Fuse Box in Downstairs Toilet 5 March at 10:23PM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving 4 replies 343 views

Carri5387

Hoping for a little advice if possible 😊

We are looking at buying a new house however the previous owners have installed a downstairs toilet in what was previously a storage cupboard. It’s a very narrow space and the slim cupboards you can see house the fuse box. They do not have specific planning permission for this as they were informed (via email) that is was not required. 

Is this safety issue/concern? Having water so close to the fuse box? There isn’t room to even open the cupboard doors fully. Don’t want to buy it and then discover down the line this doesn’t meet regulations etc. 

Thank you! 

FreeBear

Although planning permission may not have been required, building control would need to have signed off the work - The two areas of concern would be ventilation (extractor fan), and connection to the foul sewer. You need to check that the work has been approved by BC.

As for the consumer unit (fuse box) - Not that uncommon to find one in a repurposed space alongside a toilet. Poor design if the doors won't open fully. Perhaps they could be replaced with sliding doors or removable panels.

casper_gutman

Doors are removable panels: you just have to take out a couple of screws!  

If the cupboards open enough to allow access to the switches in the consumer unit - to isolate circuits, reset RCDs etc. - then I wouldn't be overly concerned if more extensive work necessitated taking out a screw or two from the hinges.

Section62

Carri5387 said:

...It’s a very narrow space and the slim cupboards you can see house the fuse box. They do not have specific planning permission for this as they were informed (via email) that is was not required. 

Does the cupboard just have the consumer unit (fusebox) in it, or are there other things such as the meter(s)?

As FreeBear says, lack of BC signoff would be more of a concern to me.  It isn't uncommon for such conversions to be done very badly, including things such as connecting the toilet/sink waste to a surface water drain rather than the foul sewer.

This isn't just about having the right paperwork (which you may be offered an indemnity policy for) but rather a quality of work issue, and whether the job complied with basic standards.

Gavin83

It isn't uncommon having consumer units in a toilet. Both of the properties I lived in before this one had the consumer unit in the downstairs toilet and in one case it was pretty much a new build. In my current house the consumer unit is in an outside cupboard. It's not a problem.

As others have said though adding in a new toilet would require BC sign off, although not planning permission. Was this done?