Electrical Installation of Bathroom Appliances
With technology pushing the boundaries in modern bathrooms to provide us with music, hydro jets, mood lighting and digital control, demand for electricity in the bathroom is rising.
It is essential that the installation of electrical equipment in bathrooms is undertaken safely to eliminate risk of electrocution. The IEE (Institute of electrical Engineers) Wiring Regulations identify particular zones within the bathroom to indicate what type of electrical equipment can be safely installed. A qualified electrician should always be employed to undertake electrical work in your bathroom.
The IEE defines the bathroom as consisting of 3 zones. Bathroom electrical installations after 30th June 2008 must be suitable for the zone that it is being used in. Standard electrical wall sockets and fused switches that do not hold an IP rating must not be used in a bathroom.
Residual Current Devices (RCD) not exceeding 30mA must be used to protect all electrical circuits within the bathroom
All electrical equipment used in a bathroom including extractor fans, lighting, heating, shower pumps and showers powered by electricity must be identified as having a level of mechanical and moisture ingress protection (IP). This is shown by the letters IP followed by 2 numbers, the higher the number, the better the level of protection. The first number denotes the level of mechanical protection and the second number defines the level of protection against moisture. If the electrical bathroom appliance does not show the IP levels for both mechanical and moisture protection, the appliance must not be used in any wet or damp environment.
Shaver power points in the bathroom or wet room must comply with BS EN 60742 Chapter 2, Section 1, and be located in zone 2 or beyond, providing they are unlikely to be subjected to direct spray from any shower.
Additionally IP classified electrical bathroom appliances may be classed as PELV (Protective Extra-Low Voltage) using low voltage but connected to earth or Separated Extra-Low Voltage (SELV), a low voltage system where the output is isolated from the input.
The zones are defined as:
| Zone 0 | The wettest area of a bathroom, for example the interior of the bath or shower. Requires electrical products to be of low voltage (max. 12 volts) and be IPX7 (the mechanical level of protection is not important). |
| Zone 1 | The area of the bathroom directly above zone 0 limited vertically to 2.25m above the bottom of the bath or shower. Also 1.2m horizontally from the centre of a shower outlet to the height of the outlet or 2.25m whichever is the higher. Requires electrical products to be IPX4 or better, or SELV with the transformer located beyond zone 2. |
| Zone 2 | The area of the bathroom beyond zones 0 and 1, 0.6m horizontally and up to 2.25m vertically. Zone 2 also includes any recessed window with a sill next to the bath. Requires electrical products to be IPX4 or better, or SELV with the transformer located beyond zone 2. |
Providing that the space under the bath cannot be accessed without using tools (i.e. screwdriver etc), that space is considered to be 'out of scope'.
Any electrical bathroom appliance approved for use in a zone of a bathroom may be used in a zone of a higher number but must not be used in a zone with a lower number than the appliance IP rating.