In the article we will talk about how to properly conduct light in the bathhouse with your own hands. Lighting is an element that makes a design unique. High-quality and pleasant light helps to relax, relax body and soul. But you need to take into account that the baths have very high humidity, so it is quite difficult to conduct electricity in it. After all, it is necessary to comply with safety requirements, so that at one “fine” moment not to 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.
The second light - all the pros and cons
In our article, we will briefly talk about bathhouse projects with a second light - this is a slightly different situation. The second light is lighting through window openings. This must be done correctly so as not to lose heat, which is very expensive. Therefore, you must either carefully insulate all window openings, or give preference to electric lighting. Below is a project that can be implemented both with your own hands and purchased from construction companies.
What to choose? Of course, a bath with a second light looks very beautiful, unusual, attractive. But 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 in it. Therefore, if you want to make a "classic" bath, it is better to use the advice of electricians and conduct the correct wiring to connect lighting fixtures to it. The cost, by the way, will be much less than that of windows and insulation materials.
Proper installation
Next to the input of electricity to the bathhouse, it is necessary to put a shield in which it is necessary to place all the circuit breakers and residual current devices (RCDs). It is from this shield that in the future you lay all the wiring along the premises of the bath. Before starting work, you need to mark the places where wiring will be laid.
The most important thing is to choose the wiring that will be done inside. Double insulated copper wires ensure that all wiring is protected from high temperature and humidity. It is imperative that all wires be laid 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 carried out strictly at right angles. It is necessary to maintain a distance of 100-200 mm from the ceiling, 500 mm from metal objects, and 100 mm from doorways. It is forbidden to make wiring connections using twists. This is not a very safe method; a spark may occur due to an increase in resistance upon oxidation.
It will turn out to be much better soldering or the use of terminals, bolt clamps. All contacts must be hidden in junction boxes, which must be covered with a lid. But it is necessary that this cover is accessible and at any time it can be removed for repairs.
Electrical appliances in the bath
The requirements for electrical appliances that will 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 thought that a certain section of the circuit would consume current of about 3 amperes, you must choose a circuit breaker that can withstand at least 3+ (3 x 0.25) = 3.75 A. But you are unlikely to be such an automaton find, so you need to choose the closest to the big side from the entire line of devices (that is, it is an automatic machine with a rating of 4 A).
All sockets that are placed in the premises of the bathhouse should be located at a height of 300 mm from the floor surface, switches - 1000 mm, the distance from window and doorways - 100 mm. Please note that the light switches in the washing room and steam room must be installed outside these rooms. Be sure to wire the cable from below, this will protect electrical appliances from moisture.
Entering 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 a less popular, expensive and complex option - laying the cable underground. First of all, you will need to choose the correct cable cross-section. To do this, summarize 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 get the current value. 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 go into it freely. The entire line must be protected with a box. Input is carried out to the input panel, the wires are connected to the circuit breaker. But one feature should be noted - until you completely wiring the premises and test it, it is forbidden to supply voltage.
Air line
But in order to conduct light in the bathhouse, air lines are often used. They are simpler, mounted quickly and last a fairly 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 placed to prevent sagging.
It is worth noting that the air 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 coated with quality insulation. The minimum cable cross section is 16 square meters. mm And this is enough to connect any bathhouse of any size. But there is one feature - the SIP cable does not need to be inserted into the room, just connect a copper elastic cable to it. The input to the electrical panel is through the wall.
Internal wiring: basic requirements
To make the light in the bath and steam room, you need to know the basic requirements for installation. In the immediate vicinity of the input you need to put the shield. It is necessary that it closes securely, be airtight, so that steam or water does not enter from the outside. It is absolutely necessary to put a circuit breaker or RCD in the shield. Their purpose is almost the same - to turn off all 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 advisable 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 must have one in order to carry out wiring from it. Choose the most suitable and convenient places - after all, you need not only to provide convenience for further use of the devices, but also to save wires. It is also worth considering the fact that the sockets in the steam room, shower, washing, there is no need to put sockets. They are simply not needed in these rooms. Therefore, conduct only wires for lighting in them. It is advisable to supply them with not 220 V, but safer 12 V. The benefit of incandescent lamps with a base type E27 can be found on sale.
Circuit breakers
To put a junction box inside a brick or block wall, you need to cut a hole under it. To it, do the strobe along the previously marked lines, along which you will lay the wires. After installation, all cracks must be covered with putty. But be sure to first make sure that all wires are connected correctly and that the switches perform their function.
To do this, install all the lamps in the lampholders. 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 put a separate circuit breaker on each room in the bathhouse.
Safe wiring
To apply to the steam room, washing, shower, safe voltage, you need to use a step-down transformer. Please note that he must have enough power to power those 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 using the remote control to regulate 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 - it is quite difficult to make a silent option on your own, especially for beginners. You can make a step-down transformer from an old microwave 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 conduct light in the bathhouse with your own hands, it remains to correctly choose the lamps. Let's look at the most popular options with all their advantages and disadvantages:
- Simple incandescent lamps - the duration of their work is short, but the current they consume is significant. The only plus is the low cost. If you decide to use such lamps in the washing and steam rooms, it is necessary that the ceiling is glass with a metal body.
- LEDs - allow you to get a 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 resource reduction due to the aggressive environment.
- Fiber optic luminaires that can withstand the prolonged exposure to aggressive environments without harm can be called an ideal option.
When choosing fixtures, pay attention not only to the visual appeal, but also to the degree of safety, because the conditions in the bathhouse are very difficult. In addition, in most cases, the premises are not heated for quite a long time. Therefore, it is necessary that the lamps easily tolerate 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.