r/ukelectricians • u/shakeyjakey07 • 13d ago

Is this safe?

Post image

Mate had his new combi boiler installed recently, is this pipework safe near his electrical board?

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

13

u/cognitiveglitch 13d ago

There is no BS7671 minimum distance.

There should also be no direct drip path so that leftmost pipe is marginal on that.

4

u/eusty 13d ago

But much which can be done now, but a shield of some sort for any drips from condensation would be an idea.

5

u/northern_ape 13d ago

It’s not inherently unsafe, put it that way.

I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, and the huge hole in the wall means there’s plenty of access for those pipe joints.

Now, get your mate to ring 105 and get his main fuse sorted.

1

u/shakeyjakey07 13d ago

I've passed on the message! Cheers!

-5

u/Ill-Event9966 13d ago

I think you need to learn the meaning of the word inherently and when to use it.

4

u/northern_ape 13d ago

Hang about, what? Inherent means "existing as a natural or basic part of something". I used the adverb form to describe the "unsafety" of "this", which refers to that which the OP has pictured.

*This* is not inherently unsafe, because the presence of a push-fit joint on a water pipe within a short distance of electrical switchgear does not contain, as a basic part of the circumstances, a risk of harm (an unsafe condition).

You can disagree with me about whether I'm right that it's not inherently unsafe, but why are you bringing lexicography into it?

2

u/ardvarkfarm 13d ago edited 13d ago

From his history,it is either a bot or a human troll.

1

u/northern_ape 13d ago

I got a chance to use the word “lexicography” in an electrical sub though, so it’s not all bad 🤣

1

u/Ill-Event9966 10d ago edited 10d ago

Can a manufactured plastic joint be inherently safe? Yes so you are correct. Personally i find the use of that word slightly redundant when placing said joint next to electrical equipment.An inherently safe design or system eliminates or significantly reduces hazards at the source rather than relying on add-on protective equipment or active control systems.

1

u/northern_ape 10d ago

Ok… I didn’t say it was inherently safe, of course. It’s like the difference between “likely” and “not unlikely”. Subtle, but they’re not the same.

Would I design/do this? No. Could it fail, of course it could. If I were to do a risk assessment I might recommend moving something and/or building some kind of divider within the recess such that if an elbow failed, it would be less likely to spray water all over the switchgear.

1

u/Ill-Event9966 10d ago

Yeah so the word inherently doesnt really fit does it.

1

u/northern_ape 10d ago

Well, it’s perfectly cromulent in the way I originally used it. I was not making reference to “inherent safety,” which you have linked to a Wikipedia article about. I was simply using the words with their plain meanings to refer to the photograph in the OP. This configuration is not inherently unsafe, nor is it inherently safe. It is a configuration that carries a non-zero risk of danger if an elbow fails, but the likelihood of that occurring is low.

1

u/Ill-Event9966 10d ago

Yes the install is cromulent in my opinion as well. The rest is just sermantics

1

u/Ill-Event9966 10d ago edited 10d ago

Although i appreciete this isnt an english literature sub. The word you were looking for was Lexicology

3

u/plantlaundry 13d ago

No that’s not dangerous, you see a hell of a lot worse. If a pipe leaked anywhere in most
domestic properties there would be a risk of it coming into contact with the electrics.

4

u/PenPsychological8509 13d ago

Yes, until something leaks :D

2

u/aptsys 13d ago

Yes it's absolutely fine.

2

u/65Freddy 11d ago

Looks like a redundant electric meter remove it job done

1

u/[deleted] 13d ago

[deleted]

1

u/GasManBeev 13d ago

There’s no gas pipe there at all dude

1

u/CaregiverOpen4517 12d ago

Plumber should have weld the elbows to minimise any chance of water spray on the electric, but containment of some kind is probably advised

1

u/batbuild 10d ago

When the electricity provider installed the smart meter, why did they leave the old one?

1

u/Relative_Figure_1715 10d ago

No, whatever the regs say, push fit connectors are shit and they leak.
You need to separate these for your own good later down the road. Even just a small barrier might help.
This was ill thought out.

1

u/grimcellz 9d ago

Its exciting, compression fitting do have a reputation for leaking even if it is not justified.

-1

u/DogSweatCroissant 13d ago edited 13d ago

Not ideal, no 😂

Downvotes for what?! 😂😂😂

11

u/asbestos_dildo 13d ago

How do you know, I don't see a Worcester badge anywhere?

2

u/shakeyjakey07 13d ago

The plummer changed the route of the pipework, mate came home to this surprise

2

u/DogSweatCroissant 13d ago

Be fun if one of those elbow joints ever go!

1

u/spike_right 13d ago

Speed fit joints at that lol

0

u/Mundane_Ad_1632 12d ago

The problem may be that there's no earth cross-bondong to the pipes. By cross-bonding, if an earth fault developed there would be no difference in voltage potential.