Installing electrical equipment is always about safety ;
this section of our website shows you the reasons behind the safe installation of electrical equipment.

There are all sorts of aspects of an installation that require reference to the regulations governing the industry. Although technically non-statutory; 16th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations - BS7671 ( second amendment ) are pivotal in the implementation of the regulations.

The Regulations have stipulated that Bathrooms and Shower Areas have special treatment. These areas are divided into Zones. It is imperative that only equipment that is rated ( categorised ) for a Zone is installed in that Zone. Below are two graphical representations of the Zones.

( The regulations don't make any reference to the 0.6m from the washbasin - but the manufacturer ( www.sensor.co.uk ) that produced this graphic does think it important and has therefore specified it as an extension of Zone 2 - I tend to agree with them - the regulations are only the minimum acceptable at the time - and whose knows in future years the washbasin zone might become part of the regulations. )

( The White rectangular border shown on the above graphic shows the dimensions of a typical bathroom - basically there aren't many bathrooms whose ceilings are greater than 3 m; so most lighting sets ( five recessed lights ) have to comply with Zone 2 specification. )

Lighting suitable for Zone 2 of Bathrooms must be identified by the manufacturer as Zone 2 compliant, this includes having an IP ( Ingress Protection rating of greater than IP44 - must be Splash proof ).

Huge importance is given to earthing, because without a good earth insufficient current would flow in the event of a fault ( to earth ) to trip the protective device within the required time frame ). There are four type of Earthing :-
- The Earthing Conductor ( Rod or Sheath of incoming supply cable )
- Main Equipotential Bonding ( to services such as Gas, Water , Oil etc ... )
- Supplementary Bonding in Specific locations ( such as Bathrooms, Saunas etc ... )
- CPC - Circuit Protective Conductor ( the earth wire contained in individual circuits - going to all the sockets etc ... )

These are just a few of the little extracts of aide-memoirs that are circulated by the
- National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting.

MAIN BONDING is the primary bonding of external sources of possible voltages

We don't want to give the impression that we are morbidly interested in stories of fatalities - but they are included to draw attention to the need for safe, compliant installation of electrical systems.

Stories abound which re-enforce the need for bonding, one such story is of a block of flats in Huyton where the Gas board had changed the incoming supply ( using; as they do; plastic piping ) and of a fault occurring on the kettle flex melted on the hob that ended up making the gas cooker live. There was a fatality because the gas man whom came to investigate the originally reported fault, touched both the cooker and the sink at the same time. Had the gas board re-earthed all the appliances that were originally earthed by the old gas piping this fatality would have been avoided. Surprisingly despite safety being paramount from a gas viewpoint, the consequences of their actions resulting in a non-safe electrical installation are not deemed a regulatory encumberence on the Gas Authorities. * This is true of all CORGI registered installers whose remit surprisingly doesn't extend to electrical safety. ( The NICEIC are currently lobbying on this point ).

Supplementary Bonding is performed in bathrooms and high risk zones.

When wiring sockets and electrical appliances in the home, consideration must also be given to WIRING ZONES as laid down in the regulations.

Recently there was another fatality where the daughter of a MP received a fatal electric shock when she touched a metal pan rack and her leg was touching the dishwasher. This was due ( in part ) to a non-adherence to Wiring Zones. We have included the article from the Telegraph newspaper here.

* - So being CORGI registered isn't all it is cracked up to be.

With the introduction of Part P of the Building Regulations - an Approved Electrical contractor will become just as essential for your electrical Installation as employing the services of a CORGI registered contractor has been in the past.
Part P stipulates that all but the most minor changes to the electrical installation of your house are done by an approved electrical contractor. They must issue a certificate for the work that they have carried out and they then must notify their approval body as to the work carried out, which in turn notifies the relevant local Building Regulatory body, the final stage is the local Building Regulatory body send a letter to the homeowner telling them the work has been recorded in their archives. Access to these archives will become a pivotal requirement that prospective homebuyers will request. Failure to produce these records might jeopardise a future sale of your property.
It must be stressed that the scheme has only got going recently ( Jan '05 ) and that there are many grey areas, not only within people's understanding within the industry but also within the office of the instigator of these requirements - the www.ODPM.gov.uk ( Office of the Deputy Prime Minister ).