Can I have an electric socket in a BATHROOM? - eFIXX Electricians Q&A
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- Опубликовано: 8 июн 2024
- Electricity and water aren't a good combination especially when it comes to bathrooms. However, you can have a 13a socket outlet within a bathroom under certain conditions.
In this electricians Q&A Joe Robinson explores the requirements outlined in BS7671 UK wiring regulations relating to socket outlets in bathrooms.
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00:00 13 amps sockets in bathrooms
00:43 13 amps sockets
01:04 Section 701 of BS 7671
01:33 Zone 1
01:50 Zone 2
02:34 The 3 metre rule
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📹 Presented by
Joe Robinson - Technical Editor eFIXX
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Since Amendment 2 of the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) came into full effect on 28 September 2022, the distance of a socket from Zone 1 has been revised to 2.5 metres.
Very informative video, thank you!! I personally find it a bit silly not being able to install "regular" double sockets in the bathroom.
It's logical, and should be regulated, that inside/too close to the shower or directly above a bath tube or sink is to avoid.
I do find difficult to understand tho where the difference lays with having sockets next to the kitchen sink (where there are often also plugged appliances like toasters, kettles etc) or on the sides of the hob (where steam can be present for hours while cooking and boiling oil could squirt etc).
I grew up in Italy and it's normal there to have even more than 1 socket around the bathroom, even if a small one.
Moreover, in many bathrooms across Europe it's common to have the washing machine and/or dryer installed and also usually a socket is near the sink for hair dryers, hair irons and other appliances - toothbrush, waterfloss etc. - I think this regulation should be changed, taking also in consideration the structure and age of the building (if it's made of wood, maybe we want to be more careful etc). New builds are really safe and I see no harm in having a socket..it would actually save a lot of mess! :)
The difference is unlike the bathroom you don't tend to be naked and wet in the kitchen.
Hi Joe, I have installed a socket outlet in a bathroom which was very large. It was defiantly more then 3 meters away from the bath and on a circuit that was RCD protected. I was very happy to do it and confident that anyone using it would be safe. I am sure that fitting a socket in a bathroom was allowed in earlier regs. I think we were on the 17th when I did this job as part of a rewire. The outlet was requested by the client.
Great comment Brian, thanks for sharing your experience with us. 😊
Here in the States, we use a CPD in the bathroom and its only located by the sink. they refer to them here as GFCI devices.
In Finland it's common to have a washing machine, dryer and often a sauna in the bathroom (which you literally throw water over). Seeing as most of the rest of the world allows sockets in the bathroom it doesn't seem like such a huge risk. How many accidents arise from extension leads or hair straightens left on carpet? UK shaver plugs are an eternal cause of irritation when they don't quite for in euro sockets and vice versa.
Because were BRITISH!!!! And we do it the right way!!
🙃
Sauna in the bathroom sounds like fun!
@@efixx It really is amazing where the Finns manage to cram a sauna! These kind of issues are interesting, where to certain people something is high risk and to others it's completely normal and safe.
I’ve got one, about 2m from the edge of the tub, that I installed for convenience of hairdryers etc.
It’s protected by an RCD and I don’t see the problem with it whatsoever, considering every other country in the world allows a standard outlet by the sink.
Whether you see a problem with it is irrelevant - it's ILLEGAL. If its ever spotted by a proper sparky he'll disconnect it and/or fail the installation, and if there's ever an electrical fire and it's spotted, there's an excellent chance the insurance won't pay out. That's a hell of a risk to be taking for convenience.
@@philsaunders293 whilst a socket installed in a bathroom
@@philsaunders293 It is not illegal, BS7671 is non-statutory unlike the gas regs. It's a guideline to a minimum recommended standard and not enforceable under the law, it can only be used as accompanying document when prosecuting under the EAW and other statutory documents and standards.
Interestingly enough with the advent of showers being more popular than baths there is even less of an argument against a socket in the bathroom as it would be no different than having a socket in the airing cupboard just with the sizes reversed.
@@philsaunders293 I am a proper sparky and I own my house…. So call the police mate 😂
@james thew - so you're a sparky posting on a public forum that you create non-compliant installations.....OK then cool 😂 What do you put in the part of the certificate covering the socket where it asks about departures from 7671 ? Something like 'because the regs are crap and I felt like it' '? Or don't you bother with certificates at all because they're not convenient?
What’s the definitive on spur units in a bathroom? Either switched or un switched. There’s a lot of grey in chat rooms on this. We always mention socket outlets, but in the real world, they are the one thing you don’t or seldom see in a bathroom!
Interesting point, watch this space!
@@efixx have you guys found any more information on this?
@@efixx any news please?
I’ll check out your CPD link, and thanks for producing them.
They should make a low current, isolated socket outlet for use in bathrooms. Handy for plugging in WiFi speakers etc.
Not a bad shout that. 👍
Or hair clippers!
Yes USB outlets are possible
A usb 30watt would be plenty to run anything. usb c can even charge some pretty beefy laptops its just the usb fitted in domestic sockets are dogshit. Usually 3.1amps.
@@GripElectric yep I'd agree a single gang box with a USB socket would be ideal. Sadly, a lot of wireless speakers insist on using their own mains powered power supplies. Presumably because 5v isn't enough to power the amplifier without a boost converter.
For me it is really strange this regulation of no outlet in the bathroom. I am from Brazil, and we can instal outlet in the bathroom, and we are used to use a lot, for celphone charge, for dryers and all different types of equipament. And we don’t have accidents with outlets
In Canada we are allowed to have GFI outlets in our bathrooms. They are capable of 15 amps. They replaced the old standard of razor plugs 30 or 40 years ago.
Interesting to hear how other countries view this. 😊
Knew about the regulations and would be more than happy to fit one, as this is more for bathrooms that are open bathroom dressing rooms. Seen it before where the bath is one side and a dressing table was the other side
Good to know, thanks for commenting!
I know of a few terrace houses where the washing machine is installed in the bathroom, with the socket within ~1m of the bath. With old rewirable fuses.
Why am I watching this? I don't even need this info, yet I'm still here.
Well you're more than welcome to be with us either way!
@@efixx Thanks for welcoming me! :)
Only once have I ever been asked to install a 13a socket in a bathroom - as it happens, this particular bathroom was huge, so was the house. It felt very strange installing it but I know I was fully compliant as it was around 4 meters away from the bath (which was also huge, around 12 sqft!).
May I ask what the reason for it was? My Mrs wants one for hair straighteners or curlers or something else 🤷🏻♂️
I agree, I think it would feel very strange. 🤔
@@GrahamDIY Prett sure it was for just that, hairdyers and the like.
The UK has always had hangups about sockets in bathrooms whereas it's not uncommon practice elsewhere in the world to have a washing machine with it's socket outlet in the bathroom for example. Guess it's just traditions that are hard to let go of similar to running neutrals through light switches.
Yeah, even if I came across a bathroom big enough I'd feel uncomfortable doing it. 😬
I have not got a problem with running a neutral to a light switch but I do sometimes worry that someone with low diy skills would then install a skt using the light switch as a feed. I also knew of the reg about putting a skt in a bathroom and as mentioned in the video it's rare where you would get the opportunity to do it. However I have put triple pole isolators and switched fuse spurs in bathrooms for fans etc but these are above 2.25meters and out of the bath/ shower zones 600mm blah blah blah
@@efixx Only thing that should make you uncomfortable is that you are breaking regulations. In reality it shouldnt be a problem with commen sense regulations and zones like we have in main-land Europe.
I find it a bit strange that in a country where having a 50Amp shower that has 'hands on' controls on it in zone 1 is the norm you'd be so skittish about sockets in a bathroom. Technology has also moved on since these regs were introduced. With residual current devices such as RCD's and RCBO's now being reliable, affordable and widely available I wouldn't see an issue if the 3m from zone 1 distance was reduced or even halved if a 10mA rcd was used for that particular outlet.
Interesting videos by the way, I like seeing the way things are done in the UK and how it differs to the regs here in Africa.
Well I need to charge my hair clippers and toothbrush etc.
Must I install three or four shaver sockets?
I’m also installing a washlet toilet. Must I wire it in to a fused spur?
Aargh!
Your channel and GSH have an extensive collection of videos which have been informative and a game changer for me personally. However there are no videos on cooker circuits. Your legendary guest JW did a video on the subject but I am yet to find another electrician who agrees that you can use a 4mm cable to supply a cooker circuit once you applied diversity. As I remembered the 3m rule regarding bathrooms I thought I'd throw this out there instead. BS7671 states follow manufacturer's instructions but let's say the customer has moved, taken their old electric oven but lost the manual and the internet is down.
I hope you can be some help.
Great question! We'll add it to our to do list!
What about a guest toilet which does not have bath or shower, just toilet and water basin? I have a tumble dryer there. Currently connecting to an extension lead just outside when need to use it
In New Zealand all basins have a socket by them for you to plug in a hairdryer, toothbrush charger. 👍
Useful to know if you want a bath in the bedroom.
Yup!
If it was my personal bathroom and it was rather large I would run a feed for a washing machine/ dryer stack. It makes alot more sense to have the washers/dryers on the same floor as the bedroom and adds almost no extra risk being in a bathroom than a kitchen.
That's standard practice here in Norway
It's ok to have a socket inside an airing cupboard located in an bathroom apparently. From OSG p93:
The inside of an airing cupboard in a bathroom is deemed to be outside the location and must effectively limit the extent of the location, just as a bathroom door separates the bathroom as a special location from the rest of the property. However, it is strongly recommended where an airing cupboard opens into zone 1 or zone 2, circuits supplying equipment in the airing cupboard are be provided with additional protection by an RCD rated at 30 mA.
The terminology and design was written with a bath in mind, now with showers it could be argued the cupboard and the room have reversed in size, removing the issue.
Love the informative videos - Can a washing machine be hard wired into a bathroom with a switch outside of the bathroom?
Good question, we'll see what we can do!
@@efixx If I recall there's something about sockets being allowed in bathrooms if its inaccessible. i.e. within a cupboard that you cannot easily access and then it becomes outside of the zones.. I could be wrong though.
But you would have to cut the plug of the washing machine and thus loose the warranty. Also it's inconvenient, if you have to move the washing machine for some reason, or replace it with a new one, you have to disconnect the cables, that in theory should be done by a qualified electrician, a little more difficult than removing a plug.
You mean like a panel heater lol
@@robertwilliamson3934 Kind of ... When we moved in there was an immersion heater in the cupboard in the bathroom (this has now been removed when the combi boiler was fitted) and wonder if the washing machine can go in there?
Thanks for this and keep them coming ..... however, BS7671 does allow a socket in a bathroom, as long as it is under the bath and requires a tool to gain access to it, such as removing a bath panel with a screwdriver or knife because it's then out of zone yet still in the room. (Page 95 OSG)
Not so. From the OSG p93:
Where the space under a bath is accessible by a means of a tool, this is considered to be outside the zones. Should it be necessary to connect electrical equipment beneath 701.512.3 a bath, e.g. whirlpool units, the connection must comply with Regulation 701.512.3, meaning that socket-outlets would not be permitted beneath a bath.
No problem in Norway, if inside Zone 2 need IP44 outlet. Not closer than 50cm to sink is preferable
Good to know, thanks!
A friend of mine could stand in his bath, fitted with a shower head - while accessing his consumer unit and incoming supply 'head' !
He'd installed the bath/shower an toilet as an en-suite to a bedroom. The lec feed to the house was old-style and at roof level ! Obvs. the bath/shower wasn't used until a ground level supply was installed via external meter box !
Hope he is still around 😮
So, you can fit a socket in almost all the bathrooms that feature in bathroom fittings catalogues!
In real world, I think my parents' bathroom might have allowed a socket - long, maybe 4 metres including bath, and narrow, just fitted bath lengthwise
Worth a measure. Still not sure how happy I'd be with it though. Decades of not doing it gets a bit ingrained. 😂
I remember doing a job back in 1995 installed a shower circuit for a friend who had just brought the house and was redecorating. When I check the earth bonding in the bathroom I was shocked at what I found. In the bath panel was two double sockets no back boxes and the conductors were touching the cast ion bath , and there was a single bar heater on the wall over the bath sitting on the edge of the tiles . Needless to say I told my friend I can’t and I won’t touch anything it the house. I left and when home .
that was nice of you to leave it like that for a mate.
@@user-ox4eu3xi3s he fully understood and agreed with with me that I should leave it alone.he then called out another spark who said it would be safer and easier to do a full rewire. So that’s what they did.
