Consumer unit above bath and under sink - is it allowed?

Nick_sub

We viewed a house recently which has the main consumer unit located above the bath. It's at about head height from the floor and is housed in a locked cupboard (but not watertight). There is no shower above the bath. My best guess is that the bathroom was re-done within the last 10 years. I can't comment on the age of the consumer unit because the agent couldn't find the key to the cupboard!

There is a second smaller consumer unit for another part of the house (it used to be a seperate house). Not content with the one above they bath they put this one under the kitchen sink! There is no sort of housing over it.

I'd be really grateful if there are any electricians out there who could tell me whether these arrangements are within the current regs and if not when they might have been permitted in older versions. One of my concerns is that it is a sign that the whole house electrics where done by a bodger! The house changed hands last year though so in theory it should have been up to standard then if they buyers were rigorous with their checks.

sparky76_2

I have seen and heard some stupid things in my time but this one has to be the best and one of the most dangerous i have heard in a long time.
It sounds to me that originally the bathroom was a spare room or at some point. Some idiot has decided to convert it without thinking about the consumer unit in the cupboard. I assume one would have to stand in the bath to open the cupboard and gain access to the unit.
As for the second consumer unit being installed under the sink, well this just beggars belief.
Regardless of the regs common sense should have come in here. Why this has been left like god only knows.
I think the whole property needs investigating regardless of the electrical wiring. You never know the same idiot could have done a number of DIY bodger jobs..

Owain_Moneysaver

Under a sink is not good practice, but a sink is not a 'special location' in the Wiring Regulations.

In a bathroom however is a different matter. Having a locked cupboard for the consumer unit is IMO not acceptable as access may be required for emergency switching.

Yooj_2

Agree with Owain in that the Consumer unit under the sink is not really ideal in terms of engineering best practice.

The consumer unit above the bath on the other hand is down-right shoddy and should never be allowed. Being above the bath at head-height (assuming below 2.25 m from the floor) would mean that it is within Zone 1, and as such, no mains voltage switchgear should be anywhere near the bath. It is definately within breach of a multitude of current regs (multiple sub-points within Section 701.5).

I can remember (vaguely) back to the 15th edition (1981-1992), and I am pretty sure that this would not have been allowed then, though my focus tended to be industrial electrical engineering, but common sense indicates that the mounting of the consumer unit above the bath is quite simply dangerous.

If this sort of thing has happened, who knows what other cans of worms there are within the installation.

Yooj

Nick_sub

Thank you all for your comments. By the sounds of it the one under sink could strictly be seen to be within the regs, although it's clearly a stupid place for it. That one would be less difficult to move as it could potentially be shifted into the adjacent cupboard.

The one in the bathroom - yes it's definately lower than 2.25m and it sounds like it's not allowed. For obvious reasons this one would be far more disruptive and expensive to move. It's good to know that it probably wouldn't have been allowed since 1992 as it was almost certainly installled after that date. If we were to make an offer on the house we would have to allow for correcting this, but as some of you have said it raises concerns about the competency (and sanity!) of the installer and how they ever got it certified (if they ever did).

Thanks again as this is something which I was unable to answer after a fair bit of googling.