 | Home > Off Topic > Mains electricity query for an expert? |
 
|
|
|
| WelshGas Member Since: 01 Oct 2010 Location: Vale of Glamorgan Posts: 935   
|
My wife wants me to fit a Sonos wireless speaker in her bathroom, which has no mains just 2 lights each operated by a ceiling mounted pull switch. The unit pulls very little current, the plug is fused at 3 amps. It needs to be ON all the time , unplugged when we are away. I thought of wiring a socket into the pull switch so that the unit could be plugged into it. The socket would be on the ceiling, 8ft high and the unit would be on a high shelf out of the way. Does a normal bathroom pull switch have +tve, -tve and an earth supply?
The bathroom is newly tiled so I am reluctant to drill holes through the walls which would be much more involved. I know there are lots of rules and regulations regarding this but I do have a modern electrical system in the house with earth trips and circuit breakers for each room circuit. Any other thoughts would be appreciated. LANDYWATCH 
Neighbourhood Watch for Land Rover Owners http://www.landywatch.co.uk/smf2/index.php |
||
28th Dec 2013 5:52pm |
|
| K9F Member Since: 12 Nov 2009 Location: Bournemouth Posts: 9610  
|
If it's been wired correctly it'll be just the live that will be switched via the switch. If it's a conical rose type pullswitch it could be that neutral and earth may have terminals or be linked within. Only one way to find out I'm afraid. Go have a look.
Do you have easy access to the ceiling from above through the floorboards? If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!! Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!! Last edited by K9F on 28th Dec 2013 6:10pm. Edited 1 time in total |
||
|
28th Dec 2013 6:07pm |
|
| excossack Member Since: 22 Feb 2012 Location: North West Posts: 5965 
|
Is the speaker rated for a moist environment?
Rather than putting a socket in the ceiling could you drop the cable down from above (assuming you have a loft or other accessible void) and then maybe run off an extension lead to a socket elsewhere? 1999 Defender TD5 110 Regards John M0VAZ Econet Station 48 no clock |
||
|
28th Dec 2013 6:14pm |
|
| WelshGas Member Since: 01 Oct 2010 Location: Vale of Glamorgan Posts: 935
|
Unfortunately no access to roof space which is only 12" high and sloping.. Will check the pull switch tomorrow. Thanks anyway.
 LANDYWATCH
Neighbourhood Watch for Land Rover Owners http://www.landywatch.co.uk/smf2/index.php |
||
|
28th Dec 2013 8:12pm |
|
| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2665 
|
Welshgas...here's a reasonable explanation of permitted wiring in the bathroom (it's all about Ingress protection - IP - ratings).
http://www.sensio.co.uk/page2.asp I'm with excossack - I would look to mount a water-protected speaker in the ceiling (or a wall), and power it from a source/amp elsewhere (indeed I am planning something like that now...I love round-the-house music).... Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) |
||
|
28th Dec 2013 9:43pm |
|
| GEllis Member Since: 21 Nov 2013 Location: Cornwall Posts: 58  
|
Any electrical work within a bathroom, kitchen or garden in a domestic house comes under part Please of the building regulations, unless you are a fully qualified and registered electrician then you are not deemed competent to carry out installation works.
I would recommend you contact an NicEic contractor who can best advise and certify any works in the bathroom. The current edition of the wiring regulations BS7671 does in certain circumstances allow a socket in the bathroom and not necessarily needing to be IP rated. I would not advise taking a supply from the lighting pull switch. I would also check on the Sonos speaker in a bathroom environment, I have Sonos but not put it in he bathroom. Hope this helps. |
||
|
28th Dec 2013 10:31pm |
|
| Cakey Member Since: 19 Feb 2013 Location: Cheshire Posts: 468
|
Play 1 is suitable for bathrooms .
You cannot have it on a socket , it would need to be on a permanent supply , and mounted away from the wet bath area . Most tend to use the extract fan supply to power it and mount high level above the fan . Depends whether the fan is timed or pull cord . Most ceiling pull switches only have live and switch wire . Unless as stated earlier a link through ceiling rose . The whole idea is that you cannot be unplugging sockets , I would also fit a fused spur after the fan . |
||
|
29th Dec 2013 11:18am |
|
| K9F Member Since: 12 Nov 2009 Location: Bournemouth Posts: 9610
|
Bathrooms/wetrooms have been categorised into zones and each zone details what exactly you can and cannot fit within that zone and the relevant IP rating.
http://www.ieclec.com/downloads/ip_guide.pdf Whilst GEllis is correct in his statement that any installation must be carried out by a qualified and registered electrician this refers to new installation not the 'replacement or upgrade' of existing circuits. All rules can be 'open to interpretation' and whilst I do not wish to play Devil's Advocate' who is to say it wasn't there in the first place, unless your house is a recent build and/or new bathroom including new electrics have been 'signed off' accordingly. In that scenario you're stuffed and will have to get someone in. If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!! Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!! |
||
|
29th Dec 2013 11:40am |
|
| WelshGas Member Since: 01 Oct 2010 Location: Vale of Glamorgan Posts: 935
|
Sorted. As the bathroom is in an extension the nearest power was in the basement with a 20" external wall between (old house ), but noticed the hole drilled through wall to get water pipes into bathroom was larger than pipe, also pipes boxed in in the bathroom. Able to pass cable through wall into boxed section and then out at convenient point. Retired Sonos unit to cable, plug on other end, in the basement and plugged into mains socket. Also used same socket for a Sonos Bridge which acts as an extender for the Sonos net. Everyone happy.
 LANDYWATCH
Neighbourhood Watch for Land Rover Owners http://www.landywatch.co.uk/smf2/index.php |
||
|
29th Dec 2013 10:31pm |
|
|
|
| All times are GMT + 1 Hour |
< Previous Topic | Next Topic > |
Posting Rules
|
Site Copyright © 2006-2025 Futuranet Ltd & Martin Lewis