I’ve just installed one of those bathroom TVs. It needed a socket. But it’s buried in the wall behind the TV so not accessible.
I’d forgotten about this when I wrote first reply. This is definitely closers than 3m to bath. 😱
Gots to be able to watch TV in the bath, right?
What’s the rating of the TV? 📺
Of course. It's your home. Do what you like. It's only because they don't want the suicidal putting a toaster in the bath. It's perfectly safe
I was put under pressure once to install a socket in a bath room of a very rich and influential person. Who would not take no for an answer, and all they kept saying was in my others house around the world I can have a sockets. Why not in the uk. So i contacted the NIC EIC and talked it over with them, it also happens to be very close to the annual NIC inspection so on our rounds I took them to this job and showed them the situation. We came up with the solution of installing a 3kva isolating transformer to supply a double socket inside the cupboard of there dresser. The transformer was around £750-£800. There are always way around any problem if you have enough money.
Interesting solution 👍
Where does one stand with a blank plate with connections for a towel radiator fitted within a zone? Does it class as an accessory?
Pretty sure it comes under control gear (such as a light switch) but considering it may get dripped on, I always take another approach. I try to have the point of termination on the other side of the wall. Failing that, I use an IP65 adaptable box with a gland.
@@mastergx1 Nice! Good approaches 👍
In Turkey, most of the bathrooms have a 220V plug right next to the mirror for hairdryer etc. never heard a fire caused by this, bacause they have a special cover on them!!!
What code if they’ve installed in zone 2?
I am thinking to get a washloo bidet, which comes with "3 pin uk plug and RCD" what would be best suggestion to comply with regulatins?
Similar situation here! Did we waste our money?
Power it from a fused spur instead.
What if the rcd socket is installed inside a bathroom cabinet with a shower screen and the cabinet door between the socket ? Or is the question you can plug a leaded unit (hair dryer )in so that extends the risk?
Good question. We'll see what we can do. 😊
One way round this is a socket inside a cupboard, in my case a double door cupboard containing washing machine and dryer is treated same as a bathroom containing an airing cupboard.
I had no idea the UK doesn’t allow wall sockets in the bathroom. The rest of the world has them and we’re not electrocuting ourselves.
Yeah, the comments seem to be suggesting we're fairly unique in this actually.
@@efixx I do have to say that the UK is behind if they are RCD, AFDD protected and trip current is actually well below 30mA (in US we lock in 5-mA). Trips faster and at lower leakage currents. In addition you could include splash protected socket with fully closed pin gates I really don’t see why you could not have it in a bathroom.
Us Brits end up trying to do the ironing in the bath also have a CD player plugged in sitting on the side of the bath. Well OK we are not that daft. But we can out side the zone as are bath rooms are so small the distance is hard as it needs to be 3 meters from the edge of the bath or sink tray of shower. We have smaller houses.
@@alunroberts1439 I get it but we also have small bathrooms but probably more of them.
I’m 75 years old and can remember many electrocution deaths from hair driers and also electric heaters before central heating became common. Often, the heater was sitting on the bath ⚡️😆
Our general population started central heating later than Germany or Switzerland etc.
Banning sockets in the bathroom stopped the death rate dramatically.
But we’re not so foolish nowadays. Let’s be normal now. 🙏
I've just bought a TOTO bidet seat from Amazon UK. It draws 1200 W max. I guess I wasted my money then, living in the UK. One wonders how they are allowed to be sold here given that 3 meters from bath or shower to socket is seldom achievable in most UK bathrooms.
You can power it from a fused spur, just not a socket.
Oh I was waiting for this video.
My bathroom (I’m very lucky, but I did build my house myself!) to have a main bathroom of 5x4 metres and en-ensuite of 5x3m. I know I know..
And I have read the regs in the past and I have measured from the edge of the bath (and shower) and I have been SO TEMPTED to install a socket (the Mrs asked for her straightening irons)
I just couldn’t pull the trigger and install it. Even though it met the regs. It’s just felt wrong 🤷🏻♂️
(Note: I still might do it to test my BCO and BECAUSE I CAN 😁)
😬 Still makes me nervous even though its allowed! 😂
@@efixx same....
