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Electrical Safety in Drying Room
Moderator: Moderators
Electrical Safety in Drying Room
Hi guys, first post so be gentle
Im on a site at the moment that has a drying room with heaters installed. One heater is fixed to a normal plug socket and the rest are wired into the walls. Am I right in thinking that the plug socket itself in a warm/wet environment is an electrical risk in itself, but to plug a heater into it makes matters worse? Im under the impression this room was not initially meant to be a drying room and has been converted. Any advice/references would be great! Ps ive quarantined the heater and sockets for now. TIA

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Re: Electrical Safety in Drying Room
Hi Stew,
well as always, it depends on the circumstances.
How damp/wet does the drying room get?
Are we talking laundry drying or Hiking/Outdoor Gear drying?
Are you talking standard indoor BS1363 Plug/Socket?
Is there an extractor to keep the moisture levels down?
What sort of heaters are they, the sort you'd find in a greenhouse or blower/fan types?
My gut feeling is that it needs a qualified electrician to look at it, because you're likely to get a whole load of ideas thrown at you here.
Most will be speculation because we don't have the full picture.
Of course, if you could post a photo of the heater in question, it would be worth a 1000 words.

well as always, it depends on the circumstances.
How damp/wet does the drying room get?
Are we talking laundry drying or Hiking/Outdoor Gear drying?
Are you talking standard indoor BS1363 Plug/Socket?
Is there an extractor to keep the moisture levels down?
What sort of heaters are they, the sort you'd find in a greenhouse or blower/fan types?
My gut feeling is that it needs a qualified electrician to look at it, because you're likely to get a whole load of ideas thrown at you here.

Most will be speculation because we don't have the full picture.
Of course, if you could post a photo of the heater in question, it would be worth a 1000 words.


Re: Electrical Safety in Drying Room
Thanks for that, yes its a standard bs1363 plug and socket. The room is a wet area with site clothing in and the walls get quite wet due to only two small windows for ventelation (imagine small portacabin). Its a small 3ft x 2ft electric heater, similar to one you'd get at b&q. I'll try to get a picture.