Am I right in thinking that a bathroom with only a pull cord lightswitch (and centre light) DOES NOT REQUIRE any further bonding. The bonding in effect being supplied by the protective conductors feeding the switch and light point.
supplementry bonding in with only a light point?
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Only if the pipework is all plastic fed, otherwise, if metallic then strictly speaking to be in regs it still should be bonded to the CPC of the lighting circuit which can be either from the lamp or the switch, as convenient. Its not a particularly serious matter if it isn't the real risks start with electric showers and water heaters, and an awful lot of bathrooms don't actually comply. At one time a similar reg applied to kitchens, but this was deleted as it caused more problems than it solved.
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Apologies for hijacking this thread, but it is relevent ............
I have no mains power in my bathroom - no electric shower, shaver socket or heater, and the lights are 12V downlighters. Am I right in assuming that no bonding is required?
I have no mains power in my bathroom - no electric shower, shaver socket or heater, and the lights are 12V downlighters. Am I right in assuming that no bonding is required?
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The point of supplementary bonding is to ensure that all the exposed metal work is at (and remains at) the same potential. So if for example a fault rasies the radiator to 50V you don't get a nasty shock by touching the radiator and the cold tap (still at 0V) at the same time. The fault itself could be outside of the bathroom. So even if you have no electricity at all in the bathroom it still makes sense to have supplementary bonding.
That's my 2p - I'll leave others to discuss what the regulations actually say!
That's my 2p - I'll leave others to discuss what the regulations actually say!
Thanks for the replies.
So Thats cleared that up then!!!
As usual its how you interpret the regs.
So Thats cleared that up then!!!
As usual its how you interpret the regs.
No - not "all exposed metalwork", only extraneous-conductive-parts.
You'll actually make things worse if you go bonding things just because they are metal, and exposed, if they aren't in any way connected to earth...
You'll actually make things worse if you go bonding things just because they are metal, and exposed, if they aren't in any way connected to earth...
No, supplementary bonding is still required between any extraneous metal hot water, cold water and radiator pipes. The lights themselves should not be bonded but should be fed from an approved (BS EN 60742) transformer . (SELV)DIYchallenged said:
ban-all-sheds said:
Going for the detail as ever BAS! As far as the regulations go you are of course correct, "extraneous-conductive-parts" meaning any part that extends outside the room (and could therefore introduce a potential into the room because of an external fault).
However I generally prefer the idea that all exposed metalwork is bonded and earthed (within practical limits of course) so that if a fault occurs (within the bathroom) the supply will trip. For example if my recharging shaver makes the wire shelf rack live, I'd rather the supply tripped than risk someone touching the rack and the cold tap. Largely theoretical of course, as I don't have a wire rack in the bathroom and if I did I probably wouldn't consider it practial to bond it!
Of course if you do this and the supply doesn't trip you may well have made things worse - but then you have to evaluate protection you have and make the decision.
trouble with this attitude is that if a person does manage to touch something live then earthed metalwork is dangerous to themstevesey said:
to kill someone a sufficiant current needs to pass through thier body. This takes TWO points with a voltage *DIFFERENCE* AND sufficiantly low impedance to those potentials to actually maintain the current for long enough to kill you.
with static for example points can get kilovolts of potential difference from each other but it doesn't do you any real damage because that voltage falls away so quickly as soon as you provide it with a path.
I prefer to think of it as going for a very important level of accuracy..stevesey said:
You really aren't that clear on the definition of an extraneous-conductive-part, are you...
You may prefer what you like - the regulations take a different view, and I cannot see how deliberately making something into an extraneous-conductive-part when it wasn't before is a safety measure.
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ban-all-sheds said:
I have to agree 100% with Ban here.
If you are going to give/receive information, it mas as well be accurate, especially so where electricity and bathrooms are involved, don't you think?
To chuck in my own pennies worth: You may have to bond pipes coming in even if there is no electricity at alll in the room. On the other hand you might not have to bond to the light if it is outside the defined bathroom zones. Generally a standard ceiling is high enough to be outside unless directly over the bath/shower.
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