Guys, (someone else and I said this somewhere else), I'm a British sparky, but living and working in France, years ago I was always astounded by sockets in bathrooms in Europe but since living / working here for 20+ years I am totally comfortable with this so long as the cct is protected by 30mA Rcd, which every cct must be. What I'm uncomfortable with is the fact the UK permits a 30 or 45amp device to be installed in zone 1, operated by someone standing in zone 0 quiere possibly sitting in a water filled bath and I bet a lot of the devices installed in the past don't have an RCD. Everyone in UK appears to be totally at ease with this madness which is absolutely prohibited in the rest of Europe. So take your unease and have another think....RCD protected ccts in zone 3 (60cm from edge of bath) are perfectly safe
The two Ronnie's four candles had bathroom plug rubber one 13 amp so yes
😂
Lots of people think it ok and say fit an iP rated socket but alas it not really the fitting it what's plugged in and where you take it
In Spain it's normal to have a 230v socket outlet right next to the sink
Good to know how it's done in different countries, thanks for commenting!
Just to be pedantic, bathrooms have basins and kitchens have sinks 😁
@@alansmith2197 thanks for the correction
I was in a house today to fit a washer in a shower room not done. An electrician had put two spur sockets in the room about 1 meter frome the shower for a washer and a dryer . I don't think that was a good idea
Say you have a bathroom and bedroom sharing the same wall, all of the bathroom being within zone 2. Can I place an outlet in the bedroom (shared) wall as it would be within 3m of zone 2?
It's in a different room so yes no issues. Even if the socket was on the landing outside the bathroom door it's still outside of the bathroom.
I like to buzz my head with a mains powered clippers in the bathroom and my options are to either run an extension in, or use a euro travel adapter plugged into the shaber socket and lose the CPC lol.
Mains powered clippers don't have a CPC, they are all double insulated. Your other option is to use rechargeable clippers which have a 2 pin plug to recharge from a shaver socket.
@@gadgetman36 funnily enough since writing this comment, I have bought a rechargeable cordless one (although it charges with a 3 pin plug). I just had a look inside the plug of my old mains powered clippers and sure enough, no CPC. You learn something everyday. Cheers.
I have been in houses where they run extension leads into bathrooms from the landing, just so they can use the hair dryer..crazy...It's a NO from me lol.
😂 I'm pretty much with you on that!
Exactly so if people are likely to do this why not develop a safe way of having a socket in a bathroom so that people don't run extension leads into a bathroom. The Europeans have had them for years!
what i dont understand is why is ok to put 9kW shower in splash zone but not a plug on the wall lets say above sink ... would u not say if is enouth of air circulation when shower is on would be safe with RCD
yes, Americans who expect a plug socket next to the sink absolutely cringe at your electric showers.
Because the shower is purpose made, insulated and waterproof, unlike standard sockets and the appliances you plug into them. In the UK electric showers have required an RCD since 2008.
Its more common than you'd think as a lot of high end hotels and swanky houses have a bath in the bedroom
That is a really good point actually. 👍
Thank you, I was not aware of that law, although I am Italian and I live in Italy, so that law does not apply to me, I will follow it. I am not aware of any Italian law about that matter because I am not an electrician.
Thanks for commenting!
My house has a socket directly outside the bathroom (in the upstairs landing). It's right outside the door to the bathroom. Technically it's not 3m from the bath. Out of interest, is this okay? I imagine it is since it's a different room and separated by a door but just curious😂
Aslong as its not In a room that contains a bath or shower I think it is.
One of the tick boxes on EICR certificates is about the 3m rule , anything outside the bathroom is fine , even if it's close enough so you could plug in an appliance and put it in the bath .
@@dennisphoenix1 cheers for the reply. I'm no sparky, just an avid DIYer who enjoys these vids 😂
@@CallumAtwal we never stop learning, just forgetting is the issue
It's a bad idea but our dear customers will run extension leads, if you've got the necessary 3 m I would happily install the socket providing it with extra protection a 5 ma RCD because that's better than a extension lead
Interesting idea!
What about a reular wall mounted light switch instead of a pull cord - same limitation?
Yes, if not on a pull cord the light switch should be oυtside the bathroom, shower room or toilet.
