Buildings regs gone mad?

[Adsibob]

I understand that Building Regulations now require that sockets must be positioned no lower than 450mm above the finished floor, and light switches no higher than 1200mm from the finished floor. This is bonkers. Unless one has very tall ceilings, sockets at 450mm from the FFL is just plain stupid and I can’t see any safety benefit as children/babies can still reach 450mm. 1200mm also feels a bit low. Why shouldn’ti be able to have my switches  at 1250mm if I want to. Sh*t like this makes me mad.

[Temp]

It been that way for at least 15 years I think. It's to make them more accessible for disabled people. Nothing to do with access by babies.

 

We built our house to these rules 13 years ago and it's simply not a problem. In fact it's great. You don't have to bend over so far to plug things in.

[MikeSharp01]

7 hours ago, Temp said:

In fact it's great.

+1 it works, don't worry about it.

[ProDave]

They look odd if you are used to sockets touching the skirting board and light switches at eye level in an old house, but you do get used to them and they become normal.  Light switches I think certainly are better at this height, it makes sense to have a light switch close to door handle height when entering a room rather than way higher up the wall than the door handle.

[SteamyTea]

Helps if you have some flooding as well.

London seems to get more of it than Cornwall.

[gc100]

11 hours ago, Adsibob said:

I understand that Building Regulations now require that sockets must be positioned no lower than 450mm above the finished floor, and light switches no higher than 1200mm from the finished floor. This is bonkers. Unless one has very tall ceilings, sockets at 450mm from the FFL is just plain stupid and I can’t see any safety benefit as children/babies can still reach 450mm. 1200mm also feels a bit low. Why shouldn’ti be able to have my switches  at 1250mm if I want to. Sh*t like this makes me mad.

I absolutely hate the sockets this high. They look very ugly for starters but what I really done like is that are exactly at head height for my children’s head in bed so limits where I can place the bed or as currently I have to stuff an extra pillow between the sockets and their heads. 
 

 

[Ferdinand]

Putting them in the floor may be an alternative (?)

[Dave Jones]

put the socketts where you want with blanking plates on them. after BCO signoff remove plate and ft socket.

[Iceverge]

We put our sockets at 750mm to avoid bending over too much in old age. Also they are above the height of bedside lockers which is handy.

 

Quite accidentally, as most are situated by windows, they are out of sight behind curtains too. 

 

 

I found 1200mm light switches strange coming from an old house. I sneaked them up to 1250mm when i chased the walls to satisfy my gut. Complete waste of time. 

 

As @ProDave says the nearer they are to the door handle the better.

[Onoff]

14 hours ago, Adsibob said:

I understand that Building Regulations now require that sockets must be positioned no lower than 450mm above the finished floor, and light switches no higher than 1200mm from the finished floor. This is bonkers. Unless one has very tall ceilings, sockets at 450mm from the FFL is just plain stupid and I can’t see any safety benefit as children/babies can still reach 450mm. 1200mm also feels a bit low. Why shouldn’ti be able to have my switches  at 1250mm if I want to. Sh*t like this makes me mad.

 

You're a lone voice I think. The heights are great imo and very practical. 

 

I tried to get my parents to let me rewire their place but my Dad wouldn't hear of it because of the mess etc.

 

Now, riddled with arthritis he has to over reach down to plug things in. He broke his elbow on his dominant arm and can't lift it too high so the too high light switches are a pita for him.

 

Better a child can reach the light switch than stand on something and fall off. I moved a light switch from behind a door in a rental to just inside the door and put it at 1200mm. The incoming tenant said their young child was over the Moon as they could now reach. The novelty soon wears off.

 

Any new socket / switch I put in here is at the "new" heights. 

[SteamyTea]

When you look at some thing that were done 'in the olden days', it makes me wonder what they were thinking.  Socket and light switches are one of them.  Why would anyone put sockets so low to the ground.  An extra couple of feet of cable has never been that expensive.

[ProDave]

3 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

When you look at some thing that were done 'in the olden days', it makes me wonder what they were thinking.  Socket and light switches are one of them.  Why would anyone put sockets so low to the ground.  An extra couple of feet of cable has never been that expensive.

Actually in a lot of cases a low socket looks neater.  In most cases you have a flex coming down to the floor and along to the appliance.  A cable hanging almost half a metre down the wall to just get to the floor looks untidy where a socket close to the floor can look much tidier.

