When performing repairs in the plumbing room, the master understands that the outlet in the bathroom is often not a whim, but a necessity. It is quite possible to do it on your own. The main thing is to observe basic security measures.
Appointment of a power point in the bathroom
Since in most apartments and houses residents prefer to switch to autonomous heating, the bathroom is heated using an electric heated towel rail. An outlet is required for it.
Additionally, a washing machine, a boiler are placed in large sanitary rooms, wall sconces are mounted in the mirror area, and a hairdryer is used. All this must be connected to a power point. If you place it outside, the comfort from using household appliances will decrease slightly.
Is it possible to mount sockets in the bathroom
Until recently (1996) there was a ban on the installation of power points in rooms with high humidity. This was due to the large number of conductive lines in the premises: metal pipes, heated towel rails, washing machines with a metal body.
Now the situation has changed. More and more water mains are made of polymers, and household appliances are enclosed in lightweight plastic cases. Therefore, since 2002, the PUE regulates the ban on the placement of sockets only in rooms with a very high level of humidity: steam saunas, baths, as well as directly in showers.
Installing power points in the private bathroom is not prohibited. But here there are a number of their own requirements for compliance with security measures.
Electrical safety requirements
For the safe installation of sockets in the bathroom, you should strictly observe the rules of the PUE:
- Power points are installed only through an RCD with a current of not more than 30A (protective connection device). An isolation transformer can be used as an alternative solution. The use of both elements simultaneously increases the degree of protection of the sanitary room from emergencies. But this is at the discretion of the master.
- Necessarily grounding in the bathroom. Especially if a three-core cable is being installed. All metal components in the bathroom are grounded, including the shower tray, metal bath, sewerage or plumbing elements.
- Installation of wiring is done only in a hidden way. The overhead method is permissible provided that all cable connections are carefully insulated.
To mount the outlet above the sink, it is recommended to install the power point 60 cm from it and the shower / bathtub. The optimum height is 1.30 m from the floor and above. The minimum is 90-100 cm.
What type of socket can I use
In rooms with a high level of humidity, special sockets are required - semi- or completely sealed. More often, craftsmen prefer to use the first option with protection class IP 44 or IP 55. Fully sealed power points are not entirely convenient. The lid is difficult to release and is often opened with wet hands, which has a relative risk to the user.
Outlet area
According to the PUE (clause 7.1.47), the bathroom is divided into four zones, each of which has its own recommendations and norms for the placement of food outlets.
- Zone 0. The space of the shower stall or bathing bowl. Installation of sockets is strictly prohibited here. It is permissible to use electrical appliances with a power of 12 volts in this area. They can withstand short-term full immersion in water and do not pose a danger to humans in the event of such situations.
- Zone 1. Plane in close proximity to the sink, bath, shower. It is allowed to use electrical appliances, the degree of protection of which is IPX5.
- Zone 2. This is a regulated distance of 60 cm and more from the shower, bath, sink. It is possible to operate here devices with degree of protection IPX4, which are resistant to dripping and splashing water. In this area, there is often a cabinet near which a power point can be placed.
- Zone 3. The rest of the bathroom. Mounting of sockets is permitted here, but with protection class IPX4.
The power point for the washing machine or heated towel rail is made more often in zone 3. Beyond potentially dangerous perimeters (if the room is large), it is allowed to install sockets with IPX1 protection class. But they are also necessarily connected through an RCD.
Choosing a wire for the bathroom
In addition to the regulated norms for the location of outlets in the bathroom, it should be borne in mind that all electrical appliances must be connected through wires with a certain section. They are required to withstand the current passing through them.
Recommendations:
- for a washing machine and a boiler from 2 kW, you need to use a copper cable with a cross section of 2.5 mm2;
- for the conclusion of a sconce, sockets for a hair dryer, an electric shaver, it is allowed to use a cable with a cross section of 1.5 mm2.
All bathroom cables are best taken with a copper conductor. It is less susceptible to oxidation, more flexible and able to withstand severe stress. In addition, at the time of connecting electrical appliances to sockets powered through a copper cable, the latter has the smallest contact resistance.
For a bathroom, it is better to buy a three-core double-braided wire.
Installation work
When installing food outlets in the bathroom, you can act in two ways - hidden (internal) and open.
The hidden one is done like this:
- Markings are applied to the walls in the places where moisture-proof power points are installed. How many sockets should be in the bathroom, the master decides for himself. If only they were all located in zones 2 and 3.
- Along the drawn circle (diameter 70 mm), a socket for the socket is drilled with a special diamond crown. Its depth is controlled by periodically inserting a glass into the wall.
- A wire is brought into the prepared hole through the grooves or cable channel.
- Remove the outer sheath of about 10 cm from it with a side cutter.
- The wires are put into the socket of the socket, and the glass itself is planted in a recess on a plaster or alabaster solution.
- After the mixture has dried, the wires are attached to the terminals in accordance with the color.
- Everything is securely fixed and clamped.
- After that, you should install the outer decorative part of the socket.
If the power point is installed before finishing the walls in the bathroom, it is important to make the protrusion of the glass above the level of the plane, equal to the thickness of the future tile plus the adhesive composition. If you build in the socket in this way, after laying the cladding, it will be flush with the plane of the wall. Otherwise, it will "drown" in it.
Outdoor socket
Wires to such a power point are led through a cable channel. Then, in the designated place, the lower (back) part of the outlet is attached to the wall. Wires are connected to it by wire. The upper part of the power point is put on, the box with the laid cable is closed with a decorative strip.
An external outlet is installed only after finishing the walls of the plumbing room.
Mounting inside the protective cover
It is allowed to install sockets with a protection class below IP4 in the bathroom.But on condition that they are mounted in a special casing. This option is used in two cases:
- there is no way to buy sockets of the required moisture protection class;
- in parallel with the power points, switches for sconces and a control unit for underfloor heating are placed.
The work is performed in the following sequence:
- A waterproof box is fixed to the wall in a given place. It is planted on a dowel-nails.
- The cable must be routed inside the waterproof casing and the outer sheath must be removed from it.
- The wires are connected to the terminal block in accordance with the color and type of terminals.
- The sockets inside the box are attached to mounting brackets.
- Put on the top decorative covers.
Subject to all the recommendations, the installation of outlets in the bathroom is quick, correct and does not pose any danger to the user.
