Q & A of the Day – Can central heating boilers be plugged into a 13A socket outlet?

Question: Just having a bit of a discussion with a plumber. It goes as follows - can a central heating boiler be plugged into a SWITCHED single socket? The reason I'm asking is because the boiler has come with a factory moulded plug and the cable is wired into the control panel. The boiler has a five-year warranty and I don't want to cut the plug off in case the boiler manufacturer tries to get out of the warranty.

I found this on another website: 'The unit must be installed by a competent electrician and the installation should conform to IEE Wiring Regulations. The supply to the unit should be wired through a full disconnect in accordance with BS EN60730-1, i.e. one which provides an air gap of at least 3mm in both poles of the mains, e.g. a 13A plug and unswitched socket, or a switched, fused outlet with neon; either fitted with a 3A (max) fuse.'

Also, what started alarm bells ringing was this quote for the instruction manual: 'The unit must be installed in conformity with current national and local regulations: Connection to the electrical supply - The boiler must be connected to a single-phase, 230V-50 Hz electric supply. The unit's electrical safety is only guaranteed when correctly connected to an efficient earthing system installed according to current safety standards. Have the efficiency and suitability of the earthing system checked by professionally qualified personnel. The manufacturer is not responsible for any damage caused by failure to earth the system. Also make sure that the electrical system is adequate for the maximum power absorbed by the unit, as specified on the boiler dataplate, in particular ensuring that the cross sectional area of the system's cables is suitable for the power absorbed by the unit. The boiler is pre-wired and provided with a cable and fitted with a 3A fused plug for connection to the electricity supply. It is important to respect the polarities (LIVE: brown wire / NEUTRAL: blue wire / EARTH: yellow-green wire) in making connections to the electrical supply.'

'The user must never change the unit's power cable. If the cable gets damaged, switch off the unit and have it changed only by professionally qualified personnel. If changing the electric power cable, use only HAR H05 VV-F 3x0.75 mm2 cable with a maximum outside diameter of 8mm.'

So, can anybody tell me whether using a SWITCHED socket outlet is okay, or should it be a un-switched socket outlet? So the question is switched or un-switched?, or does it really matter?

Answer: Yes, central heating boilers can be plugged into a 13A socket outlet or connected to a 13A fused connection unit.

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