying lodgers, so I cannot have the bathroom inaccessible for the few days this would entail.

The fan does not need to be on the light circuit - it's an Airflow Icon that is being wired to operate purely off the humidistat and timer (a manual pullcord is on the fan for manual overide to turn it on).

The cable coming up the outside of the house seemed like the only viable solution and was put in by the 2nd electrician.

I guess I will have to simply give up. So frustrating given how much money I have spent on this. The standard fan that was installed is not good enough - it turns on and off with the light switch (it needs an overrun/jumidistat - it just gets so steamy), and with the light switch wired wrong way around (neutral and live) and the impossibility of wiring a second live internally without massive costs attached (due to only being able to add a 2nd live internally by ripping out the bathroom ceiling) I am simply prohibited by too many problems.

 

[Dunc]

Jesus Christ this sounds like a bodge and a half from start to finish! Where is the fan in the bathroom with relation to the bath/shower? My concern would be that the isolation point being outside would be far to non obvious if the fan had to be isolated quickly. Also, you state that the original fan is fed from the light switch, is the cable from the switch to the fan not accessible? I'm certain that a decent electrician would be able to rectify everything without removing the ceiling. How is it that you are not able to remove the spot lights? I'm assuming they are recessed lights and it should be possible to pull them out their holes as they are only held in place by spring clips. Where abouts in the country are you btw?

 

[kamkam]

can the fan be replaced if one has been wired already? just replace the fitting with a suitable one? ie same size, rating, IP rating, etc etc but with timmer and humidi stat?

 

[Electro-tech]

I don't like hitting someone when they are down,but if you have paying quests, it is most likely that your Electrical Installation should have a current Periodic Inspection report and be up to the present standards of the 17th Edition. Meaning if the ring was rcd protected , Is it not possible to gland off the Armoured cable into a adaptable box, go inside to nearest Ring socket outlet and install spur to one side, or if not rcd protected already fit rcd spur.

 

[Spiritseeker]

Kamkam - I am on the 3rd fan already in the quest to find a suitable one, and they are not cheap! There is no 2nd internal live, which is why the external wire was installed. Even connecting this as the 2nd live - because the lightswitch has been wired with neutral/live the wrong way around, a fan with humidistat and timer won't function because the lightswitch does not operate correctly. The 2nd electrician explained this to me, but it's not my forte so I can't relay what he told me very well I'm afraid. trust me - I have tried several upgraded fans and none worked. The latest Airflow does work - but that's on a 13amp and is incredibly noisy. I only tested it on the 13amp to check it would work, and this is the reason for the original investigation looking for an inline fuseholder. I thought that would solve all my troubles. How wrong was I!

I'll try and explain where the fan is: it's on the wall opposite the doorway into the bathroom, on the right hand side, near the corner of the room. Immediately opposite said doorway is the bath along the wall. The fan is not above the bath which is on the left side, but is about a foot further along the wall in the right corner. The taps on the bath are on the end furthest from the fan. The fan is about 2m 20cm high I would say. (am not currently at home to measure it).
The shower is immediately on the right of entering the bathroom, and is a cubicle, it's in the corner with the long side (it's on an oblong tray) along the wall opposite the fan (same as the doorway into the room).

The cable from the light switch to the fan goes above the celing. At point of renovation, a chimney breast was taken out. This left a big enough hole in the celing to get to the wiring then. This was replastered as part of the renovation. There is no access from above due to no loft, and I am unsure where the junction box up there is to just cut a small hole away. Even a small hole requires replastering though, which is not ideal when the shower is constantly in use so it wouldn't dry out. It'd need to be a sizeable hole to get up there, too...

I can't believe how much this whole thing has cost from start to miserable finish, and it sounds like I have an extremely dangerous situation.

I am in North London. Anyone able to help a totally naive 1st home owner in distress? I feel like I have learnt a very valuable but painfully expensive lesson, and need to get this sorted so it's safe, but in the least expensive way possible. The loddgers are simply to help me pay for the mortgage - I do not have a lot of disposable income as you can imagine for a 1st time homeowner in London!

 

[telectrix]

1 question. the sparks who installed originally. is he a member of a scheme e.g. niceic, elecsa or napit? did he issue a certificate? if so, you may have redress through his scheme provider.

 

[Spiritseeker]

Unfortunately the original electrician carried out the work about a year and a half ago, and I can't remember the details; being relatively new to London and not knowing anyone in the trade, I used a website like MyHammer (it wasn't myhammer). He was listed with qualifications on there and had been vetted and had many good reviews. He ended up being a real cowboy in my opinion, and very soon after finishing my job, he was removed from their site. I don't think there's anything I can do with him sadly. He didn't issue a certificate as I started questioning his work due to concerns, and he was very nasty in the end. If you coudl see the state of the hole in which the fan was installed, as just one issue, you'd understand! (it looks like he used a sledgehammer).

I've been naive, I admit it. But you learn through experience.

 

[ringer]

Whilst 'ideally' the fan would be powered from the lighting circuit in the bathroom, there is no reason why it can't be powered from a rfc or even a radial power circuit. Again, feeding it from the outside is not ideal, but perfectly viable. Everyone is assuming that a 3A fuse is required for the fan. I would ask what size the armoured cable is, and is it connected directly to the fan (without flex)? It sounds to me like it is. If the armoured cable, in its installed method, is able to withstand >13A then there would be no need to fuse down. I always thought the fuse was to protect the cable, not the appliance.

edit: just realised, being fed from a power circuit there is likely to be no fuse in the (32A or 20A) circuit. So if all the above holds water (pardon the pun) then a fuse is still required, albeit a 13A one.

I believe that Maplins do a waterproof in-line fuseholder, though am unsure as to it's suitability for use in a domestic installation. It will still need to be contained within an accessible enclosure.

Sealed InLine Fuseholders : InLine Fuseholders : Maplin