Fused spur and sinks

Harnser · 2 Oct 2021 at 09:23

I have a small unheated downstairs toilet and want to add an electric heated towel rail to take the edge off the cold.

Because it's small I'm looking to see if there's space before I go any further. I understand the towel rail will need a fused spur and there might be problems putting this near a sink.

I Googled and saw no consensus whether a sink is outside zone 2; has zone 2 above it for 0.6m around the taps, or it descends to floor level. So... how far from a sink does the fused spur need to be?

200sols · 2 Oct 2021 at 09:28

There is no zone around a sink.

https://electrical.theiet.org/media/1450/section-701.pdf

lewism · 2 Oct 2021 at 11:19

Whilst there is no zone around a sink you want to generally keep them 300mm away from the bowl.

Harnser · 2 Oct 2021 at 13:05

200sols said:
There is no zone around a sink.

https://electrical.theiet.org/media/1450/section-701.pdf

lewism said:
Whilst there is no zone around a sink you want to generally keep them 300mm away from the bowl.

Thanks. So the fused spur could be anywhere in the highlighted area? It's a stud wall and right under the sink matches with where the power is in the next room, so that would be ideal if allowed.

whitecrook · 2 Oct 2021 at 13:19

I would try to put it either about 4 inch in from the left or if not because of stud, then probably about where the shadow line is

Mr.Cookie · 2 Oct 2021 at 19:25

Why not the other side of the stud wall?

lewism · 2 Oct 2021 at 23:05

Harnser said:
Thanks. So the fused spur could be anywhere in the highlighted area? It's a stud wall and right under the sink matches with where the power is in the next room, so that would be ideal if allowed.

If it were me, I would have the spur under the sink trap, cut out a fast fix box and feed the cable from the towel rail in the void of the wall and in to the back of the spur. I'd then box in the trap leaving a nice neat finish.

b0rn2sk8 · 4 Oct 2021 at 00:40

I would do the switched fused spur on the other side of the wall and just bing the cable though straight into the towel rail.

As this technically is a bathroom I would have thought you’d need building regs sign off/qualified electrician sign off for this to be installed in the actual room.

200sols · 4 Oct 2021 at 07:22

b0rn2sk8 said:
As this technically is a bathroom I would have thought you’d need building regs sign off/qualified electrician sign off for this to be installed in the actual room.

Only if the work is carried out in a special zone around the shower or bath.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 4 Oct 2021 at 11:40

As others state I would out the spur on the back of the opposite wall.
Use one of the flex plates and ensure you have a drip loop on the flex.
I would belt and braces it with a tiny bead of silicon inside the faceplate and against the wall and round the flex itself as it enters, but thats not really necessary just going the whole distance on waterproofing.

There is often confusion on zoning, even with electricians who I believe pedal the edges of the legislation to make it sound more of an issue than it is.
Example of under bath being zone 1, but if you need a tool to access it, then its not zoned.

https://www.rm-electrical.com/technical-resource/bathroom-zones-explained/
https://www.sensio.co.uk/bathroom_zones.aspx

Depending on what you have in regards fuse/RCD etc you could go even further with a dedicated passive fused spur. You would need a switch as well since you need to be able to isolate.
This is well over the top, but its the sort of safety measure you would have with a spa bath, or a hot tub etc
e.g. https://www.screwfix.com/p/british-general-900-series-13a-unswitched-passive-fused-spur-white/8250p

200sols · 4 Oct 2021 at 11:45

Worth noting you cant do any DIY electrical work if the circuit is not RCD protected.

b0rn2sk8 · 4 Oct 2021 at 12:21

200sols said:
Only if the work is carried out in a special zone around the shower or bath.

Fair enough. I still would put it on the opposite side of the wall and poke the flex through into the room regardless of zones if possible.

A face plate in that area under an open sink is just asking to be splashed and it doesn’t take a lot of water to cause problems.

Harnser · 4 Oct 2021 at 15:15

lewism said:
If it were me, I would have the spur under the sink trap, cut out a fast fix box and feed the cable from the towel rail in the void of the wall and in to the back of the spur. I'd then box in the trap leaving a nice neat finish.

I like that idea as it would look tidy, but how would you get the cable past the stud(s) in the wall without removing plasterboard at each to drill a hole in the stud? I'm assuming each stud was a solid bit of 4x2.

b0rn2sk8 · 4 Oct 2021 at 15:21

I’m not sure what you mean. The studs will be every 600mm or so, the rest of it will be hollow or just insulation.

lewism · 7 Oct 2021 at 17:16

Harnser said:
I like that idea as it would look tidy, but how would you get the cable past the stud(s) in the wall without removing plasterboard at each to drill a hole in the stud? I'm assuming each stud was a solid bit of 4x2.

Mount your towel rad with the flex on the right hand side, it should be far enough over to miss any stud, usually be one in the middle of that small a partition. Drill a circular hole in the plasterboard with a spade/speed/any drill bit and feed the cable through. For the spur you'll have to cut a hole for your plasterboard fast fix box anyway and you'll be able to get your hand in the cavity to pull the flex cable through.

For tidying up the cable entering the wall I usually use a radiator pipe collar and some adhesive/silicone to stick it back, looks neat and tidy.

Diagro · 7 Oct 2021 at 20:59

200sols said:
Worth noting you cant do any DIY electrical work if the circuit is not RCD protected.

Well. You can... just don't tell anyone...