240v lights above bath

[whatif]

are 240v recessed halogen lights (no particular IP, fitting not sealed) above baths and showers (zone 2?) frowned on? not as per regs? really dodgy?

 

[breezer]

all of the above

 

[JerryD]

........and if you really want to kill yourself, fit it on a 10 foot length of cable, so if ever it falls out of the ceiling mount it will land nicely in the bath water!

 

[AdamW]

I am thinking, here is an area where the regs are very tight, but they should add more provisos:

In a bathroom where there is a separate shower cubicle, and no shower attachment on the bath, how is the hazard of 230V halogens directly above the bath any less than if they are in zone 3 of the same bathroom? The humidity in zone 3 is likely to be just the same as in zone 2, and there is no danger of a water jet hitting the light above the bath.

Some may say this would overcomplicate things, but we have building regs regarding the placement of doors depending on whether or not you have a basin in a bathroom, and that doesnt' cause problems.

 

[AdamW]

I'd like to point out though, that despite the above case making that particular part of the regs stupid and pointless, you should still stick to it just in case some idiot decides to add a shower attachment to the bath at a later date without upgrading the lighting.

 

[Damocles]

If they are more than 2.25m up, so as you said zone 2, then they are ok as long as they are IPx4, and lighting circuit is supplementary bonded.

I think they would have some visible kind of waterproofing to qualify, but some seem to rely quite a lot on the bulb already being sealed in a secondary glass shield.

As to how dangerous they really are, well people have had dangling pendants for years. No idea what their kill rate is. Not too high though. These are enclosed in the ceiling and presumably out of reach. They may get wet, but this is not so dangerous if you can not touch them. Do you spray clean your ceiling? Nice idea about lights dropping out into your bath.

 

[Lectrician]

The proper IPx4 and above fittings are not many more £ more expensive!

 

[salem2000]

I'd like to point out though, that despite the above case making that particular part of the regs stupid and pointless, you should still stick to it just in case some idiot decides to add a shower attachment to the bath at a later date without upgrading the lighting.

But people do that all the time. New bath and shower fitted, but same old light fitting, and as from new year most won't even be able to change the old fittings either.

 

[AdamW]

What about a roll-top bath in the middle of the room? No seriously, would that still require one to take into account IP ratings for lights in the ceiling in zone 2 above the bath, even though to install any shower over it would require a large amount of work?