Building regs for low voltage lighting in bathroom

[spada01]

I want to install spotlights into my bathroom. If I do this using low voltage lighting, with IP65 rated fittings and keep the HV cabling and transformers in teh loft, then my understanding is that I ca do this within the building regs as minor work as only 12v will be entering the bathroom and all HV voltage is outside in the loft.

Is this correct?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No.

1) Part P (in fact all of the Building Regulations) applies to any work whatsoever on fixed electrical cables or fixed electrical equipment located on the consumer’s side of the electricity supply meter which operate at low or extra-low voltage and are—
(a) in or attached to a dwelling;
(b) in the common parts of a building serving one or more dwellings, but excluding power supplies to lifts;
(c) in a building that receives its electricity from a source located within or shared with a dwelling; or
(d) in a garden or in or on land associated with a building where the electricity is from a source located within or shared with a dwelling.

2) The IEC definitions of voltage bands are:

• Extra Low Voltage: AC below 50V and DC below 120V
• Low Voltage: 50 - 1000V AC or 120 - 1500V DC
• Medium voltage: 1kV - 35kV
• High voltage: 35kV - 230kV
• Extra-high voltage: >230kV

This is not some pedantic technical point - if you start getting involved in doing your own electrical work, and start learning about regulations etc you'll come across references to "Low voltage", and it'll be no good you thinking that that means 12V...

3) Adding lights in bathrooms is not on the exempt list - see Schedule 2B.

 

[ericmark]

I would think if you follow the regulations to the letter then no. You still need to pay your £100+ for passing go.

However using extra low voltage I would use some common sense.

I would hope no one would ever supply high voltage (over 1000 volts) to a house. Most houses are supplied with low voltage (50 - 1000 volts) and when we use transformers we normally have Extra low voltage (below 50) and likely Separated Extra Low Voltage (SELV) which in most cases is 12 volt.

If for any reason you need the paper trail to be A1 then only real way is to employ an electrician as even without LABC considerations the equipment required to test is around £750 so no DIY is ever likely to comply with regulations.

So no one is ever likely to publicly suggest you can DIY within all the regulations unless you are already an electrician and are doing a home job.

 

[sarahw]

I would think if you follow the regulations to the letter then no. You still need to pay your £100+ for passing go.

However using extra low voltage I would use some common sense.

I would hope no one would ever supply high voltage (over 1000 volts) to a house. Most houses are supplied with low voltage (50 - 1000 volts) and when we use transformers we normally have Extra low voltage (below 50) and likely Separated Extra Low Voltage (SELV) which in most cases is 12 volt.

If for any reason you need the paper trail to be A1 then only real way is to employ an electrician as even without LABC considerations the equipment required to test is around £750 so no DIY is ever likely to comply with regulations.

So no one is ever likely to publicly suggest you can DIY within all the regulations unless you are already an electrician and are doing a home job.

Thanks Eric. I've addd spurs in my sitting room before and am happy to do this and not notify anyone (and indeed I've read that this is not notifiable in my Collins DIY manual). Is adding extra low voltage lighting to the bathroom more controversial than this? I fail to see why if all the work's beingdone outside and just 12v is going into the bathroom itself.

 

[GaryMo]

Installation of regular ELV (includes 12v) cabling in a bathroom is notificable, unless -

The installation of prefabricated, “modular” systems (for example kitchen lighting systems and armoured garden cabling) linked by plug and socket connectors is not notifiable, provided that products are CE-marked and that any final connections in kitchens and special locations are made to existing connection units or points (possibly a 13A socket outlet).

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Is adding extra low voltage lighting to the bathroom more controversial than this? I fail to see why if all the work's beingdone outside and just 12v is going into the bathroom itself.

Unfortunately the regulations are not logical.

Have a read of Schedule 2B for the official text of what is not notifiable.