Ever seen a consumer unit in a bathroom?

[AndyP]

in an Airbnb. Loft conversion over garages.
Was very surprised to see this in the bathroom cabinet. Is it within regs? Extractor fan in bathroom which also has a bath and shower, no windows. Can’t imagine why it is there as a storage cupboard elsewhere houses boiler, HW tank etc.

 

[RogerS]

Consumer unit in bathroom or toilet. Electrical regs?

Whilst it is common to find the consumer unit in all sorts of places in the home it does not necessarily mean that the installation location is safe, compliant with regulations or congruent with the longevity of the consumer unit.

www.electricalfaultsfixed.com

 

[Lurker]

It’s about time that there was a crackdown on Airbnb. They take business from legitimate registered holiday let landlords.
My sister in law (brothers ex wife) has considerable outgoings and hoops to jump through as she does the honest thing.

 

[spb]

As long as it's more than 60cm horizontally from a bath or shower, it's not outright illegal, but is certainly a questionable design. As it's an Airbnb one has to assume that was just the easiest place for the cheapest contractor to put it.

 

[logansmith]

in an Airbnb. Loft conversion over garages.
Was very surprised to see this in the bathroom cabinet. Is it within regs? Extractor fan in bathroom which also has a bath and shower, no windows. Can’t imagine why it is there as a storage cupboard elsewhere houses boiler, HW tank etc.


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That definitely doesn’t sound right – a consumer unit in a bathroom raises a lot of red flags. With the moisture and steam, it’s a big safety concern unless it’s in a very specific zone with full IP-rated protection, which is rarely the case. Sounds like something that needs to be checked urgently.

I’ve come across some odd setups in rentals too while looking into ways to make my home more energy efficient. If anyone else is in a similar situation or dealing with older heating systems, it’s worth seeing if you qualify for the Free Boiler Scheme. I applied and it really helped with upgrading my heating setup safely and at no cost.

 

[John Brown]

It’s about time that there was a crackdown on Airbnb. They take business from legitimate registered holiday let landlords.
My sister in law (brothers ex wife) has considerable outgoings and hoops to jump through as she does the honest thing.

We've just been looking at AirBnbing our annex, as my wife's daughter and our two grandchildren are moving out after six years. It seems to me that the crackdown you call for happened a while back. The fire regs, certainly, are much stricter than they used to be.
Please correct me if I'm wrong - I thought it was going to be a breeze, but we're now wondering if it's worth the outlay.

 

[HappyHacker]

If my memory is correct an enclosure in a bathroom is outside the zones. The usual case is a washing machine connected to a socket all of which is in a cupboard with a door.

I cannot remember if the cupboard needs a proper latching handle.

However the environmental conditions and manufacturers in instructions also apply and plucking Hagar as an example they say their MCBs are suitable for all climates and they do not specify a RH range but do specify a temperature range of -25 to 70 degrees C.

Whether the manufacturer have considered that their equipment may be in a condensing environment of a bathroom is a different debate.

 

[Spectric]

That is a joke, you should not be able to have your hands in a sink and be able to touch anything electrical let alone the consumer unit, no real electrician would fit one in a bathroom cabinet like that but it would be more acceptable if it was in a locked cabinet without easy access. Also consumer units now have to be fire retardent and most are now steel, so when replacing an old one or fitting a new one you need a metal one since around 2016.