electrics in bathroom

[someonelse]

Can central heating controls be put on a bathroom wall?

Currently inaccessible in a cupboard above bathroom sink and I want to move them.

 

[^woody^]

Yes.

But Google for " bathroom zones " to see the requirements.

 

[someonelse]

Thanks!

So if sited in the 'outside zone' (more than 0.6m from bath) it would be

a) permissable and
b) not notifiable?

None of the pictures I've found show a sink, but I assume the 0.6m applies for that too?

 

[Nige F]

Not sure why no sink ( basin ) shown - I googled bathroom electrical zones and loads of pics. with sinks came up.

None of the pictures I've found show a sink, but I assume the 0.6m applies for that too?

Kind of spurred me on to look for a bathroom fan heater.

 

[^woody^]

Thanks!

So if sited in the 'outside zone' (more than 0.6m from bath) it would be

a) permissable and
b) not notifiable?

None of the pictures I've found show a sink, but I assume the 0.6m applies for that too?

For basins, its 0.6m radius from the tap.

New work or extending an existing circuit within a bathroom is notifiable. Whether you feel that you need to notify and have your work checked, is another matter.

 

[endecotp]

I googled bathroom electrical zones and loads of pics. with sinks came up.

The actual "real" bathroom zone regulations don't include that area around a basin.

However, some unofficial entity - the "electric lights manufacturers' association" or somesuch - publish their own versions of the diagrams which are slightly different and do include that area, because they think things in that area are more likely to get splashed.

 

[^woody^]

The actual "real" bathroom zone regulations don't include that area around a basin.

However, some unofficial entity - the "electric lights manufacturers' association" or somesuch - publish their own versions of the diagrams which are slightly different and do include that area, because they think things in that area are more likely to get splashed.

Doesn't the regs make reference to fixed water outlets and where water jets are likely to be used for cleaning purposes, which would include basins?

Also, basin may well have a shower rose built into the tap.

 

[someonelse]

Aich!

So can anyone provide a link to or quote from the relevant part of the regulations relating to..... whatever heating controls are categorised as..... with respect to bathroom zones?

 

[endecotp]

If you go and ask in "Electrics" you'll surely get a 47-page description of the regs.... (Or you might be able to find the last such discussion)

A problem is that the actual regs cost £££ so noone can ever paste a link to the real regs here, and instead you get links to not-the-real-regs.

The stuff about jets of water for cleaning is in the IP (ingress protection) ratings. Yes you do need to make sure that anything electrical used in a bathroom is suitable for the environment (splashes, condensation). That's not what the zones are about though - they are to do with the danger of getting an electric shock while half-immersed in bath water, which will provide a much better path to ground than otherwise, including standing at a basin or sat on the loo.

 

[^woody^]

Aich!

So can anyone provide a link to or quote from the relevant part of the regulations relating to..... whatever heating controls are categorised as..... with respect to bathroom zones?

The regs themselves can be open to interpretation, but the thing is, the IEE regs (17th ed, BS7671 or whatever you want to call them) are not law. They are just a standard - good practice. Part P Building regs may well be law, and may well refer to the IEE regs, but again there can be interpretation, and things are not definitive.

The zone charts mentioned earlier are just convenient things to refer to. The essence is that if you have an electical item in a bathroom then you need to be mindful of the potential to get a shock. Its just common sense really. If you have those items in one of the zones then, it will need suitable protection (IP rating) and potentially low voltage as there is more risk of getting a shock.

If your item is outside the zones, that does not automatically meant that it is safe from water splashes, but there may well be less risk and so less chance of an accident - so you can get away with less protection. Useage of the item is also a factor, and I dare say that you wont be touching those controls regularly or each time you use the bathroom.

So to sum up, in the zones = more proptection needed, outside the zones = less protection needed. Outside the zones and away from potential normal splashing and you can use standard heating controls without any further protection.

You could always go wireless and put the controls where ever you like.

Avoid anything like this

 

[JohnD]

The bathroom zones refer to the distance from a fixed bath or shower.

A thing that is not a fixed bath or shower does not have zones.

A room that does not have a fixed bath or shower is not a bathroom.