@gadgetman36 I had an electrician round since posting that & he said latest regs had changed things, zone's etc shrunk, and switch was fine if not too close to anything (50cm I think he said it had to be, from shower, sink etc) I now have light switches in bathrooms :D
Having lived in Australia and Europe, I am used to having multiple sockets next to sinks and within a 1m of a bath/shower… I don’t like it, don’t agree with it but used with caution ⚠️
here in the states, We are allowed a outlet in the bathroom providing its are GFCI style and is ONLY located by the sink. here we DO NOT USE electric showers. that's what the water heater is for.
Interesting stuff, thanks for the comment and the information.
Same for the rest of Europe.. you can have a normal socket by the mirror in the sink to connect whatever you want ( common sense applies obviously ). Of course RCD has been RULE for at least 3 decades so you’re not allowed to have non rcd protected circuits..Socket will have a lid so you can’t splash water directly into it..
Agreed - how can the British be so skittish about bathroom outlets and having to use antique pullcords - yet they happily throw a 40 Amp circuit right into the shower where you stand dripping in water?
Time to catch up with the 21st century - hair dryers, curling irons, electric toothbrushes - and perhaps even a small TV/radio. It would also be nice seeing pushbutton wall timer switches for the bath fans.
@@JasonEDragon most electrical showers don’t even come with a rubber gasket to make it watertight but no problem there 😑. Back home In houses that have 2/3 toilet/bathrooms I’d do a radial just for “toilet sockets” as all of them will have a general use socket at 1.5 metre high by the mirror on a rcd protected C16, these sockets will have a little lid to protect against eventual splashes and are ip44, legrand and other brands to them.. in some places was also common to make another “bathroom heating” radial and leave a socket above the door at 2 metre, so you can fit one of those bathroom heaters that look like a mini aircon.
In North America I've seen socket outlets in bathrooms and some European countries
In Norway you can install regular outlets pretty much anywhere in the bathroom. How else will you be able to blow dry or straighten your hair?
We just do that in the bedroom. Why would you want to try and dry and style your hair in a steamy bathroom?
WHat if the socket is an outdoor water resistant socket?
It still is not allowed within 2.5 metres of Zone 1.
@@gadgetman36 which is the dumbest regulation ever. Where I come from and most of Europe as well, you could have a socket in the bathroom and it doesn’t even need to be water resistant.
2:22 why is the distance given in meters? I thought the UK used the imperial system with inches, feet and all the other funny units?
Imperial system only for beer and milk since the 70's!
No, that's the USA.
You are right.. if it's about 3m then we are obviously in the garage.
It goes against the grain to fit a socket in a bathroom!being old school!but i get it if it's more than 3mts from a shower or bath,i would be happy to fit.Problem these days is compact living accommodation,s small kitchen&bathroom's,guess its a sigh of the times.
Can you not install an outside socket in a bathroom
Only 3m from the edge of the bath or shower!
@@efixx the big concern being someone with a portable appliance close to the bath which if it got knocked into the bath to join the punter would cause things not to end well.
If the Punter brought it in on an extension lead from somewhere else, then, well punter can have the Darwin award, and similarly, with the 3 metre distance in BS7671, which is considerably longer than a typical appliance flex, if it ended up In the bath by accident, the Punter had taken the steps to put it into the danger area with an extension cable.
But I never felt happy with the 17th edition removing what had been a long standing blanket prohibition on sockets in bathrooms (except the shaver type with the isolating transformer) and I am old enough to remember adds on the telly with Wendy Craig exhorting punters Not to use portable appliances in the bathroom.
Of course you can. It's your house. British building regs are daft and old-fashioned. Also unenforceable.
Given the requirement for socket outlets to be RCD protected these days, I think that there's less reason to not allow it. Maybe it's time to relax the rules to allow a socket in the average bathroom on the basis of a 10mA RCD trip current - which could be incorporated into a socket designed for bathroom use (i.e. drip resistant etc) & backed by an upstream 30mA RCD in the consumer unit. Unfortunately, I doubt that the IET would countenance such a relaxation as they will be scared of being sued by the family of the first person to die because they fail to get their installation tested & happen to jam their fingers in a toaster whilst having a bath! 🤣🤣
On a side note, does anyone remember the old adapters that people used to power electric shavers from a bayonet light fitting? It always seemed odd as you'd have to shave in the dark!
