March 31, 20242 yr A friend said she detests her sink on the island because it gets too messy. Any thoughts? We can have it at the outside wall or on the island. Also sorry for all the questions. 😳
March 31, 20242 yr Question, why would a sink be more messy in an island? (And don’t be sorry for asking questions).
March 31, 20242 yr Old house sink on the island. New house, sink on the wall and hob on the island. Far better for many reasons. Less mess, more sociable when cooking, looks neater etc.
March 31, 20242 yr Personal preference, but if the hob is on the island then it could get very cluttered there and look very cluttered as well. The idea fleetingly crossed our minds in the planning stages because it seemed to be the new ‘in thing’. On closer contemplation it would have been a big mistake so I’m glad we went all conventional and had the hob on the island and the sink on the wall behind it.
March 31, 20242 yr We have gone a bit off piste and fitted two sinks. a small nice looking thing for veg chopping and prep, then a dirty big one for washing up.
March 31, 20242 yr 18 minutes ago, joe90 said: Question, why would a sink be more messy in an island? (And don’t be sorry for asking questions). People gather around an island and the sink can be a messy place, plus all that extra plumbing. It's a no from me and many other
March 31, 20242 yr Author 19 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said: We have gone a bit off piste and fitted two sinks. a small nice looking thing for veg chopping and prep, then a dirty big one for washing up. That's good, hadn't thought of that. We have a utility room close by, I was thinking it could cater for queued up dishwasher dishes.
March 31, 20242 yr We removed the worktop and cabinets on the back wall to get the space back but this was where the sink was going. Our Island is quite big at 3.3m by 1.3m with 9 long drawers that swallow a lot of stuff. Plus full height wall cabinets. The downside was the need to put the sink on the island. Yet to be determined how it will all work. It did also save £5000 in cabinet’s and stone worktop. We have a big utility room in the room next door so big stuff to be washed will go in here rather than in the main kitchen sink. This is what we’ve always done in previous houses so it’s something we’re used to.
March 31, 20242 yr 10 minutes ago, CalvinHobbes said: That's good, hadn't thought of that. We have a utility room close by, I was thinking it could cater for queued up dishwasher dishes. We have built what is called a butlers pantry its a separate room beside the kitchen, it has the biggest sink I could find, it will fit the full width tray from the oven for a soak, it also has the dishwasher in it. so prep and cook in the kitchen and chuck the pans into the pantry to hide because we have an open plan kitchen diner and don’t want to stare at pots and pans while we eat dinner. its a foreign idea normally used in America and Australia.
March 31, 20242 yr Author That's a great idea too! Cheers. To go off piste, in Germany, Luxembourg etc I see family having their washing machine in the bathroom. That would make so much more sense but from what I gather it's a no no here.
March 31, 20242 yr 1 hour ago, CalvinHobbes said: in Germany, Luxembourg etc I see family having their washing machine in the bathroom. That would make so much more sense but from what I gather it's a no no here. It's possible in the UK too, but you need to locate the machine outside the electrical safety zones, which often isn't easy in a small UK bathroom. Europe now follow a similar system too though. Though, at least in the case of France, it's mandatory to put electrical sockets in a bathroom >3m²; in the UK it isn't.
April 20, 20242 yr On 31/03/2024 at 16:26, Mike said: It's possible in the UK too, but you need to locate the machine outside the electrical safety zones IEEE guidance isn't law...
April 20, 20242 yr 36 minutes ago, markocosic said: IEEE guidance isn't law... *IET If you decide not to follow the recommendations of the relevant British Standard (In this case BS7671) regulations, then you better have a very good reason should you end up in court.
April 22, 20242 yr On 20/04/2024 at 15:41, Mattg4321 said: better have a very good reason should you end up in court "followed demonstrably adequate continental custom and practice - here are the death and injury stats for washing machines in tiny bathrooms on RCDs" Earth bonding would need to be spot on though.
April 22, 20242 yr I prefer my sinks to be window facing so I can gaze regretfully at all the years going by....
