If you are looking to install lighting in an area where there is a lot of water - a bathroom, feature pool or even a commercial kitchen or swimming pool, there are a few things you must know about mixing lights and water. A safe and legal install of lighting in a wet environment is made up of employing different lighting levels that comply with strict regulations.
Here's the science part - you will be using lighting with different IP ratings in various locations so here's an explanation...
- IP stands for Ingress/International Protection
- The first number represents the level of protection against foreign parts such as dust
- The second number indicates the level of protection against moisture
So you can see that the IP number will need to be reasonably high if the light is to be submerged into water for example. Equally though, thought must be given to areas where there is a high level of cleaning using water, hoses or sprays.
IEE wiring regulations cite the following as standards to be adhered to but you should always use an approved organisation like LAUK to advise on and install lighting in a wet environment:
It also makes financial sense to do things correctly as, having gone to the trouble of designing lighting features in your wet zone, you don't want them to fail or have to be taken out if they don't pass health and safety checks.
Useful references: