Bathroom Lighting
Great care needs to be taken when choosing bathroom lighting, as the regulations are strict concerning the type of light you use. The following information is a guide to help you understand what fittings can be placed where. This is not an installation guide and reference should be made to the IEE Wirings Regulations (16th Edition) or a qualified electrician.
Bathroom Zones Diagram. The diagram to the right shows the zones into which a bathroom is split.
Zone 0 is inside the bath or shower itself and any fittings used here must be low voltage (max 12v) and be rated IPX7, which is total protection when immersed in water.
Zone 1 is above the bath to a height of 2.25m. A min of IPX4 is required here. Also if the light fitting is 240v, it must be protected by a 30ma RCD.
Zone 2 is an area stretching to 0.6m outside the bath and above the bath if over 2.25m. An IP rating of at least IPX4 is required here.
Zone 3 is anywhere outside zones 0,1 and 2 (subject to specific limits) and where no water jet is likely to be used there is no IP rating required.