April 22, 20242 yr For me it's about the triangle thing in your workspace - fridge, cooker, sink. Heres one I did earlier, and it worked really well
April 22, 20242 yr 3 hours ago, markocosic said: "followed demonstrably adequate continental custom and practice - here are the death and injury stats for washing machines in tiny bathrooms on RCDs" Earth bonding would need to be spot on though. If you’ve deliberately and knowingly disregarded the regulations of this country the prosectors will have a field day. “It’s allowed in another country” won’t save you imo. If you must have a washing machine in a bathroom, locate it 2.5m away from the edge of zone 2. Or 0.6m and connect it to a spur.
April 22, 20242 yr 11 minutes ago, Mattg4321 said: If you’ve deliberately and knowingly disregarded the regulations of this country the prosectors will have a field day Only if someone dies!!! I have installed a socket in my bathroom to run a de humidifier (washing dryer in winter) run from an RCD socket in the cupboard next door. When/if I sell I will disconnect it.
April 22, 20242 yr The issue with having the hob in the island is it makes extraction a more of a problem.. You will either have hood extraction hanging from the ceiling potential ruining slight lines or an expensive downdraft extraction which will require the ducting to be buried under the floor. Secondly the route the extraction ducting will take will be longer and more torturous vs having the hob on an external wall.
April 22, 20242 yr 11 minutes ago, Annker said: The issue with having the hob in the island is it makes extraction a more of a problem.. ... the route the extraction ducting will take will be longer and more torturous vs having the hob on an external wall. If extracting to the outside. A recirculating hob on the island with mvhr extracting the steam is better than a sink I think. At least that's what we are doing. Hob on island, sink on wall.
April 22, 20242 yr 4 minutes ago, Mr Blobby said: If extracting to the outside. A recirculating hob on the island with mvhr extracting the steam is better than a sink I think. At least that's what we are doing. Hob on island, sink on wall. I've to make the same kitchen design layout choices myself in a few months time. The recirculating hob/MVHR combo is a tidy solution but I have a vague recollection of hearing that it (recirculating extraction) isn't that effective, so for me dedicated hob extraction to the outside is my default as I know that works.
April 22, 20242 yr I've seen three island hobs with extraction reliant upon sucking it back into a filter on the island.. All of them end up with a sticky patch on the ceiling where residue condenses. Nice in your designer pad that is hardly ever cooked in, but I've got a family of 5 and we cook six nights a week. Just not realistic to expect it to be practical.
April 22, 20242 yr 10 minutes ago, FuerteStu said: All of them end up with a sticky patch on the ceiling where residue condenses. Something odd there then. Frying every night? Extractor not turned on? Extractor not up to the job? We’ve had two and a half years of cooking with a downdraught extractor. No sticky residue anywhere, the pendant lights that are quite close to the hob are squeaky clean. The hob is in use seven days a week but we don’t fry much.
April 22, 20242 yr 5 hours ago, Mattg4321 said: If you’ve deliberately and knowingly disregarded the regulations of this country the prosectors will have a field day. “It’s allowed in another country” won’t save you imo. 1) Something to cause a prosecution 2) Proof beyond reasonable doubt 3) Evidence that the protections as afforded elsewhere are sufficient Lost neutral is the concern. It's not materially more of a concern in a bathroom vs a utility room or kitchen. The IET are cautious and also presumptive. Bare feet and wet bodies are the argument. It's fairly damn presumptuous of the IET that folks don't have bare feet or wet hands in utility rooms or kitchens. The houses and machines that the regs were originally written for are also materially riskier than houses of today. Don't tell them about dishwashers and metal sinks also being wet. Or fridges being earthed and not on RCDs. Or ovens. Hobs. Blah blah. The regs are too inconsistent and light in their justification to support a prosecution. Which would require something to happen. Which it won't. Save for a lost neutral. Which is going to screw you no matter where the washing machine is in a PME house? What am I missing; safety wise rather than tradition and custom wise?
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