[Lancaster] OT : electrical installation

[Simon Hobson]

andy baxter wrote:

>>If it's rented, first thing I'd do is look at the rental agreement, 
>>it might be simply not allowed in the agreement. Regardless, since 
>>it is rented changes to the wiring probably need to be done/checked 
>>by a qualified electrician.
>>
>Yes, I'll ask them to look into this.

Most people never bother - even if the rental agreement says 
otherwise, they still do stuff like this (and worse) :-/

>>Why not just buy a plug-in RCD (as used for lawn mowers)? They also 
>>seem to be cheaper.
>>
>
>This might do, but then there's always the temptation to unplug it 
>just to solve some temporary problem, and forget to plug it back in. 
>I think a socket would be better really.

Absolutely right - it's the same as the way people treat a fuse 
blowing as being a faulty fuse, often "solved" by fitting a larger 
fuse so it doesn't blow. It would also be worth looking at the 
distribution board - if it's using MCBs (Miniature Circuit Breakers) 
then it may be possible to fit an RCBO (combined MCB and RDC) instead 
which would give protection to the whole circuit. Most modern boards 
have RCBOs available for them, it's mainly whether there's enough 
space as they are significantly larger.

>>At a guess, the laws around the rest of the system would depend on 
>>whether this is a commercial or not. If it is commercial, it will 
>>need to be PAT tested and since it's not bought as an item, that 
>>should probably be done prior to use rather than as part of a 
>>yearly rounds.

Actually, there is no regulation that *requires* PATs per se. The 
various regs require that systems and procedures are in place to 
ensure reasonable safety. PATs are only one part of this and 
according to the course material from work, 90+% of faults are found 
by the visual inspection. Also, if the device isn't portable then 
things change again (that's the P in Portable Appliance Test).

What it comes down to is, should something go wrong, can I stand up 
in court and honestly say "I made reasonable provision for safety" ?

I'd suggest ...
Make sure everything is earthed properly - and it's tested. Fit a 
backup over-temperature trip (manual reset) that will cut off the 
heater if the software/hardware fails. Take account of the use of 
water and the chances of it getting hosed down - consider fully 
sealed enclosure, though that's non trivial to maintain once you 
start making holes in it. The rest is mostly common sense.

-- 
Simon Hobson

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