Lighting in new bathroom

[RustyDave]

A bit of early advice required please!

We are in the process of having our bathroom moved from downstairs into a bedroom upstairs. To cut down on cost we are planning on doing the tiling and other finishes ourselves. Which leads me to my question...

Because the room was previously used as a bedroom with a standard wall switch and bulb fitting, I am thinking that we should put a pull switch in for safety. Is is particuarly awkward to move from a wall switch to a pull switch from a wiring point of view?

 

[jenki]

Because the room was previously used as a bedroom with a standard wall switch and bulb fitting, I am thinking that we should put a pull switch in for safety. Is is particuarly awkward to move from a wall switch to a pull switch from a wiring point of view?

Firstly - Special location and thus work is notifiable to BC or only to be carried out by a 'competent person'.

Secondly, Yes, depending on the Zone that the switch is in, you cannot have a wall switch, so you will need to replace with a pull cord, or move the switch outside the room.

Depending on the cable run in the loft?, you should quite easily be able to remove the existing switch wire from the ceiling rose and renew it in the desired new location. (you might get away with pulling it up the wall from the switch if its in conduit. and re-using the existing wire.)

Are there any sockets in the room? they will need to be removed

 

[spence_spark]

not as long as your prepared for a bit of plastering afterwards
simply chase out the old run of cable and fix it to the ceiling connected to your new pull cord switch
obviously im not there to see accesssability above but im assuming you can pull the cable up into the ceiling space and re-feed it down to the new switch position?

best of luck
get back if more details required
spence
beaten again!! good point about the sockets..i had'nt considered the remnants of it being a bedroom previously

 

[RustyDave]

I have lodged a building notification because of the altertation to the soil stack, etc. The inspector hasnt come around yet but I would expect him to now point out some of the issues you have raised!?

I'm inclined to go with the pull switch. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to pull the cable up from the loft space.

Good point about the plug sockets, there are two currently in the room. One will be boxed in because we are having semi-recessed basin and a concealed cistern. The other socket is on the other wall; not sure what to do about that yet...how do you safely decommission a wall socket?

 

[plugwash]

are the sockets on the ring or on spurs.

if they are spurs then the cable should be disconnected at source if possible.

if not then the best (but possiblly impractical) thing to do it to bypass the socket with a new run of cable to the sockets before and after it so again it is completely disconnected.

failing those options i would probablly advise using a junction box under the floor.

whilst you can join with terminal block int he backbox and cover with a blanking plate i would not do this for an exposed socket in a bathroom. (too much tempation for someone in future to put it back and imo the less exposed electrical accessories in a bathromm the better especially if they are near the bath.

 

[RustyDave]

Good morning and thanks for the tips.

The socket is on the ring circuit. I was thinking about it a bit more last night (as you do) and I think I'm going to relocate it on the adjoining wall behind in the landing area. That way I remove the socket from the bathroom but keep a useful socket nearby. They are both plasterboard walls so should be relatively straightforward.

 

[notb665]

Good idea.