Categories: Electrician at home, Sockets and switches
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Outlets in the bathroom

 

Outlets in the bathroomIn the era of actively developing socialism, plug-in sockets in the bathroom considered unnecessary and unnecessary luxury. Therefore, it is hardly possible to see somewhere "Khrushchev" with "native" outlets in the bathroom.

But life does not stand still, and the Khrushchev’s are still in operation. And today their owners are increasingly faced with the need to install electrical outlets in the bathroom. It is necessary to connect washing machines, showers, hair dryers, electric shavers and, possibly, some more rare and even exotic types of electrical appliances.

Due to the stereotypes that have developed over decades, sockets in the bathroom were perceived by many electricians as something unnatural: “How so? High humidity, splashes, steel pipes of hot water and cold water, cast-iron risers, and sockets nearby? It’s not just dangerous, but very dangerous! ”

Honestly, there was some truth to this attitude to outlets in the bathroom. Indeed, in the Soviet Union, the nomenclature of household outlets, if it included instances with protection against splashes and moisture, it was almost impossible to get and use them in everyday life. Leakage protection devices were not common.

But today, sockets in the bathroom definitely have the right to life, assigned to them by the current standards of the PUE and GOST R 50571.11-96.


But since you can install sockets in the bathroom, several questions immediately arise:

1) What kind of sockets should these be?

2) What type of wiring should I prefer to install outlets in the bathroom, and which cable should I use?

3) In what place should these sockets be located?

4) What device in the switchboard should protect the lines that supply the sockets in the bathroom?


We will deal with these questions in order.

Outlets in the bathroom1. Of course, anyway you should not put any outlet in the bathroom. There should be splash protection, usually expressed as a spring-loaded cover. For outdoor outlets, which are rarely used in the bathroom for reasons that will be discussed below, a sealed rubberized cable entry is mandatory.

In general, to avoid any confusion, it is better to just use sockets with a degree of protection against external influences of IP44 and higher. In two-wire lines, in the absence of a grounding line, it is not superfluous to use sockets structurally combined with RCDs with a leakage current rating of 10 mA to connect powerful power consumers, such as a washing machine.

2. It is believed that open wiring in the bathroom is excluded. In fact, this is not entirely true. Open wiring is allowed but undesirable. Open wiring is strictly prohibited in metal hoses. But, since the installation of sockets in the bathroom is usually timed to repair in the apartment, it’s better to exert yourself a little, perform a strobe and lay secretly to the outlet traditional VVGng or NYM cablehaving three conductors with a cross section of 2.5 square meters. mm

Outlets in the bathroom3. The installation location of the outlet in the bathroom, of course, is determined by the intended location of the equipment that we will connect. After all, if you can still install sockets in the bathroom, then there are definitely no places for extension cords and tees.

But, on the other hand, even purely intuitively, every adult understands that in some places in the bathroom, sockets are still excluded. Such places, for example, can unambiguously include a wall or partition designed for stationary installation of a shower head.

In general, sockets in the bathroom should be located no closer than 0.6 meters from the front door of the shower or directly from the bath.Since at least a small, local "flood" can always occur in the bathroom, it is advisable to place the sockets in this room a little higher, at least at a height of 18-20 centimeters from the floor.

4. With respect to three-wire lines, incorporating a PE conductor, there are practically no questions and doubts about the protection devices for outlet lines in bathrooms.

A differential machine with a maximum current rating of 25 amperes is installed in the apartment panel, or an ordinary machine of the same rating complete with RCD. The rated value of the protection against leakage currents in accordance with the rules should be no more than 30 mA. For new lines, you can safely choose 10 mA devices.

In two-wire lines, it is also possible to use an RCD, and for powerful electrical receivers it can be structurally combined with a power outlet. Power consumers such as an electric shaver or hairdryer can be connected via an optional isolation transformer.

Outlets in the bathroomA few words can be said about technological specifics of installing outlets in the bathroom. The walls in this room are usually tiled. And tile is a very fragile ceramic material. Therefore, for the installation of podrozetniki, you should use special crowns for ceramics, and for drilling holes for plastic dowels - with appropriate drills. In both cases, the hammerless mode is established on the punch, and the cutting must be wet to remove heat from the tool - you will have to add water as you work.

After the tile is drilled, for further work, you can arm yourself with ordinary crowns and augers on concrete and put the hammer into shock mode.

See also at i.electricianexp.com:

  • Fixtures for the bathroom
  • Power supply and bathroom lighting
  • How to install and connect a socket for a stove and a washing machine
  • Features of installation of electrical wiring and connection of household electrical appliances in ...
  • When washing hands, it is shocking - how to solve this problem

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    Comments:

    # 1 wrote: | [quote]

     
     

    Nice article.

     
    Comments:

    # 2 wrote: Paul | [quote]

     
     

    Sockets in small bathtubs, in the same Khrushchevs, it is better not to put. This is dangerous. Sockets are relatively safe to do only in large bathrooms, far from grounded elements. Well, be sure to socket for the bathroom should be with a high degree of protection against penetration of moisture and water. By the way, the presence of a cover does not necessarily indicate such a degree of protection. By simply choosing a socket with a cover, you can mistakenly choose a regular socket that cannot be installed in the bath.

     
    Comments:

    # 3 wrote: | [quote]

     
     

    Paul, you need to look at IP, not the caps. What, in fact, is said in the article.

    And about where and in which bathrooms you can put sockets said in the mentioned regulatory documents. They lack terms such as “Khrushchev” and “small bathroom”. And proximity to grounded elements is determined by zones. And there are areas in which sockets - to be.

