The installation and maintenance of the electrical system in the bathroom must be approached with particular attention to safety regulations.
Of all the rooms in the house, the bathroom is probably the most “dangerous”. For this reason, special care must be taken when carrying out the electrical installation in the bathroom, to avoid any kind of domestic accident.
In addition, you should always keep in mind that there is a danger in the installation of this system, as well as be particularly careful when using electrical appliances in the bathroom.
In order to be able to sleep peacefully and use the bathroom in total safety and comfort, in today’s article we explain what are the essential requirements for the installation of the electrical system of a bathroom.
Wires and humidity: bitter enemies
We all know that electricity and water are one of the worst possible combinations. However, when we renovate a bathroom, there are no options: you have to use both. Electricity in the bathroom is essential for the lighting and use of small appliances, such as hair dryers, electric shavers or hair straighteners.
On the other hand, water is the main element of any bathroom, and the only one that gives meaning to the whole room.
Therefore, it is mandatory to work with these two elements, which can be very dangerous – or fatal – if they come into contact. When electricity comes into contact with water, an electrical discharge takes place, the intensity of which will depend on the intensity of the electricity and the level of humidity.
For example, it is not the same to touch a grip with wet hands or to drop a hair straightener into the bathtub. In the latter case, the discharge can be fatal.
For this reason, our advice is never to install the bathroom’s electrical system yourself. The only exception to this rule is that you should be an expert in the field. A professional is the only person capable of carrying out the entire electrical installation of the bathroom, without your family running any risk.
In addition, if there is an installation error, the misfortune is double. On the one hand, there may be an electrical discharge while you are installing the system. On the other hand, there may be some errors in the system that will produce a discharge even after the renovation is complete. You don’t want to live with this anguish!
Safety zones of the electrical system in the bathroom
The first thing you have to bear in mind when you start installing the electrical system in the bathroom are the protection zones. These indicate the most dangerous areas in which electrical elements must not be installed.
The protection zones are classified according to the level of hazard and are as follows:
- Zero. It is the most dangerous zone in which no electrical element must be installed, for any reason whatsoever. It corresponds to the inside of the bathtub and shower tray.
- One. These are the vertical walls in contact with the shower or bathtub, up to a distance of 2.25 meters. This limit is not extremely dangerous, but it is advisable not to install any electrical element in this area, even if sometimes the controversial electric showers are installed.
- Two. A 1-metre zone, which starts at the end of Zone One. Low-voltage elements, such as switches or sockets, can be installed in this zone.
- Three. This is the last zone and the zone that allows the installation of elements of greater electrical intensity. It includes the area that is at a distance of 3 m from the bathtub and at least 2.25 m from the floor.
Electrical discharge
As you may have guessed, at this point, the bathroom is a very dangerous room as far as electricity is concerned. For this reason, it is essential to use all possible precautions and safety measures to avoid the dangers that can cause serious accidents.
Explained in a very simple way, it can be said that in a basic system, the current passes through the cable to the main element – the bulb, for example – and then back to the generator. If there is an error in this system, there is a small discharge.
This type of error should not occur in a bathroom, because if it comes into contact with water it can cause small or large electrical discharges. Therefore, to ensure safety, an earth connection must always be installed in the bathroom system. This prevents electrical discharges and protects all family members from any accident.
