Life. Family. Home. Simplified.

Lighting Code for Bathrooms

Before you make any lighting decisions for your bathroom – there is a little thing called safety.

And another little thing called the National Electrician (Electric) code.

Get a licensed electrician that is knowledgeable about bathroom lighting.

One of the things that I have learned is that a light fixture must be outside of a make believe “box” around your shower and bath tub area.

This “box” extends 8 feet up from tub edge or shower curb and extends out 3 feet.

Basically, you shouldn’t be able to change a lightbulb while standing in pool of water.

Common sense – yes. But a precautionary step none the less.

So, my shell chandelier might have to be tabled.

Another thing that I came across in my research is something called “damp location installation”.

I saw this UL rating on several fixtures that I was looking at and it seems that this type of fixture would be favorable, if not necessary in a bathroom. However this is not to be confused with “wet location installation”. Fixtures that are labeled for wet location, I guess, can be placed within a shower area.

Bottom line –  a licensed electrician is your best friend in a bathroom redo. There is not enough information out there to help the average consumer. Even the electric code comes with a high price tag and the online version requires Java to read – which I don’t have installed.

So – I am still in the dark, pun intended.

But I am learning more so that I can make a wise decision.

Those gorgeous chandeliers that you see hanging over bathtubs in almost every decorating magazine out there? Practically speaking, NOT a good idea.

Remember water and electricity don’t mix.

Shell Chandelier for Bathroom

When you give a bathroom a facelift - well, you might as well be adorning a casino. Every single detail is a major … [Read More...]