Consumer unit in bathroom or toilet. Electrical regs?

Published May 2024

There will be many homes that have a consumer unit in a questionable place. Common places for a consumer unit to be situated include areas such as:

• The garage
• Under the stairs
• By the front door
• CONSUMER UNIT IN TOILET
• In a kitchen cupboard
• Corner of the front lounge

Whilst it is common to find the consumer unit in all sorts of places in the home it does not necessarily mean that the installation location is safe, compliant with regulations or congruent with the longevity of the consumer unit. 

1) What about the water in the area around the consumer unit?

“A consumer unit can be installed in a room that contains a toilet and sink but provisions must be made to ensure safety regulations are met. It is important to differentiate between a BATHROOM and a WATER CLOSET.” 

Whilst a consumer unit MAY be able to be installed in a bathroom, there will be some stringent conditions that must be met in order for the installation to comply with Building Regulations and BS7671 wiring regulations. 

2) Regulations that apply to consumer units

In the UK the building regulations state that a consumer unit in a new building should be installed at a height such that the switches and circuit breakers are between 1350 to 1450mm from the floor level. This is so that Part M of the building regulations can be satisfied relating to accessibility. 

The consumer unit must be installed such that it is unlikely to suffer impact damage. Placing the consumer unit behind an opening door that slams into it each time the door is opened is not a good idea and breaches BS7671 regulation (522.6.1). 

Installing the consumer unit too close to the sink in a W.C (toilet, sink but no bath or shower) is not necessarily a problem under Part P of the building regulations but is likely to break regulation (522.3) of BS7671 regulations. This one is a grey area and would be dependent upon each installation location as a separately assessed situation. 

3) Installing the consumer unit in Zone 0, 1 or 2 of a bathroom is a no.

Any consumer unit that is to be installed within a room containing a bath or shower should not only follow the relevant building regulations relating to zones within the environment, BS7671 wiring regulations but also the manufacturers instructions. The equipment installed MUST have a suitable IP rating for any external influences. 

4) Can we really put a consumer unit in a Bathroom or Shower rooms?

Realistically a consumer unit should not be installed in a bathroom or shower room. This includes en-suite rooms where there may be a shower or bath. Where the bedroom contains a bath or shower but no separate room, the whole bedroom must be treated as a bathroom. 

There are several wiring regulations that would be very difficult to meet when installing a consumer unit in a bathroom or shower room. The most sensible option would be to install the consumer unit in a large accessible cupboard with a door within the room. 

The door essentially creates a separate ‘room’ within which the danger is likely to be decreased from elements such as wet hands, steam from baths and showers and water splashes from anywhere in the room. 

5) What about the downstairs loo?

A consumer unit can be installed within a downstairs loo assuming that the requirements for electrical installations regulations (BS7671) are met along with the manufacturer’s requirements.

A qualified electrician will have a copy of this document and should be able to ascertain a safe area for the installation of the unit such that no foreseeable harm will come to the unit during its lifetime. 

6) What about water and electricity mixing

A new consumer unit installation, a consumer unit replacement or fuse box replacement should be considered carefully in any location where there is water. Fuse boards, consumer units and other electrical items do not do well when introduced to water and these are the main reasons why many electricians and home builders will not entertain installing such equipment anywhere near water sources. Sensible. 

The current regulations in 2024 are the 18th edition wiring regulations amendment 2 and there are several very clear regulations that place onus on the installer to ensure the consumer unit will not be affected by water. There are also a few more ambiguous regulations that apply but are open to interpretation.

Electrical equipment installed within bathrooms and shower rooms must be correctly IP (ingress protection / international protection) rated for the environment and external influences likely to occur. 

7) What are bathroom zones

Bathroom zones are a number of areas in shower or bathrooms that stipulate the electrical equipment that can be safely installed in that particular area. 

Description of Zones:

Zone 0 is the area within the interior of the bath tub and basin. 

Zone 1 is the area limited by the finished floor level to 2.25 meters OR the fixed shower head or water outlet, whichever is higher. There is more detail in the Building Regulations and BS7671 and I recommend their purchase for clarification. This area extends vertically from the edges of the bath tub or shower basin. 

Zone 2 is the area outside the vertical column of Zone 1. The area extends for 0.60 meters beyond zone 1 horizontally and follows the same vertical constraints as zone 1. Further clarification is available in BS7671 and the Building Regulations.

Any electrical work carried out in a “special location” is likely to be notifiable to building control and should be carried out by a registered electrician that is aware of the BS7671 current regulations, building regulations and has the correct electrical equipment to carry out testing and certification on the work. There are many legal requirements that need to be adhered to and only a professional electrician will be able to ensure your safety.

