washing m/c in Bathroom

[matopia]

Hi,
Do you think its practical to have a washing machine in the bathroom? Our bathroom is very large and there are electricty plugs. (Past owners had a tumble dryer in the bathroom).

We would like to put a dishwasher in the place of the washing machine in the kitchen, as there is not enough space for both?

Are there any complications that we should consider when putting a washing machine in the bathroom, besides the obvious plumbing that will have to take place.

A minor irritation for me would be to carry wet clothes down to the wash line, but other than that, I cant see a problem.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[IanDB]

(Past owners had a tumble dryer in the bathroom).

That's all very well but did they do the installation in accordance with the regulations?

Buried in a previous post is this little gem:-

Washing machines, tumble dryers, washer-dryers and other appliances ratedIPX4 may be sited in zone 2 if they cannot be reasonably sited in zone 3 or beyond. All such appliances must NOT be supplied by a socket, but by fixed wiring outlets and protected by a 30mA RCD.

I was searching for a post with the definition of the zones, there are loads of them but as is always the case you can never find one when you want one. Or have a look for bathroom installation information on another site.

Ah, found a bit more.

I have been told that it is possible to have a washing machine fitted into a bathroom, is this true?
Yes it is possible but it is not as straight forward as a simple Yes. The bathroom is split onto varying 'zones'. Each zone represents an area of the bathroom as per new electrical regulations affecting bathrooms. The majority of UK bathrooms do not fall within zone 3 as they are too small, e.g. electrical appliances in zone 3 must be 2.4 m away from a water outlet and as most UK bathrooms are 8' x 6', this is virtually impossible. However, firstly you must contact the manufacturer of the washing machine to ensure that the appliance is suitable for bathroom/shower room installation. Secondly the electricity supply must be protected by a residual operating current. Contact the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) for further advise or visit their website www.eca.co.uk

Well, that should give you an idea.

 

[bathjobby]

Zone 1 is areas that are likely to get wet e.g. around and above baths (steam, condensation, etc) and obviously in shower cubicles. Zone 2 is area likely to get splashed (lesser than zone 1) e.g. around sinks. Zone 3 is beyond that as as previous post said, 2.4 mtrs away from water outlets.
Same zones apply for lighting which also needs to have the correct IP (Ingres Protection) rating for the zone it is cited in. Go into any DIY store and look at the information on the boxes of downlighter sets, explaines the zones and the IP ratings for the lights.

 

[raylec]

It is against the regulations to have any electrical appliance in the bathroom.
any electrical accessories.ie light switch must be positioned out of reach of any person using bath or wash basin.The only socket permitted is a special shaver socket which is galvanically not connected to power source.
No qualified electrictian would fit a washing maching or tumble dryer,since he could end up in court, or worse if a incident might happen.
THE IEE regs are very specific about bathrooms.
A bathroom,because of water and earthed fittings and also persons may be unclothed is definately a NO GO area for ANY supply of electricity.

 

[breezer]

raylec, welcome to the forum, but please check the date a post was made before your reply

matopia
PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2004 14:14

which is nearly 4 years ago. the OP only made 17 posts and also stopped posting in 2004, so has probably given up by now (or done it and is dead)

You also need to familarise you self with how forums work since your first post is also posted incorectly

 

[raylec]

raylec, welcome to the forum, but please check the date a post was made before your reply

matopia
PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2004 14:14

which is nearly 4 years ago. the OP only made 17 posts and also stopped posting in 2004, so has probably given up by now (or done it and is dead)

You also need to familarise you self with how forums work since your first post is also posted incorectly

Sorry, did not see the date,the post was presented to me from a link on google search since I was called to repair a bath lifting appliance in a care home.

 

[teegzjay]

@Breezer,

Despite the fact that the original post was made 4 years ago, persons searching for information on washing machine installation (such as myself) will still come across this information in the future.

I found Raylec's information extremely helpful - who are you to reprimand this person for putting their knowledge out there to help others who may have the same problem???
Breezer, I think your comments were rude and totally out of line. I didn't see any helpful information you had contributed?

Cheers to raylec for the info.

 

[raylec]

@Breezer,

Despite the fact that the original post was made 4 years ago, persons searching for information on washing machine installation (such as myself) will still come across this information in the future.

I found Raylec's information extremely helpful - who are you to reprimand this person for putting their knowledge out there to help others who may have the same problem???
Breezer, I think your comments were rude and totally out of line. I didn't see any helpful information you had contributed?

Cheers to raylec for the info.

Glad you found this usefull. I have to agree with you about the comments from "breezer", important and basic safety information does not go "out of date",it may well be that this person does not want to acknowledge the contents because he has flouted the regs?

 

[SeeYa]

Forgive my lack of any knowledge in this area but, would it make any difference if the washing machine was enclosed in cabinet eg the lower half of an old airing cupboard used to store towels etc?

 

[clifford1]

important and basic safety information does not go "out of date",

But was the earlier information about Zones correct or not?
Permitting electrical appliances in Zone 3 does not square with "no electrical appliances in the bathroom".

 

[wetwired]

Anyone interested in this topic should know virtually all regs referred to are out of date and have been replaced making it generally more relaxed. You need to look them up for yourself however!!!

 

[M4R5]

This is a good topic so I'd like to continue it rather than start a new thread. I am right in thinking that if you wire a washing machine into the wall, rather than having a plug and socket, then you're ok to put it in the bathroom as it is the socket location which is regulated?

Thanks