Have I understood bathroom zones correctly?

[FullPint]

Looking at the Part P regs and the bathroom zone diagram it looks to me that anything more than 60cm from the edge of a bath/sink that is above 225cm is not regarded as within a special location, and so work can be carried out without notification being required. Is that right or have I misunderstood the rules?

I ask because I have a disused spur in the bathroom (it used to have a fan heater on it) terminating at a switched FCU. I'm considering running a cable from the FCU into the loftspace to power a new double socket.

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[Spark123]

The special location is the location i.e. the whole room.
The zones are specific parts of the location where there are specific requirements for the electrical installation and what is and what is not allowed.
The area around a sink is not specified as a zone in the IEE regs but may fall within a zone created around a bathtub or shower basin.
Is the cable to the FCU run through the loftspace?

 

[FullPint]

Thanks for the reply!

The special location is the location i.e. the whole room.

Does that mean I can't do anything in the bathroom without notifying LABC?

Is the cable to the FCU run through the loftspace?

I don't think so - it appears out of a wall and i couldn't find a cable above it in the loft. Shame, because then I could have taken the feed from there and I wouldn't have needed to mess about running a cable through one of the ceilings.

 

[FullPint]

One more thing - I'm not trying to be awkward, but are you sure about this?

The special location is the location i.e. the whole room.

I ask because the Part P section in the wiki states (talking about where Part P doesn't apply):

2. Work which -

(a) is not in a kitchen, or a special location,

and then defines special location (my emphasis):

"special location" means a location within the limits of the relevant zones specified for a bath, a shower, a swimming or paddling pool or a hot air sauna in the Wiring Regulations, sixteenth edition, published by the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the British Standards Institution as BS 7671: 2001 and incorporating amendments 1 and 2.

Which I would take to mean that anything outside zone 3 isn't regarded as a special location. What do you think?

Thanks again for your help

 

[Spark123]

Outside the zone 0, 1, 2 and 3 is referred to as "outside zones" with respect to BS7671. I suppose you can argue "outside zones" is still a zone as there are still limits on what can be put there. As far as BS7671 is concerned, the whole room is a special location, the zones are just parts of the room.
I can see your confusion, the guide to approved document P gives advice on Page 8 which would make me think that it is notifiable work. However, if you feel uncertain you can contact your local area building control office and ask their advice.

 

[FullPint]

Thanks for your feedback and links Spark123,

The approved document P guidance document definitely says that the whole room is a special location. Just to make sure I looked through the 2 Statutory Instruments the guidance is based on, which are listed on page 5.

These are SI2004/3210 which defines a special location (same definition as I quoted above) and SI2006/652 which doesn't amend that definition. So as long as BS 7671: 2001 defines the zones as shown in the diagram I linked to earlier then according to the letter of the law it looks to me like out of zone bathroom changes are OK despite what the guidance says.

How have they made something so simple so complicated?

I'll call LABC and see what they say, but I bet they are no help. Grr!

 

[Dippy]

As you have seen, the SI defines the special location according to the zones, and part P simplifies it as a room containing a bath or shower. So if you are working outside the zones you are OK. SI is the law and Part P is guidance.

 

[Spark123]

Part P isn't guidance at all. Part P is the name of the part of the building regulations which SI2004/3210 added to law.