Great comment.
it bears mentioning that in the US, it is REQUIRED to have a socket outlet on one side or the other of a lavatory sink in every bathroom, supplied off a 20A circuit. - BUT. that outlet will be 120V AND protected by a 5mA GFCI (RCD) device.
@@kenbrown2808 That always made me laugh when I worked in the states, coming from the UK I was surprised but it makes so much sense. Though it did get me that many of the receptacles I came across were protected at point of use rather than back at the fuse board like I was expecting. Though I did come across other places where each bathroom had a dedicated socket to that receptacle so 4 bathrooms 4 circuits, makes for quite large domestic fuse boards.
On a side note NHBC now allows sockets as close as 300mm from the kitchen sink and it's far more likely to cause an issue there with the amount of appliances used than in a bathroom where you're looking at toothbrush chargers/shavers or a hair dryer/irons. Most people tend to dry their hair at the mirror so it's not uncommon to go into a student let where they've dragged an extension lead into the bathroom to style hair in front of the basin mirror.
@@effervescence5664 yes, we run massive breaker panels in comparison to UK and European homes. part of that is the price we pay for making 120V our common use voltage and reserving 240V for our high load appliances. it also relates to our philosophy of having the circuit protection extend to the individual things we plug in, instead of the fused plugs that the UK uses. the end result is a fault is much less dangerous here, but our electric kettles are usually pathetic.
and yes, having the reset for the protection at the point of use seems a bit counterintuitive, but the theory is that the person will fix the problem rather than just mashing the reset over and over and over again.
@@kenbrown2808 I wouldn't say much less dangerous but it certainly did open my eyes when working there. The kettles were awful I just ended up drinking bottled water all the time. It did get me that often the circuit did a rooms lights and power so if it tripped you lost everything which would be deemed unsafe here. I did appreciate the lack of fuses at appliances though as it was one less thing to fault find, it's either on the circuit or the appliance, usually the appliance.
In summary: if you have a customer calling up saying their sockets in the bathroom aren't working, quadruple your rates 😁
😂 Good point!
It is a stupid rule, since nothing prevents you from taking an extension lead form another socket and use it. Extensions leads are probably more dangerous than a properly installed sockets, especially since they are installed by DIY, I've seen extension leads with 0.75mm cables used for heavy loads, or extension leads made only with 2 core cable (because the earth is useless, and I have that 2 core cable left from a job in the '70 in the garage, let's use it for an extension cord), or not terminated correctly with single insulated cable exposed, and so on.
It may be stupid but it is the rule!
Why not? Makes sense.
Maybe it's just an ingrained cultural thing in the UK? 🤷♂️
Sooo... you can have a plug 3m away and Duck tape an extension chord on the bathroom wall. Perfectly safe, I'm sure
No I would not,reason being done one job where yes the sky was 3 metrs away but the customer had floor standing convector with a long flex on it which could of reached 1m from the bath
Good to take that into account!
My First thought after your opening question was WHY WOULD YOU WANT To..... unless divorce is not an option 👹
😉
Thanx for the vid though 👍🇬🇧
Woah! Apparently some people like to use hair driers or straighteners in the bathroom. 🤷♂️
The regulation has now been updated to 2.5m
So is it a merican thing to have sockets in bathrooms I personally think that proper use is especially important as well as proper installation
Why would anyone ever install an outlet directly in a shower
From the comments we're getting from our international viewers it seems that the UK is fairly unique in having such strict precautions for sockets in bathrooms.
On a simiar topic I notice that electricians still seem reluctant to put light switches on the wall inside bathrooms. I've seen John Ward's videos on this topic - he's convinced this is just old habits dying hard. Don't get him started on manky old pull-chords !!
Interesting stuff.
I am currently renovating my retired fathers bathroom, removed the pull cord and put a switch outside but interestingly enough when we took the tiles off the wall the original light switch was on the wall inside the bathroom. Property was built in the 1930s and I've found all the old bar heater supplies on the wall and ceiling. Always amazes me how far forward we've come while being so backwards in regards to other regulations.
@@effervescence5664 interesting experience, thanks for commenting MB
Can you fit an electric bar heater in a shower ?
No
Yes. Just not in a way that complies with building regs. Do what you like. It's your home. And it's safe. British building regs are based on tradition, not safety. I know I'll be fitting one, once I find out how to do it.
