A Guide to Bathroom Electrics

23/2/2017

Most people are well aware that water and electricity are a dangerous combination. With that in mind, electrical work in bathrooms needs to be approached with great care.

In fact, according to Part P of the Building Regulations in England, almost all electrical work in most bathrooms must be notified to your local Building Control. (See Figure 1)

Figure 1: All electrical work within the coloured area must be notified to your local Building Control.

The simplest and cheapest way to do this is to use an electrician registered with a Part P scheme such as the NICEIC. (If you're considering doing your own electrical work, please read our blog "Why Use A Professional Electrician?" before you decide.)

In the following section, we've provided guidance for the following electrical equipment in bathrooms:

Electrical Sockets
Electrical Showers
Electric Heaters
Lighting
Whirlpool Baths
Televisions

Electrical Sockets

Standard sockets can only be installed at least 3 metres distant horizontally from the edge of a bath or shower tray.
Specially designed shaver sockets (manufactured to comply with BS EN 61558-2-5) are the only exception to this rule but can still only be installed at least 600 millimetres distant horizontally from the edge of a bath or shower tray.

Electric Showers

Electric showers must be manufactured to comply with BS EN 60335-2-35 - all reputable shower manufacturers comply with this standard but check if you are unsure. An electric shower is almost always the appliance with the highest electrical demand in the house. As such, it requires it's own dedicated electrical circuit connected all the way back to your consumer unit. All new circuits in a bathroom must be protected by RCDs (Residual Current Devices). So, if you want to install an electric shower, you may need to upgrade your fusebox/consumer unit to include RCDs. Contact us to discuss your needs.

Electric Heaters

Any heater in a bathroom must be fixed and hardwired into your exisiting electrics. Portable fan heaters or similar are a bad idea! Much like shaver sockets, they can only be installed at least 600 millimetres distant horizontally from the edge of the bath or shower tray.

Lighting

As a general rule of thumb, it's useful to have brighter lighting available for bathroom mirrors but also to have dimmable lighting available to create a relaxing atmosphere for a soak in the bath. Pendant light fittings are best avoided and all other lights must be sufficiently waterproof for the location and out-of-reach of someone in the bath/shower. Traditional switches are best avoided in favour of a pull-cord switch where the cord is made of a non-conducting material.

Whirlpool Baths

More and more homeowners are having spa baths installed in their home. Two key requirements to know about are the need for an isolator switch outside the bathroom and, much like electric showers, the need for protection by RCDs.

Televisions

Perhaps you're considering the luxury of having a TV in the bathroom? It's important to know that almost all TVs must be installed in a wall cavity so that the screen is flush with the level of the wall. The TV is also siliconed into the cavity to prevent any water getting in. In addition, the screen is heated to prevent it misting up. In most cases, speakers are also required, which, like the television, must be hardwired into your existing electrical system. For well-designed, affordable bathroom TVs take a look at Aquatek's products here.

Are you unsure whether your bathroom’s electrics are safe or not? The simplest way to remove any doubt is to have an inspection completed by a registered electrician. Much like an MOT for your vehicle, an electrical inspection is a check of your home's electrics which will provide you with a comprehensive report of anything dangerous or not in line with modern safety standards. The correct name for this report is an "Electrical Installation Condition Report" or E.I.C.R. SafeSwitch Electrical can provide an E.I.C.R. for your entire home at a competitive price and take the time to explain the results to you so you can confidently decide what to do next. For more information, contact us.

The preceding article is a summary of official consumer advice from the NICEIC - the leading electrical certifier. The original PDF can be downloaded below.