{"id":1145,"date":"2013-07-18T14:37:37","date_gmt":"2013-07-18T14:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1145"},"modified":"2013-07-18T14:37:37","modified_gmt":"2013-07-18T14:37:37","slug":"bathroom-zones-and-ip-ratings-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/bathroom-zones-and-ip-ratings-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Bathroom Zones and IP Ratings Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

Electrical items in a bathroom must meet a minimum level of Ingress Protection (IP) against moisture. The level of protection required is indicated by an IP number.<\/p>\n

UK electrical regulations divide the bathroom into 4 distinct zones. These zones are classified by their proximity to water and condensation, i.e. whether electrical equipment is likely to get wet if installed in this area. When installing an electrical item in a bathroom, you must ensure that the product’s IP rating meets the level required for the bathroom zone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Understanding IP Numbers:<\/h4>\n

The first digit of an IP number refers to the level of Solid particle protection,\u00a0<\/strong>meaning how effective it is at keeping out solid foreign objects, and also preventing access to hazardous parts.<\/p>\n

The second digit refers to the\u00a0Liquid ingress protection,\u00a0<\/strong>which is the level of protection against water reaching hazardous internal parts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

1st Digit:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Object Size Protected against:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Effective against:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

0<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nn\/a<\/span><\/td>\nNo Protection against contact and ingress of objects<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/span><\/b><\/td>\n>50mm<\/span><\/td>\nAny large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/span><\/b><\/td>\n>12.5mm<\/span><\/td>\nFingers or similar object<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/span><\/b><\/td>\n>2.5mm<\/span><\/td>\nTools, thick wires, etc.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/span><\/b><\/td>\n>1mm<\/span><\/td>\nwires, screws, etc.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nDust protected<\/span><\/td>\nComplete protection against contact. Protected against dust in small-medium quantity<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nDust tight<\/span><\/td>\nComplete protection against contact. Zero ingress of dust<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

2nd Digit:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Protected against:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

0<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nNo Protection<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nDripping water<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nDripping water at a 15 degree angle<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nWater spray at 60 degree angle<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nWater splashing from any angle<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nWater jets (6.3mm nozzle) from any angle<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nPowerful water jets (12.5mm nozzle)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nSubmersion in 1m water for up to 30 mins<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nSubmersion in >1m water for a continuous period<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Breakdown of Bathroom Zones:<\/h4>\n

The table and diagram below describe the 4 bathroom zones, and the minimum IP requirements for electrical items within these zones.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n

Where:<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Required IP Rating:<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Zone 0:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\nInside the bathtub, shower tray, etc.<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0At least IP67\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zone 1:<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\nDirectly over the bath or shower tray to a height of 2.25m<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0At least IP65\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zone 2:<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\nOver the bath \/ shower tray outside of zone 1; the area stretching 0.6m outside the perimeter of the bath \/ shower tray; and a 60cm radius of any tap.<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0At least IP44<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zone 3:<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/td>\nAny area outside zones 0, 1 & 2 where no water jet is likely to be used.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0None specified<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Bathroom<\/a>

Click to expand<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The information on this page should be used as a guide only.\u00a0If you are unsure of \u00a0the suitability of any product for bathroom installation, please consult a qualified electrician.<\/p>\n

All electrical works must be carried out by a fully qualified and certified professional electrician.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Electrical items in a bathroom must meet a minimum level of Ingress Protection (IP) against moisture. The level of protection required is indicated by an IP number. UK electrical regulations divide the bathroom into 4 distinct zones. These zones are classified by their proximity to water and condensation, i.e. whether electrical equipment is likely to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"twitterCardType":"","cardImageID":0,"cardImage":"","cardTitle":"","cardDesc":"","cardImageAlt":"","cardPlayer":"","cardPlayerWidth":0,"cardPlayerHeight":0,"cardPlayerStream":"","cardPlayerCodec":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nBathroom Zones and IP Ratings Explained - Livinghouse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Electrical items in a bathroom must meet a minimum level of Ingress Protection (IP) against moisture. 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