The Building Regulations do not set standards for the safety of electrical appliances but they do require that fixed connections of appliances are safe. For us as an electrical wholesaler and our customers, the area of focus is on the section ‘switches, outlets and controls’ which applies to lighting and other electrical equipment. All extraneous-conductive-parts of the location are effectively connected to the protective equipotential bonding according to Regulation 411.3.1.2. Via the Electrical Wholesaler News, here is an article we find useful – Part M – Compliant or Complacent? The intent is to prevent homeowners from stretching cords too far and creating hazards. This spacing is based on the average length of electrical cord found on most small kitchen appliances. AFCI protection seeks to sense and shut down a circuit when an arc fault—minor sparking between wires or wire connections—occurs. For the exact requirements please refer to BS 7671:2018. Manufacturers have had plenty of time to digest the regulations and to implement a product development strategy to meet the requirements and we are now starting to see an increasing number of new products on the market which meet this requirement. The key factors that affect the use of switches, outlets and controls are that they must be visible, easy to operate, be located at an easily accessible height and be free from obstruction. More information is available in the IET Guidance Notes, the IET Electricians Guide to the Building Regulations and On-site Guide (BS 7671:2018), 7th Edition. The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698), Brief introduction to the deployment of medical IT systems, IET announces new amendment to BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations), Setting the Standard (continued): A-Deviations. Equipment must be suitable for the environment it is installed in and whilst BS 7671 does not give a distance the IET Electrician’s Guide to the Building Regulations, 5 th Edition recommends a minimum of 300 mm from the edge of the sink unit to the socket outlet. Are 230 V socket outlets permitted in a room containing a bath or shower? General-purpose outlet receptacles should have a rating that is appropriate for the amperage of the circuit they serve. More information is given in the IET On-Site Guide (BS 7671:2018), 7th Edition. Wall mounted socket outlets, telephone, data and TV outlets must be located between 400mm and 1200mm above the floor, with a preference towards the lower end of the range. An isolation switch for a fan with an overrun facility will need to be triple-pole (switch wire, line and neutral), and must be installed outside zones 0, 1 and 2. The modular design is a standard feature of the Mode range allowing contractors and installers unprecedented flexibility in creating dedicated wiring solutions to deal specifically with virtually all wiring requirements. Are 230 V extractor fans permitted in zones 1 and 2 of a room containing a bath or shower? It is estimated that some nine million people are registered as disabled in the UK today and the introduction of Part M1 of the Building Regulations was intended to make buildings accessible to and usable by everyone – including people with disabilities. How deep should cables be buried in the ground? All final circuits of the location comply with the requirements for automatic disconnection according to Regulation 411.3.2. In kitchens, electrical outlets should be placed no farther than 48 inches apart, so that no point on the countertop is more than 24 inches away from a receptacle. However, the emphasis should be on providing products that allow installers to meet the regulatory requirements while at the same time offering a standard of design and flexibility that sets them apart. Reviews, News, and Articles on Lights and Electricals. Standard practice is to install AFCI circuit breakers to protect the entire circuit, but individual AFCI receptacles can be installed where circuit breaker installation is not practical. Provisions 8.3 A way of satisfying Requirement M1 would be to provide switches and socket outlets for lighting and other equipment in habitable rooms at appropriate heights between 450mm and 1200mm … © 2020 The Institution of Engineering and Technology. AFCI protection reduces the chance of fire due to this sparking. Get daily tips and tricks for making your best home. The cords of cord-operated switches are allowed in zones 1 and 2 and are recommended for bathrooms and shower rooms. Like any legislation it takes time for the requirements to filter through, but today the full impact of the regulations is being felt and Part M is now part and parcel of virtually every new project coming on line. Regulation 411.3.1.1 states: “a circuit protective conductor shall be run to and terminated at each point in wiring and at each accessory except a lampholder having no exposed-conductive-parts and suspended from such a point.” See BS 7671 for more information. Hallways more than 10 feet long must have at least one electrical outlet, preferably at the mid-point. Far from being arbitrary, the electrical code as it relates to outlets is imminently practical. Wall mounted socket outlets, telephone, data and TV outlets must be located between 400mm and 1200mm above the floor, with a preference towards the lower end of the range. Yes, 230 V fittings may be installed above a shower or bath, but they must be at least IPX4. