Shower pull cord?

BadlyDrawnGirl_2

Just wondering...the house we're moving into has an electric shower, and being from the States, I'm not all that familiar with them (something about the combination of electricity + water seems like an inherently bad idea lol). I've seen one before in my brother-in-law's house, but his bathroom just had one little pull cord next to the shower which turned the hot water off and on. Our bathroom on the other hand has two little cords - I assume one is for the shower and one is for the sink?

My question is, do B&Q or any other DIY stores sell replacement pull cords that are a little more decorative than just this piece of string dangling from the ceiling? It looks rather plain as it is and I thought it might be a cheap way of making the bathroom look a bit nicer.

Jonesya

I'd expect one is for the shower and the other for the light.

Yeah you can get replacement pulls.

ormus

switches are not allowed in bathrooms in the uk.
240v and wet hands do not mix too well!
hence the string pull switches.

IronMaidenFan

Yes you can get replacement cords from B & Q, I've just bought one from there. You can also buy replacement weights for the bottom of the cord rather than the cheap plastic thing they usually come with.

BadlyDrawnGirl_2

Jonesya wrote: »

I'd expect one is for the shower and the other for the light.

Hmm...I'm pretty sure there was a light switch on the wall though.

And what do you mean switches aren't allowed in bathrooms in the UK? There are plenty of switches in our current one (light switch, heated towel rack, etc)...

Jonesya

BadlyDrawnGirl wrote: »

Hmm...I'm pretty sure there was a light switch on the wall though.

And what do you mean switches aren't allowed in bathrooms in the UK? There are plenty of switches in our current one (light switch, heated towel rack, etc)...

The Wiring Regulations (the British standard on electrical installations) restrict, for safety, how close you can locate switches next baths and showers which means that for most average sized bathrooms, the switch has to be a pull cord. If it's a large bathroom then there might be sufficient distance available to allow a switch rather than a pull cord.

BadlyDrawnGirl_2

Jonesya wrote: »

The Wiring Regulations (the British standard on electrical installations) restrict, for safety, how close you can locate switches next baths and showers which means that for most average sized bathrooms, the switch has to be a pull cord. If it's a large bathroom then there might be sufficient distance available to allow a switch rather than a pull cord.

:huh: Ah sure that makes sense...but the weird thing is, I'm sure there was a light switch practically right next to the pull cord! And in our current bathroom (which is actually slightly smaller than the one we're moving into) there are no pull cords at all, only switches.

Oh well, I'm no DIY expert so I can live with it. Can you buy replacement cords at B&Q then? I had a search on their online catalogue and didn't see any but I might be using the wrong search terms...

zax47

Deleted - Jonesya thinks he knows better than me, again!

Jonesya

zax47 wrote: »

Actually, the latest 17th edition IEE wiring regs still prohibit use of "normal" switches in bathrooms. They do, however, now allow for fitting of sockets - provided they are a minimum of 3m from a basin, shower or bath and are protected by an RCD.

The restrictions are zone based, if the bathroom is large enough then the switch could be situated outside the zones. What reg prohibits normal switches, if they are located outside the zones?

zax47

Here we go - another pi$$ing up the wall contest about who knows BS7671 the best!

Forget I spoke. Seeing as you only just did your 2382 - perhaps you can tell me, you obviously have an encyclopedic knowledge of the "big red book".

You need to get your head out of the books sonny and start working for a living.

Quizzed me on BS7671 before methinks;

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2031033&highlight=

mazza111

were the previous occupiers of the house disabled in anyway? Could also be a community alarm pull cord