Are you looking for beautiful bathroom lights? Of course, the design of the light is important, however, when shopping for bathroom lights, definitely do not forget about safety and functionality.
Find out what is the degree of IP rating
It is self-evident why you should be extra careful when purchasing a bathroom light. As known, water is a very good conductor of electricity and that is why all appliances, including luminaires, should be protected against water. For this reason, the installation of electricity in bathrooms must follow strict rules and norms. So that you could choose the right bathroom light, first you have to determine, in which section of your bathroom and for what purpose you are going to use the light. In fact, the bathroom is divided into so-called safety zones.
Safety zones
- Zone 0 - The area inside the bath or shower cubicle. Switches and sockets are forbidden in this zone.
- Zone 1 - The area from the edge of the bath above the bath or shower to a height of 2.25m (measured from the floor). Only devices powered by safe low voltage are allowed here and the source of safe voltage must be outside zone 0, 1 and 2.
- Zone 2 - Pertains to the area of 0,6 m from the bath or from a shower and 2,25 m above the floor. Razor charger cords, switches and sockets for safe low voltage are allowed here and the source of safe voltage muse be outside zones 0, 1 and 2.
- Zones 3 – The area outside zones 0, 1, 2. Various types of bathroom lights are allowed here. However, always check IP Protection Degree when purchasing a luminaire.
IP Protection Degrees
The degree of IP protection is written on the packaging of each light. When purchasing a bathroom light, you will particularly take an interest in the second digit, as it indicates the level of protection against ingress of water. The simple rule applies here - the higher the number, the larger the protection.
- IP x0 - No protection
- IP x1 - Protection against vertically falling drops of water
- IP x2 - Protection against direct sprays of water up to 15° from vertical
- IP x3 - Protection against direct sprays of water up to 60° from vertical
- IP x4 - Protection against water sprayed from all directions
- IP x5 - Protection against low pressure jets of water from all directions
- IP x6 - Protection against temporary flooding of water
- IP x7 - Protection against temporary immersion in water (15 cm up to 1 m depth)
- IP x8 - Protection against submersion in water, the equipment is suitable for continual submersion in water
- IP x9 - Protection against high pressure, high temperature jets of water
The color of tiles affects the luminous intensity
The color of tiles affects luminous intensity Once you know, what degree of IP you will need, you can focus on the design of bathroom light. No matter if your bathroom is small or large, you will certainly need a ceiling light, which provides diffused lighting. You can choose attached ceiling light or the set of spotlights. Also suspended ceiling lights are becoming increasingly popular, which are recessed directly into the ceiling. Do not forget, that the luminous intensity is affected also by the color of tiles. Dark color tiles reflect less light than light color tiles, therefore in such a case more intense light sources or multiple light sources will be needed. So that you have good visibility, the color of a light bulb should be cool white (read more in the article How to choose the right color temperature in light sources?). And because people often beautify themselves in the bathroom, it is necessary that light sources portray the color spectrum well, which means, that the value Ra should be at least 80 (more in the article called How do we see colors depending on the type of light source). Besides a ceiling light, you will also need a mirror lighting in your bathroom. We recommend long fluorescent tubes or lamps.
More and more households have a toilet in the bathroom. Therefore, the room is larger, thus it is a good idea to mount in the bathroom not only a ceiling light and a mirror light but also wall lights. Some wall luminaires can be mounted vertically as well as horizontally, so they are highly flexible. In case you are looking for a separate light for a toilet, a ceiling light or a wall light will do the job.
