WC Lighting Options

[RichA]

View attachment 158596

That looks for all the world like part of a plan for building work you're doing/having done. Do you not have an electrician?

Yup. Work is part of a larger house refurb that is currently being done. I am ‘engaged’ with the main contractor; so whilst I have an electrician, I have not yet met/spoken to them...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You should - he may have worthwhile suggestions.

 

[RichA]

You should - he may have worthwhile suggestions.

I would like to; but that is not how it is really working on this build.

I liaise with the main contractor (mainly by email) as I am at work whilst they are on site; so only see them intermittently for a site meeting.

 

[winston1]

Is it usually preferable to put the light switch on the inside or outside?

On the inside. On both my prievous houses one of my first jobs was to move switches inside such rooms that some idiot had fitted outside.

 

[JohnW2]

On the inside. On both my prievous houses one of my first jobs was to move switches inside such rooms that some idiot had fitted outside.

Many designers or refurbishers of 'modern' hotels don't seem to have heard of that - perhaps at least partially because the insides of the bathrooms are often fully tiled?

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

we are one of the few countries which seems 'allergic' (but not because of regulations) to ordinary wall light switches (provided they are an adequate distance from bath/shower) - hence all the 'pull switches' here.

To be fair, the regs require equipment to be suitable for the environment in which it is to be installed.
So standard plate switches may be considered unsuitable even when installed out of the zones as they could still be affected by condensation or damp. To avoid any situations which could be argued to be borderline, 99% of installers choose a pullcord.

 

[Taylortwocities]

To be practical, there are any number of switches and sockets in my kitchen. They are mostly in easy reach of sinks, subject to steamy environments, and operated by people with wet hands.
No installer would think of installing a forest of pull switches to mitigate any risk.

 

[aptsys]

To be fair, the regs require equipment to be suitable for the environment in which it is to be installed.
So standard plate switches may be considered unsuitable even when installed out of the zones as they could still be affected by condensation or damp. To avoid any situations which could be argued to be borderline, 99% of installers choose a pullcord.

Normal white accessories are usually IP22 or better, so unlikely to be an issue.

 

[JohnW2]

To be fair, the regs require equipment to be suitable for the environment in which it is to be installed. So standard plate switches may be considered unsuitable even when installed out of the zones as they could still be affected by condensation or damp. To avoid any situations which could be argued to be borderline, 99% of installers choose a pullcord.

You are describing the traditional thinking/practices, seemingly almost unique to the UK etc., which is a different matter from the question of whether it is really 'necessary'. Asking manufacturers about the suitability of an accessory for use in a bathroom is also unlikely to help much - since, if you got any answer at all, it would probably be 'no' (or 'cannot guarantee' etc.), in order to protect their backsides.

As has been said, one doesn't see the same thinking/practices in rooms other than bathrooms, even when the accessories are very close to sources of water (and wet hands) and/or there are significant risks of damp and/or condensation. If a light switch is subjected to condensation (or even 'covered in water') it's extremely unlikely that any significant real hazard would result. As I said (although I may be wrong!), I don't think you will find many pull switches outside of the UK (or UK-influenced) countries.

As for 'suitability', the regs are not really all that rational. As far as I can make out, switches (of any sort) are not allowed in Zone 2, let alone Zones 1 or 0), even if they are IP68, and therefore theoretically (electrically) suitable for use in Zone 1 (or even Zone 0!).

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

To be practical, there are any number of switches and sockets in my kitchen. They are mostly in easy reach of sinks, subject to steamy environments, and operated by people with wet hands.
No installer would think of installing a forest of pull switches to mitigate any risk.

We always seem to have this disagreement, but in a kitchen you are not generally naked with a wet floor underfoot.

Normal white accessories are usually IP22 or better, so unlikely to be an issue.

I have never seen them marked as such, so you can't take that as read.

You are describing the traditional thinking/practices, seemingly almost unique to the UK

Well, that traditional thinking/ practice is rooted in 7671.

 

[JohnW2]

We always seem to have this disagreement, but in a kitchen you are not generally naked with a wet floor underfoot.

As you say, the usual 'argument'. Hands are, of course, near.y always 'naked' in either location, and hand-to-hand shocks are probably appreciably more likely in a kitchen than in a bathroom. I also suspect that the 'bare feet on a wet floor' issue is nowhere near as relevant as one might think (except, perhaps, in a ground floor bathroom with a solid floor), since even soaking wet 'upstairs' bare floorboards usually have a very high resistance path to earth.

Well, that traditional thinking/ practice is rooted in 7671.

Up to a point - and it obviously wouldn't be surprising that UK-based regulations reflected (fairly unique to the UK) traditional UK 'thinking/practice'. However, as far as I can make out, the 'pull switch tradition' is by no means 'rooted in' BS7671 - other than the vague 'suitable for location' bit, there's not really anything else to suggest that a 'standard' plate switch is not acceptable (provide it is outside of Zone 2).

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I'll fix it for you:

To avoid any situations which could require them to think, 99% of installers choose not to bother thinking.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

We always seem to have this disagreement, but in a kitchen you are not generally naked with a wet floor underfoot.

https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/consumer-unit-in-a-bathroom.279375/#post-2026884

Well, that traditional thinking/ practice is rooted in 7671.

Sure it's not 1671?

 

[securespark]

I'll fix it for you:......................................

You're perfectly entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine. I'm sticking to the reasons why I feel like I do, as I presume will you.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Your opinion is:

To avoid any situations which could be argued to be borderline, 99% of installers choose a pullcord.

Mine is that that choice is not made as a result of intelligent, aware, considered thinking, taking into account each situation individually. It's simply doing it that way because it is always done that way, and it is always done that way because it is always done that way.