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Part M is quite clear on the location of switches and controls in that they should have a consistent relationship with doorways and corners to further reinforce the ease with which they can be manipulated. Find out more. Generally, it is desirable to install the outlet above the countertop. Yes, a suitable 230 V extractor fan may be installed in zones 1 and 2, and outside the zones. This article is just a brief overview of some typical queries that we receive on the IET’s technical helpline. These outlets are identified by the recessed letters "TR" on the face of the outlet. The controls that contrast visually with their surroundings are more convenient for visually-impaired people to operate, as are light switches that are activated by a large push pad. Check the circuit's breaker in the service panel to find out whether it is 15 amp or 20 amp service, and choose receptacles appropriate to that rating. Is a circuit protective conductor required at a lighting point? In tamper-resistant outlets, a spring-loaded gate within the outlet prevents young children from pushing objects such as knives into the outlet slots. Build Aviator's estimating service can help you plan your project by providing an accurate cost of the proposed changes. 8.2 Switches and socket outlets for lighting and other equipment should be located so that they are easily reachable. By using The Spruce, you accept our, National Electrical Code Regulations on GFCI Protection. One thing which is quite clear however is that the colours red and green should not be used in combination as indicators for ‘on’ and ‘off’ settings for switches and controls. Outlets should not be positioned higher than 20 inches above countertops, with certain exceptions for physically disabled persons and for islands or peninsulas where this height rule cannot be met. Generally, these household circuits will provide 15-amps or 20-amps of service, and the outlet receptacle rating should not exceed this amperage. Note: The designer will still need to determine if the armour is suitable to be used as a CPC. Code requirements for residential wall outlets may differ from one community to another since model building codes can be adopted and adapted as a community sees fit. As an additional safety measure, most municipalities now require tamper-resistant outlets for general areas of the home. How to Replace a Standard 120-Volt Outlet Receptacle, What You Need to Know About Kitchen Electrical Code, Electrical Code Requirements for Bathrooms, National Electrical Code Requirements for Bathrooms, Electrical Circuit Requirements for Kitchens, 8 Common Problems With Outlet Receptacles, Understanding Arc Faults and AFCI Protection, What to Expect During an Electrical Rough-In Inspection, Connecting an Electrical Outlet Receptacle, Essential Tips for Safe Electrical Repairs, Indoor and Outdoor Electrical Wiring Safety Codes. To purchase high quality Switches and Sockets, visit the Metal Plate, the White Moulded Plastic Wiring Devices, or Modular and Grid Systems on our website. Anthracite grey (LRV 8.9) on a brilliant white background (LRV 100) for example gives a contrast of 91.1 points which complies with Part M. This is fairly simple to achieve and understand, but one area which is open to interpretation is Section 4.30 which relates to the contrast between the front plate and the background. 1. Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 12 years. A plate switch is allowed outside the zones of a bathroom. A depth of less than 0.5 m is usually inadvisable. Most local residential electrical codes are based on the NEC—the National Electrical Code—a model code that provides guidelines on which local communities can model their own residential codes. socket-outlets above a work surface are spaced at not more than 1 metre intervals along the surface. A home owner should always employ a Part P registered electrician the most well know is NICEIC. Are 230 V lighting switches (plate switches) permitted in a room containing a bath or shower? by someone from Click, Scolmore. Any controls need to be user-friendly and easy to locate, but the main concern is that all users should be able to locate a control, know what setting it is on and operate it without inadvertently changing its setting. Since January 1 of 2014, the NEC has also required a different kind of protection for all 15-am and 20-amp receptacles in general living spaces. Lighter coloured rockers are also an aid to visibility. Where consumers tails are protected against fault current by the distributors cut-out, the method of installation, maximum length and minimum cross-sectional area (csa) of the tails must comply with the requirements of the distributor. Requirements of Part M of the Building Regulations. 543.2.1 A protective conductor may consist of one or more of the following: (iii) An insulated or bare conductor in a common enclosure with insulated live conductors, (v) A metal covering, for example, the sheath, screen or armouring of a cable, (vi) A metal conduit, metallic cable management system or other enclosure or electrically continuous support system for conductors. Some people have taken this to mean that the complete product must contrast with the background while others have interpreted it as meaning that the switch must contrast against its front plate. See Regulation 522.8.10 of BS 7671 for more information. Tamper-resistant outlet receptacles are usually are not required: The electric code requires that outlet receptacles have GFCI (ground-fault interrupter) protection in certain areas of the home, including: GFCI protection seeks to lower the risk of shock when ground faults occur, and it can be provided in one of two ways: through the use of special GFCI circuit breakers that provide protection to the entire circuit; or with GFCI receptacles, which are specially designed to provide GFCI protection to a specific outlet, or to that receptacle as well as "down-stream" receptacles that are part of the same circuit. The range of electrical installation work that is notifiable (where there is a requirement to certify compliance with the Building Regulations) has been reduced, removing some work carried out … An electrical code is an official set of guidelines that specifies how various aspects of an electrical system should be installed. With a great deal of Part M open to interpretation this does give the manufacturer a considerable amount of freedom when it comes to the design of products.
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