Bathroom Lighting Regulations

Side lighting is best for minimizing shadows but if it s not possible place a fixture such as a horizontal bar with multiple lights above your vanity mirror.

Bathroom lighting regulations. Bathroom lighting regulation zones are as follows. Zone 0 is permitted but it must be designed specifically for use in a bath or shower be low voltage and have an ipx7. An area stretching 600mm outside the perimeter of the bath or shower and to a height of 2250mm from the floor. Zone 3 has no ip.

Zone 1 requires ipx4. For a new bathroom layout think about how your dream space would function. Outlet circuit must be 20 amps. Most bathrooms however add at least one other light fixture often a wall mounted vanity light above the mirror or a pair of wall sconces on the sides of the mirror.

A lamp is the lighting industry s term for a. A luminaire consists of the housing power supply ballast lamp reflector and in some cases a lens. This can be a combination vent fan light fixture unit. Fittings in zone 2 need a minimum ipx4 rating.

For optimal lighting place strip lights or globe type light bars at least 16 inches long on each side of the mirror centered at 61 to 64 inches about the average eye height. The nec requires at least one ceiling mounted light fixture in a bathroom. Zone 2 is an area stretching 0 6m outside the perimeter of the bath and to a height of 2 25m from the floor. The outlets in a bathroom should be served by a 20 amp circuit separate from the lighting circuit to provide power items such as curling irons razors and hairdryers.

Ip ingress protection ratings are given as two single digits e g. The area round a washbasin within a radius of 600mm from the tap should also be treated as zone 2. It s also worth noting that most shower lights are rated at ip65 in any case. The nec requires that all outlet receptacles in a bathroom be gfci protected.

In order to fully understand bathroom lighting zones and lighting regulations we must first understand the ip rating system. A luminaire is the lighting industry s term for light fixture. To determine space planning requirements answer the questions below to shed light on how you ll use the space. This fixture should provide the equivalent of 150 watts of incandescent lighting and be long enough to spread light evenly over your face.

Good lighting is critical at the bathroom mirror for shaving makeup and other tasks of personal hygiene. Zone 2 requires ipx4 or double insulated or low voltage or be recessed into the ceiling. Ip 67 where the first number is used to classify an electrical enclosure s resistance against intrusion from solid foreign bodies and the second.