8) Is Electric Shock a risk in water locations?

When considering CAN A CONSUMER UNIT BE IN A TOILET many people will be concerned with the potential risk of electrical shocks. Rightly so. Water and electricity do not mix well together. The risk of short circuits, electric shock, electrical fires, and other potential dangers is real when electrical equipment is installed in wet locations. 

There are devices that will limit the risk of electric shock in these locations and throughout the home. They are known as residual current devices. These devices monitor the electrical circuits in the electrical consumer unit and ensure that electrical currents are not flowing through a person’s body instead of the wiring. 

These devices normally monitor groups of electrical circuits but there is a more modern consumer unit such as a high integrity consumer unit or RCBO consumer unit that will allow each circuit to have its own RCD for convenience and compliance with BS7671 (531.3.2 and 314.2, 314.1)

9) Are plastic consumer units legal?

There are a few main types of consumer units:

• Fuse box with fuse wire type carriers (metal or plastic enclosure construction)
• Fuse box with replacement fuse cartridges (metal or plastic enclosure construction)
• Consumer unit with ONE RCD (normally plastic enclosure construction)
• Consumer unit with TWO RCDs (DUAL RCD CONSUMER UNIT, either plastic or Metal enclosure construction) These units are sometimes a high-integrity consumer unit allowing for the two RCDs AND other devices to be installed
• Consumer unit with RCBOs (Several combined RCD devices for individual circuits)

Just because a consumer unit is PLASTIC does not mean that it is ILLEGAL. A NEW consumer unit that is to be installed in 2024 MUST generally be a METAL construction to comply with the regulations but EXISTING consumer units NEED NOT be changed simply because they are plastic. 

If there are signs of melting, discoloration, or mechanical damage then it is recommended that the unit be swapped. The replacement should generally be for metal consumer units.

10) Is an old FUSE BOX safe?

If you have doubts as to the safety of an older style fuse box then you should consult your local electrician to carry out a periodic inspection for you. The inspection will yield an Electrical Installation Condition Report which will uncover electrical faults that may be hidden in the system.

and alert you to any dangerous or potentially dangerous situations along with any non-conformities with current wiring regulations. 

Your own consumer unit should be checked regularly around every ten years in a private domestic residence and more frequently for rental properties. Commercial buildings will differ on recommended inspection frequency. 

The Main reason for the differing inspection frequencies is the typical use of each building. 

Older fuse boxes that contain fuse wire as a protective device for electrical circuits are now at least 40 years old and as such, should generally be replaced. That is not to say they are not safe but they are certainly at the end of their usable life and a new type of consumer unit is likely to offer far more protection against fire, electric shock, power surges, wiring damage and protection for electrical appliances. 

An old fuse box likely provides no protection for earth leakage problems in the way that new consumer unit boards will. There is also a likelihood of loose connections in older fuse boxes where no inspection has taken place. 

Loose connections present a severe risk of an electrical fire and as such, connections should be checked on older units and newer units alike when an electrical inspection is carried out. 

11) Can a consumer unit in a toilet be moved?

If you have a CONSUMER UNIT IN TOILET and want it to be moved then this is entirely possible. Whilst it is not a quick or cheap job, it is possible to relocate a consumer unit with care. To prevent a possible short circuit, electrical hazards or other potential hazards there are two options when relocating a consumer unit. 

There can either be a large junction box installed at the original location OR all wiring can be removed, re-routed, and extended to completely remove any trace of electrical equipment in the area. 

This is sometimes a popular option where the existing consumer unit is an eyesore. Removing all traces of a consumer unit including the entire power supply such as the isolator switch and electricity supply cut out can be VERY costly.

This is because your electrician must involve other companies in the process such as the local electrical supply network operator who will have to relocate their own equipment. 

12) Summary

A domestic consumer unit in a toilet or bathroom is at best, not ideal considering access and environmental issues but at worst could give rise to electrical safety issues. Electrical wiring and electrical components installed where water is present or likely to be present need to be fitted with the utmost care and consideration for the users of the electrical system to prevent danger. 

Where a new fuse board, main switch consumer unit or distribution board is to be fitted, the unit should be of high quality, suitable for the environment and consideration should be given to relocating the unit to increase access and electrical safety. 

A plastic unit should not be installed as a replacement as these are not outdated consumer units. RCD protection is an essential component of the fuse box or consumer unit and the best consumer unit will have RCBO devices that offer overcurrent fault protection and residual current fault protection. 

If you have a CONSUMER UNIT IN TOILET then consider relocation and replacement whilst upgrading essential components and installing new ones such as surge protection devices and arc fault detection devices.