Electrical things in a shower

[Arron]

Hi. Are there any sparkies on the job here who can tell me if there are any regulations affecting the installation of a combined fan and light unit in the ceiling above a shower? The ceiling is 2.7m and the shower is one of those rail ones which slides up to about 2m maximum. The shower screens come up to about 1.8m. I want to know before I buy one of these : http://www.ixl.com.au/ventilation.html.

Alternatively, is there anyone who has recently had one put in by a sparkie?

thanks
Arron

[Slavo]

we have done a couple of bathroom reno's last year and the sparky said that you couldn't install them directly over the shower hob, something to do with water splashing onto an electric motor, although you would need to have a very funny showering habits to get water on the ceiling

[silentC]

The stupid thing about that is bathrooms being full of steam, you end up with moisture condensing all over the fan and motor no matter where it is in the room. Not sure why that's OK and putting it over the shower hob is not. My kids sit in the bath and chuck water all over the room. I often go in there and there's big drops forming on the ceiling.

[Pulse]

Hi Arron, the information is in the wiring rules AS3000. I don't have mine with me to refer to but I think the rule about installing directly over a shower only applies is the ceiling is less than 2500mm. I do know recessed or low volatge fitting are allowed in that zone. Best to check with a sparkie or place it just outside the enclosure.

Cheers
Pulse

[Wassy]

Arron,

Pulse is correct, the wet area limits stop at 2.5 metres (as measured from the shower floor).

Although remember that if it is your only source of light and you use the bathroom to shave etc you may want to locate it outside the shower.

As you will be getting a sparky to do the job properly, get him to double check.

Cheers,

Mat

[journeyman Mick]

Disclaimer:
I'm not a sparky so don't take this as gospel, but was told this by one.

If you have one of those handheld showers, as fitted to disabled showers etc, they calculate the placement of power points and light switches from where the hose will reach to. So the length of the flexible hose is added onto whatever distance the switch or powerpoint can be from a water source. This means that in a lot of bathrooms you can't legally even have a light switch in the room.

Mick

[Arron]

Yes, we have one of those handheld showers, the type that slides up and down on a rail. The hose is very long and it reaches right out of the shower recess and half way across the bathroom, so I suppose we are going to have to go back to candle power. Pity. The wife choose it because she thought it would make cleaning the tiles in the shower easier.

Arron

[RETIRED]

The stupid thing about that is bathrooms being full of steam, you end up with moisture condensing all over the fan and motor no matter where it is in the room. Not sure why that's OK and putting it over the shower hob is not. My kids sit in the bath and chuck water all over the room. I often go in there and there's big drops forming on the ceiling.

I was waiting for something about drips.