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KITCHEN & BATHROOM UPGRADES

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When it comes to domestic electrical systems, the kitchen and bathroom are special cases. These two rooms are the most complex in your entire home. For one thing, the bathroom contains both electricity and water – a potentially lethal mix. Then you have the kitchen – a room that has plenty of water, and the appliances that are likely to draw more power than the rest of the home combined.
When you refit a kitchen, replacing the wiring is all part of the job, and you may need to budget for a consumer unit. The laws around compliance are always changing, and failing to do so could cause problems later.
Why a Replacement is Needed
If you do not have a fuse board with RCD protection, then you will need to look at a replacement. This is now a requirement for all socket and lighting circuits with the later (lighting circuits) became a requirement under wiring and building regulations from 1st January 2019 when the 18th edition of the wiring regulations came into force.
Building regulations have changed more than once in the last decade, so you’ll need to ensure that you have 30mA RCD protection. If you don’t, then an upgrade will be needed to stay legal. In most cases, replacing the whole unit is less complex than trying to upgrade it.
Sockets and Wiring
Kitchen sockets need to be positioned in an accessible location near the counter top. In some homes, sockets are placed unusually high on the wall, which is good reason to rip the wiring out and move them around. It’s usually logical to add new sockets where it’s practical to do so, since our needs are always increasing.
Additionally, your cooker will need to be on its own electrical feed, which may require a new cable in the wall, and a switch to isolate the supply. Most old-fashioned switches are large and unsightly, while a modern switch will sit flush and neat on the wall, so replacing the switch will be a no-brainer in most cases.
All of this work means that you’ll need to conform to building regulations as they stand today.

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