Washing machine in a bathroom!?!

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Staffordshire
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Hi we have no where to put our washing machine other than in our bathroom can we run the power supply under the floor and into a 13amp fused power socket in a locked cupboard in the bathroom?
 
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How big is your bathroom in meters?

You can normally have a washing machine in a bathroom as long as all regulations for bathrooms such as RCD protection, main and supplementary bonding and external influences are satisfied.

If you are in England or Wales, the work must be notified to your local building control officer.
 
washing machine is going to be aprox 1.5 metres away from the bath and shower the cupboard is aprox 1 metre away from the shower enclosure and aprox 2 metres awaay from the bath I know it needs to be 3 metres away but im sure i was told it was ok as long as the socket was in a cupboard that was locked or needed a tool to open it. Im going to make sure the circuit is rcd protected
 
You can install it if it outside zone 2 and I would personally recommend rather than a socket have a switched FCU, as it will be required to be permanently connected.
 
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It only needs to be over 3 meters from the bath if you use a plug and socket. A washer hard wired into a fused connection unit can be closer.

Have a look at bathroom zones in the DIYnot wiki.
 
But the IP rating is no guarantee of suitability for use in a bathroom. The IP tests are quite short.
 
Unless you are going to position your washing within 600mm. of the bath or shower where IPX4 is the minimum requirement the IP rating is irrelevant and, anyway, I do not think washing machines are so marked.

Why would the manufacturer state that a washing machine is suitable for use in a bathroom?
In view of this it could be argued that the machine is not suitable for such a situation.

However, as it contains hot water and electricity what difference is it going to make?
 
My post wasn't arguing with you, just slowly written so missed yours.

Yes, I read that and thought it inconclusive.
Are you saying that WMs are IP rated or if MIs don't say suitable then it should not be put in a bathroom?

I just didn't think any would say 'suitable for bathrooms' - why would they even if it were?
 
Some countries in Europe install the washing machine in the bathroom. It is also fairly common in parts of southern Asia. Thus, I would suggest that the machine itself could, generally, be said to be suitable. It is merely the problems with connecting the electrical supply which is the stumbling block in the UK.

Assuming the machine flex is long enough, one possibility would be to cut off the plug, drill a hole through the wall into an adjacent room, pass the flex through and connect using either a plug and socket or FCU. This may avoid having to notify, as there is no electrical connection within the bathroom. If the machine flex is not long enough, replace it with a longer length! This does ^not^ mean join the new length to the old, replace it completely.
 

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