Wiring loft socket into Imersion circuit

[denners]

Hi guys

I have a quick question that I was wondering if anybody can help me with. I am currently flooring the loft, and I want to run a mains cable up there for a socket to run some lights and a few other low powered devices from. The ideal place to drill a hole in the ceiling is in the airing cupboard, which obviously has the immersion heater coming from a switch on the wall. Is it safe to replace the switch with a (fused) oven switch / single socket combination, and then run a mains cable upstairs through an RCD protected plug in the socket? As far as I understand it, the RCD would trip if a fault occured in the loft, and the paltry extra bit of power shouldn't affect the immersion circuit at all. Am I missing something? Is it safer to make a mess of a bedroom wall and take a spur from a socket instead?

Thanks for your help,

Matt

 

[Steve]

No you cant.

The immersion circuit is designed for the load of the heater, and water heating vessels over a certain volume must have their own circuit.

And Fitting a socket in the airing cupboard will run the risk of someone plugging the hoover / power tool / heater etc into it.

OK the worst that will happen is the MCB will trip, but it wouldnt be to regs. Surely there is a socket power circuit nearby that you could divert into the airing cupboard?

And an RCD only trips on earth faults, NOT short circuits.
Short circuit and overcurrent protection is afforded to fuses and MCBs, which perform different functions to an RCD.
You probably have an RCD in your fuse box anyway, if you dont its time for an update.
An RCD will safe your life, an MCB or fuse will not.

 

[denners]

OK, maybe it doesn't sound like too good an idea then! There aren't any other sockets near the airing cupboard, but I may be able to run one into there somehow. Otherwise I'll have to start drilling holes in the bedroom ceiling..... it needs redecorating anyway!

Thanks for the advice.

Matt