queries and tales of spark's laziness

[Steve]

OK, this is just out of curiosity.

We have a stainless steel sink at work (yet another shop), fitted into a sort of alcove. There is a cold tap, and a hot water heater above the sink, mounted on the wall, the type where you turn the tap to let water into it, forcing water out.

The flex for this heater comes out of the top of a plastic backbox, glanded, with a blank plate fitted. This is fitted on the wall, behind where the hot tap would normally be, butting up to the sink on its base. The supply comes through the wall.

Is this ok? I know people say that electrical accessories ought to be 300mm either side of a sink, but does this item count, just being a blank plate? After all, its an electrical junction box, totally non-waterproof, in an easily splashable location.

Oh, and the sparks fitted only one double socket in the kitchen area. we have a satellite radio reciever and amp, toaster, kettle and microwave, 5 appliances. (And they do get used, i found myself making toast and brewing up yesterday, when i realised both appliances were in a triple adapter with the radio amp and receiver, which are on a 4-way lead on top of the wall units).

In a squareD 3ph board, where an MCB is missing, is it possible to touch a busbar? I cannot see the busbar where 4 MCBs in a row have been omitted.

And in the last refit, they "forgot" to put the new 20 amp beer and pop chillers on timers. So they are on all the time. And theres no lightswitches on them. I might ask my area manager if we can have a spark to come and clear these bits and bobs up. Our company is getting really into energy saving at the moment. I'll get a few gold stars from the AM while im here.

 

[securespark]

Sounds like sheer laziness to me.

I would say the sink thing counted. The Building Regs are the Building Regs, after all.

Is it the BR that recommend no's of sockets for each location? In any case, there are rules of thumb, and in many cases, it's common sense. If not, the spark should ask how many are required. Or maybe they worked off-plan, in which case, maybe there was only one on the plan.

If there are gaps in a DB, they should be filled, regardless of whether you can fry yourself or not.

Timers. Hmm. As I said before, if they were working off plans, then maybe the guys that did the drawings left them off.

But the rest is what I would consider, at the very least pure laziness, and at the worst, disregard for the regs.

 

[RF Lighting]

I presume you will have a SquareD QK DB if it is a newish installation.

If so there is no busbar actually exposed, as the MCBs have 'prongs' which push into holes on the DB to make the connection with the busbar

But blanks should be fitted regardless