@@moodini99In the UK any new circuit in a bathroom or kitchen, or a consumer unit change, must be done by an electrician. It's Part P notifiable. If you do it yourself you risk a £5,000 fine for each breach of the regulations.
I am surprised people are willing to live in a house with bathrooms that are not at least 5m square.😉
The UK really gulps down the camel and strains out the gnat when it comes to H&S. Even in Germany you can have a socket in the bathroom. Every hairdryer and electric toothbrush requires an outlet. Unless the UK doesn't trust their own citizens. 3 meters is total overkill
If you’ve got a big bathroom you can
No chance in mine
Mine neither!
Probably never going too happen 😂 then you get a clever person come in and say we’ll use an ip67 socket used for outdoors and get around it that way
They'd probably try but it wouldn't comply. 😬
@@efixx I was told that the reason why you can’t have sockets and light switches in bathrooms is for a number of reasons one being that bathrooms tend to fill with steam, and that can course a problem . Steam is water and we all know water and electricity do not go together.
@@Dog-whisperer7494 yeah it's classed as a special location as there's an increased risk of shock due to the high incidence of water and lowered body resistances.
@@efixx yes that’s what we were thought at college .
Kitchens you have cuburds above the work tops and double sockets between the two your kettle is on said work top boiling and spewing out STEAM , then you have the cooker on one souse pan boiling potato’s and one or two boiling the vegetables and yes the kitchen is getting a bit steamy . Yet we are aloud to have socket outlets in that room . Strange that
I have two separate socket outlets in my bathroom. Approx two metres from bath edge, used for radio and fan heater with timer control. Zero possiblety of touching either and bath at same time, perfectly safe.
Over the bath I have an electric shower, touched by my hand while standing in a pool of water, yet deemed to be perfectly Safe. Think about that one !!!. In my kitchen I have multiple electric appliances a meter away from a stainless steel sink !?!.
So where is the logic here ?.
No it isn't safe. The difference is showers are purpose made, insulated and waterproof, ordinary sockets and appliances you plug into them are not. Unlike the bathroom you don't tend to be naked and wet in the kitchen.
So, for arguments sake probably 80-90% of residences in the UK the answer is a very simple No.
If someone has to ask that question he is either a very bad electrictian and should reject his position or is a lay and does not even have to play around with that topic.
This regulation is an utter nonsense to me. I am Hungarian, currently living in the UK, but this regulation blown my mind. In my old country every bathroom have multiple wall socket with 220V in them for shaving, hair dryer etc. devices and NEVER heard any accidents happened in my life cause by electric shock in bathroom over 40+ years. Just an example our bathroom in Hungary around 3m long and 1.75m wide, but still had 3 socket around, 1 next to sink roughly shoulder heights for shaver/hair dryer, also we use switches for light without ever any problem. These UK regulations stuck in the stone age or just simple too cautious for safety. I wonder how many people trying to bypass this regulation using extension cords to get some power supply into their bathrooms. Probably this is more dangerous than an actual properly installed switch/wall socket. Ridiculous.
Not good idea .
I wouldn't like it either.
True. It's a great idea. Bathroom heater, here I come
The number of women who run a lead from the hallway into a bathroom so they can use a hairdryer or hair straightners? Lots.
Having a socket 3 m away from zone one puts you in range of the sink. A hairdryer being dropped into a full sink? Nope.
There should *no* sockets in bathrooms at all, as they can be abused. Only fixed appliances, like a wall mounted hairdryer, with adequate wet room safety incorporated.
If people use leads from the hallway to use the hairdryer in the bathroom anyway, you might as well install a socket near the sink like it is done in the rest of the world. If safety is a concern, maybe the solution would be to require a 10 mA RCD dedicated to that bathroom socket, making the system even more safe. Omitting a necessary thing only stimulates people to find another, more dangerous way to bring power in the bathroom
Yup.
@@adrianodemetrio5607
You have a _two wrongs make a right_ way of looking.
@@johnburns4017 How is it wrong to use a hair dryer or straighter in a bathroom? The majority of countries have sockets in the bathroom; why can’t the UK update and align with other countries?
@@gloveyourway2000
_"How is it wrong to use a hair dryer or straighter in a bathroom?"_
You must be able to figure this one out.