Re-doing your bathroom is not a weekend job. It’s something that takes a lot of planning and preparation, which is why it usually ends up on the wish list for quite a long time. Try not to rush it, especially when electrics are involved. There is so much risk involved with water and electricity, it isn’t a project best done over the weekend by an enthusiastic DIY’er. It really is better done by a professional! To prove it, we’ve got a few of the more common electrical issues and considerations you need to keep in mind when remodelling your bathroom, and how a professional might handle them.
Appropriate Lighting
Getting the lighting right in a new bathroom can make a massive difference. There’s a fine line between low, sultry mood lighting that creates that calm feeling, and dimness meaning you can’t see. Equally, too much light can make the room seem stark and create glare. Lights in the wrong places can leave you with areas too bright, and others that are pools of blackness. When re-doing your bathroom, consider what kind of lighting is appropriate for the room and where you will place it.
Keeping It Up To Code
Because a bathroom is a wet space, there are a whole host of electrical rules, restrictions and regulations around the electrical requirements. A few examples include:
- All outlets must be RCD (residual current device), to protect from electrocution.
- All electrical accessories must be correct for the relevant zone.
Unique Power Needs
Bathrooms have fairly unique power requirements:
- People will have different power needs in a bathroom.
- Outlet placement and number are important considerations in a bathroom.
- Which electrical appliances you’d like to use.
Separate Circuits
Depending on the type of bathroom you’re installing and what extra luxuries you’ve chosen, you may find that your previous power circuits aren’t enough for the new improvements. There are several types of bathroom fitting that require their own power circuit, including things like:
- Underfloor heating
- Heated towel racks
- Whirlpool or jacuzzi bathtubs
To Summarise…
If you’re re-doing your bathroom, then it will be worthwhile having an electrician look at your plans. They’ll see if you need extra prep work done before you start installing things. Because it’s a bathroom, you might be more inclined to hire a plumber to handle your bathroom remodel. In some ways, you would be right – you do need a good plumber to make sure all your pipes go to the right places, are safe and that all your fittings are installed properly. But plumbers don’t know a lot about electrics, which is why they will often leave you with wires dangling out of the ceiling when they are finished. Hiring an electrician to help you when you’re re-doing your bathroom means you can be sure everything is safe, up to code and looks finished. If you would like to find out more about our bathroom services…