     
    Comments:

    # 4 wrote: | [quote]

     
     

    Are you really messy in real life? Or is it just theoretical reasoning? What’s the conversation, if you just put 10 mA narrowly on the bathroom line and play what kind of outlets there !!!

     
    Comments:

    # 5 wrote: | [quote]

     
     

    Valeria

    Probably do not care which sockets even with an RCD of 10mA. If some in the bathroom are killed by 5V, then 10mA is enough for them. Yes, and healthy feel 5mA in water is not very nice. And to put a cool UZO (branded, type A) on a separate bathroom power line, not everyone agrees.
    Auto RU

    In fact, zones are determined not by proximity to grounded elements, but by proximity to water (a bathtub as a product or a shower head). Personally, I set IP44 away from the water (in zone 3) (I take outlets with an IP20 Viko Carmen cover, insert a set of IP44 Polo gaskets inside), I dream to put even outlets IP55 (Legrand, open, but very scary and expensive), taking into account the possibility of direct blowing a jet of water to any place in the bathroom, which sometimes happens. According to the isolation transformer for the bathroom, these are superfluous words in the PUE, no one will put it for a 2 kW hair dryer or a washing machine, it probably weighs 10 kg, the size of a bucket and costs accordingly.Somehow I had a case with a 2-story mansion, the wiring was made with PPV wires in plaster, the input was a 30mA diflomat machine at the gate, the wiring was damp during rain, the diflomat machine was disconnected, what should I do? Option 1 - a 10kW isolation transformer in the house, but with the secondary winding earthed and three diflattomats installed, such transformers are made, but to order, you can imagine it in size, weight and cost. The owner was horrified and agreed to a simplified version - a difavtomat at the input of 100mA, promised to not interrupt the line to the house in the ground with a shovel, in the house the wiring was divided by three 30mA diflattomats.
    According to the installation technology - I personally drill holes in the tile not with a perforator in the drilling mode without impact, but with a percussion drill in the impact mode (light and frequent), and I cut the square holes in the tile for mounting (installation) boxes with a grinder without cooling, I have to hold the grinder very good so as not to overdo it with the length of the cut.

     
    Comments:

    # 6 wrote: MaksimovM | [quote]

     
     

    If possible, you can refuse to use outlets in the bathroom. Why endanger yourself and your children? It is possible, for example, to connect a water heater or shower through a separately installed circuit breaker. And connect the washing machine to an outlet that can be installed outside the bathroom, in close proximity, for example, in the corridor.

     
    Comments:

    # 7 wrote: | [quote]

     
     

    I also liked the interesting and relevant material and comments. Thanks to everyone.

     
    Comments:

    # 8 wrote: | [quote]

     
     

    In TN-C systems, the use of Uzo and a differential machine is generally prohibited by intersectoral safety rules. RCDs can only be used in TN-C-S, TN-S systems. There are water heaters that connect without an outlet through the terminal block inside the case, but if you short to the case, in the absence of grounding, something will not save you.

     
    Comments:

    # 9 wrote: | [quote]

     
     

    MaksimovM, In Soviet times, the cord length of the washing machine, according to the technical specifications, was 2.8 meters, so there was no difficulty connecting to a corridor outlet outside the bathroom (he worked at the factory and participated in drafting the Tu for the washer). Now (with widespread calls for energy saving), the tendency of manufacturers to manufacture household electrical appliances (electric kettle, iron, dishwasher, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, etc.) with increased (kilowatt!) Power consumption. Therefore, the power cords are short, often insufficient. In the early 90s, I had a Soviet semi-automatic washing machine in the bathroom with a 2.8m power cord. Then they purchased a modern automatic washing machine (with, of course, a shortened cord). I connected it through the carrier, but the cord was warming up on her. Therefore, it is necessary to use a cord with a large cross-section of wires. He took off the lid of his indesit, and there: figv, his native cord was hidden firmly in a non-separable surge protector. I had to cut off the molded plug of the washing machine and instead of it install, as it should be, a cable “connector-to-male” coupled to the “connector-mother” of the extension cord, where a cord with a larger cross-section of wires came in handy. Regarding the pair of connectors, I looked at the electric shops sold - I didn’t like it: it was painfully bulky and unaesthetic. Used pairs of connectors for computer network cords. Later, I installed the above spray-dustproof outlet in the bathroom and (just in case) inside the installation box, I missed everything with sealant.

     
    Comments:

    # 10 wrote: Yuri | [quote]

     
     

    Quote: elalex
    If some in the bathroom kills 5V

    Perhaps, but the percentage of such people is very small. And if you count the equipment for them, then the batteries can be prohibited)))
    A 10 mA RCD disconnects this current GUARANTEED. In fact, the tripping current is less - within 8 mA.
    Of course, the location of sockets and non-grounded power consumers close to the sink, bath, etc. - this is for kamikaze.Although, apparently, there are a lot of them in hotels in resort towns))) Like an outlet for hairdryers, they always stand at the sinks, because there is a mirror at the sinks. I understand that drying hair outside the toilet is not feng shui for many, but the risk ...
    Another thing to add to the article is that it is best not to remove the plugs from outlets, and the plugs themselves should be tight (filled). For example, the washing machine can not be turned off (unless it washers of the times of the USSR, of course). The plug closes the outlet and protects it very effectively.
    Although in fact few people use protected sockets. But ceteris paribus it is better not to use outlets for open wiring (only hidden) and use outlets with "curtains", use only modern outlets and plugs.