 

In an ideal world I would put all sockets likely to have something permanently plugged in close to the floor, and one higher up socket in each room to plug in portable stuff.

 

But I try and position sockets to be carefully hidden e.g one behind each of my floor standing speakers, and don't forget dedicated sockets can be any height, these regs are only for general purpose sockets.

[SteamyTea]

The electrician that wired my house, put the light switches a few metres from the external door that is used the most.

Makes me wonder what goes on in peoples heads.

[Marvin]

I understand these heights are set so when you sit in a wheel chair you can reach the sockets/switches and consumer unit.... in case you get old and frail and don't want to spend 6k a month for a care home because you can't turn a light on.

 

[Bonner]

1 hour ago, SteamyTea said:

When you look at some thing that were done 'in the olden days', it makes me wonder what they were thinking.  Socket and light switches are one of them.  Why would anyone put sockets so low to the ground.  An extra couple of feet of cable has never been that expensive.

 

Easier, no need to chase the wall, just drill behind the skirting, no plaster needed to make good

[SteamyTea]

44 minutes ago, Bonner said:

 

Easier, no need to chase the wall, just drill behind the skirting, no plaster needed to make good

That is why we now have safe zones.

[DevilDamo]

Now require? It has been like that for a long time. Only applies to new builds though and not extensions.

[Adsibob]

39 minutes ago, DevilDamo said:

Only applies to new builds though and not extensions.

Are you sure? My architect has specified the requirement on all of my electrical drawings.

[Onoff]

54 minutes ago, DevilDamo said:

Now require? It has been like that for a long time. Only applies to new builds though and not extensions.

 

Is this not a full rewire? 

[Adsibob]

Just now, Onoff said:

 

Is this not a full rewire? 

Yes.

[DevilDamo]

The requirement you/your architect is referring to is…

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/540330/BR_PDF_AD_M1_2015_with_2016_amendments_V3.pdf

(Page 9, Diagram 1.5)

 

Read the “Requirement/Limits on application” on Page 3.

 

Btw, I assume this is in England/Wales?

[Hastings]

On 31/07/2021 at 22:43, Adsibob said:

I understand that Building Regulations now require that sockets must be positioned no lower than 450mm above the finished floor, and light switches no higher than 1200mm from the finished floor. This is bonkers. Unless one has very tall ceilings, sockets at 450mm from the FFL is just plain stupid and I can’t see any safety benefit as children/babies can still reach 450mm. 1200mm also feels a bit low. Why shouldn’ti be able to have my switches  at 1250mm if I want to. Sh*t like this makes me mad.

 

Totally agree.

Why private houses have to be built for public use is baffling.

[saveasteading]

15 minutes ago, Hastings said:

sockets must be positioned no lower than 450mm above the finished floor, and light switches no higher than 1200mm from the finished floor.

 

Having had some months of reduced mobility (ladder related), I now sympathise with the 450mm high sockets: That would be very much easier to reach than kneeling down and getting up again.

Presumably this is also reachable from a wheelchair, as is the light switch.. Can anyone confirm if this works well in practice?

 

Also presumably you are allowed a second socket/switch at the old height if it is so important. 

[ProDave]

You are allowed "dedicated" sockets at any height, e.g. the high up socket for a wall mounted tv. It is only general purpose sockets that have to comply with these rules.

 

If it really bothers you in a new build, install a horizontal cable at your desired socket height in the service void and connect the absolute minimum sockets at regulation height.  then after completion add your low down sockets where you like.

[Marvin]

On 31/07/2021 at 22:43, Adsibob said:

I understand that Building Regulations now require that sockets must be positioned no lower than 450mm above the finished floor, and light switches no higher than 1200mm from the finished floor. This is bonkers. Unless one has very tall ceilings, sockets at 450mm from the FFL is just plain stupid and I can’t see any safety benefit as children/babies can still reach 450mm. 1200mm also feels a bit low. Why shouldn’ti be able to have my switches  at 1250mm if I want to. Sh*t like this makes me mad.

You should be used to stupid rules..  

 

These however are based on probability.

 

The probability that older people will be less able to bend down or reach up and the probability that people will become older.

Edited October 17, 2021 by Marvin
Clarification