In the article we will talk about how to properly hold the light in the bath with your own hands. Lighting is an element that makes a design unique. High-quality and pleasant light helps to relax, rest the soul and body. But keep in mind that the baths have very high humidity, so it is quite difficult to conduct electricity into it. After all, you need to follow the safety requirements so that at one “perfect” moment you don’t get an electric shock. In addition, in rooms with high humidity, it is best to make lighting that will be powered by 12 V. But we'll talk about this a little later.
Second light - all for and against
In our article, we will briefly talk about the projects of baths with a second light - this is a slightly different situation. The second light is lighting with the help of window openings. This must be done correctly so as not to lose heat, which is very expensive. Therefore, it is necessary either to carefully insulate all window openings, or to give preference to electric lighting. Below is a project that you canimplement both with your own hands and purchase from construction companies.
What to choose? Of course, a bath with a second light looks very beautiful, unusual, attractive. But after all, the classics of the genre are rooms with a minimum number of door and window openings. As for the steam room, there are no windows at all. Therefore, if you want to make a “classic” bath, it is better to use the advice of electricians and conduct the wiring correctly in order to connect lighting fixtures to it. The cost, by the way, will be much less than that of windows and insulation materials.
Proper mounting
Next to the input of electricity into the bath, it is necessary to put a shield in which you need to place all the circuit breakers and residual current devices (RCDs). It is from this shield that you later lay all the wiring in the bathhouse. Before starting work, you need to mark the places where the wiring will be laid.
The most important thing is to choose the right wiring to be done inside. Double insulated copper wires ensure that you protect all wiring from heat and humidity. Be sure to lay all the wires in pipes made of non-combustible materials. For example, from polyvinyl chloride. The use of metal sleeves is strictly prohibited.
Cable Requirements
All cables must be placed in a straight line, turns are strictly at right angles. From the ceiling it is necessary to maintain a distance of 100-200 mm, frommetal objects - 500 mm, from doorways - 100 mm. It is forbidden to make wiring connections with twists. This is not a very safe method, a spark may occur due to the increase in resistance when oxidation occurs.
Soldering or using terminals, bolt clamps will be much better. All contacts must be hidden in junction boxes, which must be closed with a lid. But it is necessary that this cover be accessible and at any time it can be removed for repairs.
Electrical appliances in the bath
Requirements for electrical appliances to be installed in the bath are also quite high. If you decide to make the light in the bath with your own hands, then make sure that all devices have a protection class of at least IP54. The load should be selected with a margin of about 25%. In other words, if you calculated that a certain section of the circuit will consume a current of about 3 amperes, then you need to choose a circuit breaker that can withstand at least 3 + (3 x 0.25) u003d 3.75 A. But you are unlikely to find, so you need to choose from the entire line of devices the nearest one in the big direction (that is, it is an automatic machine with a rating of 4 A).
All sockets that are placed in the bath rooms should be located at a height of 300 mm from the floor surface, switches - 1000 mm, distance from window and door openings - 100 mm. Please note that the light switches in the washroom and steam room must beplaced outside these premises. Be sure to connect the cable from below, this will protect electrical appliances from moisture.
Introduction of electricity underground
But before you make the light in the bath, you need to organize the correct input. And this is done either with the help of an overhead line, or underground. First, consider the less popular, expensive and complex option - laying the cable underground. First of all, you need to choose the correct cable section. To do this, sum up the power indicators of all electrical appliances that you plan to install in the bath, divide the resulting value by the mains voltage (this is 220 V). As a result, you will get the value of the current strength. It is recommended to increase this value by 25% and then select the cable section from the table.
The cable is laid underground, but be sure to use a pipe. The wire should enter it freely. The entire line must be protected with a box. The input is carried out to the input shield, the wires are connected to the circuit breaker. But one feature should be noted - until you have completely made the electrical wiring in the premises and tested it, it is forbidden to apply voltage.
Overhead line
But in order to hold the light bath, air lines are often used. They are simpler, mounted quickly and serve for quite a long time. The distance from the ground is at least 2.75 m. If the distance between the extreme points is large, then additional supports must be installed to prevent sagging.
It is worth noting that the airthe line must withstand any vagaries of nature - precipitation, ice, wind, heat. It is best to use a self-supporting type wire (SIP). It is made of aluminum and covered with high quality insulation. The minimum cable section is 16 square meters. mm. And this is quite enough to connect any bath area. But there is one feature - the SIP cable does not need to be introduced into the room, you just connect the copper elastic to it. Enter the electrical panel through the wall.
Internal wiring: basic requirements
To make light in the bath and steam room, you need to know the basic requirements for installation. In close proximity to the input you need to put a shield. It is necessary that it closes securely, be airtight so that steam or water does not get in from the outside. It is imperative to put a circuit breaker or RCD in the shield. Their purpose is almost the same - to turn off all the electrics in a timely manner. The main machine must be selected for a current of 16A.
It is recommended to put a "bag" in front of the circuit breaker. With it, you can de-energize the entire bath, even the shield itself. It is also desirable to use wiring with three cores, one of which will subsequently go to ground. As a result, all sockets must be installed with a grounding contact (the so-called Euro sockets).
Junction boxes
Now you need to put the junction boxes. Each room should have one in order to carry out wiring from it. Choose the most suitable and convenient places - after all, you need not only to provideconvenience in the further use of devices, but also save wires. It is also worth considering the fact that sockets in the steam room, shower room, washing room, there is no need to install sockets. They are simply not needed in these rooms. Therefore, only wires for lighting should be passed through them. It is advisable to supply them not with 220 V, but with safer 12 V. Fortunately, incandescent lamps with an E27 base can be found on sale.
Switches
To install a junction box inside a brick or block wall, you need to cut a hole for it. To it, you make strobes along the pre-marked lines, along which you will lay the wires. All cracks after installation must be covered with putty. But be sure to first make sure that all the wires are connected correctly and the switches are working.
To do this, you need to install all the lamps in the cartridges. It is recommended that all work be carried out using a safe voltage of 12 V. Connect the power supply to the input and check the operation of all mounted switches. It is recommended to install a separate circuit breaker for each room in the bath.
Safe Wiring
To apply safe voltage to the steam room, washing room, shower room, you need to use a step-down transformer. Please note that it must have enough power to power the lamps that you have chosen for lighting. Pay attention to LED strips - they are quite bright, consume a minimum amount of energy. And most importantly, there are designs that allow you tousing the remote control to adjust the degree of illumination.
It is allowed to use both home-made transformers and factory-made ones. But it is recommended to give preference to the second ones - it is quite difficult to make a silent version on your own, especially for novice electricians. You can make a step-down transformer from an old microwave oven or an uninterruptible power supply. You should not use the power supply from the computer - it is pulsed and the devices will blink.
How to choose lamps?
Now you know how to light the bath with your own hands, it remains to choose the right lamps. Let's look at the most popular options with all their advantages and disadvantages:
- Simple incandescent lamps - their duration is short, but they consume significant current. The only plus is the low cost. If you decide to use such lamps in the washing and steam room, then it is necessary that the ceiling is glass with a metal case.
- LEDs - allow you to get natural and bright light, the resource is about 20 times higher than that of incandescent lamps. But among the shortcomings, one can single out the high cost and a decrease in the resource due to an aggressive environment.
- Fiber optic luminaires are the ideal option, which can withstand prolonged exposure to aggressive environments without harm.
When choosing lamps, pay attention not only to external attractiveness, but also to the degree of safety, because the conditions in the bath are veryheavy. In addition, in most cases, the premises are not heated for quite a long time. Therefore, it is necessary that the lamps easily endure low temperatures.
Give preference to fiber optic lamps - with their help you will make a unique design, spending time in the bath will be much more pleasant. But in pursuit of beauty, do not forget about practicality and safety. This is very important here.
