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Jeff Wisnia
 
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Default Bathroom light switches - Location

I've been living in Red Sox Country for over 45 years and have noticed
that more often than not bathroom light switches in homes around here
are located outside the bathroom, while the light switches for other
rooms are located near the door opening inside the rooms they serve.

Our own home, built 19 years ago,has the bathroom light switches outside
the bathrooms.

I've assumed that had something to do with codes from earlier days
requiring that any line power electrical apparatus be far enough away
from sinks and bathtubs so you couldnt touch them when some part of your
body was in contact with a plumbing fixture or immersed in water. That
sort of made sense to me when thinking about earlier two wire systems
where switch plates weren't grounded and a fault in the switch or a
poorly insulated splice touching bare metal could make the switch plate hot.

A friend who has been a Massachusetts licensed master electrician for 30
year told me there's nothing in the present code preventing light
switches from being mounted inside bathrooms, and code required GFCIs
have allowed outlets to be located near sinks in bathrooms for some time
now.

Can someone confirm the reason why I see so many bathroom light switches
outside the bathrooms they service? Maybe it's just that old traditions
die slowly.

I think those outside light switches are troublemakers for at least two
reasons. One is that guests are less likely to turn the lights off when
they finish using the bathroom if they don't see a switch in an expected
location, and the other is that it's no fun to be sitting on the pot
after dark and have some nasty child come along and turn the lights out
on you. (Yes, I can find my own ass in the dark; It's the TP I have to
fumble around for. G)

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."
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RBM
 
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Here in Yankees country, all the bathroom light switches are located on the
proper side of the wall, and funny that you mention this problem as my
brother who lives in Newton, Mass has a bathroom light switch outside the
door and on the hinged side, making it nearly impossible to find. I've
always assumed that they just didn't want to mess with the tile on the
inside walls, but it is possible that years ago there were local codes that
prohibited it



"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...
I've been living in Red Sox Country for over 45 years and have noticed
that more often than not bathroom light switches in homes around here are
located outside the bathroom, while the light switches for other rooms are
located near the door opening inside the rooms they serve.

Our own home, built 19 years ago,has the bathroom light switches outside
the bathrooms.

I've assumed that had something to do with codes from earlier days
requiring that any line power electrical apparatus be far enough away from
sinks and bathtubs so you couldnt touch them when some part of your body
was in contact with a plumbing fixture or immersed in water. That sort of
made sense to me when thinking about earlier two wire systems where switch
plates weren't grounded and a fault in the switch or a poorly insulated
splice touching bare metal could make the switch plate hot.

A friend who has been a Massachusetts licensed master electrician for 30
year told me there's nothing in the present code preventing light switches
from being mounted inside bathrooms, and code required GFCIs have allowed
outlets to be located near sinks in bathrooms for some time now.

Can someone confirm the reason why I see so many bathroom light switches
outside the bathrooms they service? Maybe it's just that old traditions
die slowly.

I think those outside light switches are troublemakers for at least two
reasons. One is that guests are less likely to turn the lights off when
they finish using the bathroom if they don't see a switch in an expected
location, and the other is that it's no fun to be sitting on the pot after
dark and have some nasty child come along and turn the lights out on you.
(Yes, I can find my own ass in the dark; It's the TP I have to fumble
around for. G)

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."



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Around
 
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Here in Canada we have to keep them atleast 39" from the tub or shower
wether it is GFCI circuit or not.
"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...
I've been living in Red Sox Country for over 45 years and have noticed
that more often than not bathroom light switches in homes around here are
located outside the bathroom, while the light switches for other rooms are
located near the door opening inside the rooms they serve.

Our own home, built 19 years ago,has the bathroom light switches outside
the bathrooms.

I've assumed that had something to do with codes from earlier days
requiring that any line power electrical apparatus be far enough away from
sinks and bathtubs so you couldnt touch them when some part of your body
was in contact with a plumbing fixture or immersed in water. That sort of
made sense to me when thinking about earlier two wire systems where switch
plates weren't grounded and a fault in the switch or a poorly insulated
splice touching bare metal could make the switch plate hot.

A friend who has been a Massachusetts licensed master electrician for 30
year told me there's nothing in the present code preventing light switches
from being mounted inside bathrooms, and code required GFCIs have allowed
outlets to be located near sinks in bathrooms for some time now.

Can someone confirm the reason why I see so many bathroom light switches
outside the bathrooms they service? Maybe it's just that old traditions
die slowly.

I think those outside light switches are troublemakers for at least two
reasons. One is that guests are less likely to turn the lights off when
they finish using the bathroom if they don't see a switch in an expected
location, and the other is that it's no fun to be sitting on the pot after
dark and have some nasty child come along and turn the lights out on you.
(Yes, I can find my own ass in the dark; It's the TP I have to fumble
around for. G)

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."



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willshak
 
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On 8/14/2005 1:13 AM US(ET), Jeff Wisnia took fingers to keys, and typed
the following:

I've been living in Red Sox Country for over 45 years and have noticed
that more often than not bathroom light switches in homes around here
are located outside the bathroom, while the light switches for other
rooms are located near the door opening inside the rooms they serve.

Our own home, built 19 years ago,has the bathroom light switches
outside the bathrooms.

I've assumed that had something to do with codes from earlier days
requiring that any line power electrical apparatus be far enough away
from sinks and bathtubs so you couldnt touch them when some part of
your body was in contact with a plumbing fixture or immersed in water.
That sort of made sense to me when thinking about earlier two wire
systems where switch plates weren't grounded and a fault in the switch
or a poorly insulated splice touching bare metal could make the switch
plate hot.

A friend who has been a Massachusetts licensed master electrician for
30 year told me there's nothing in the present code preventing light
switches from being mounted inside bathrooms, and code required GFCIs
have allowed outlets to be located near sinks in bathrooms for some
time now.

Can someone confirm the reason why I see so many bathroom light
switches outside the bathrooms they service? Maybe it's just that old
traditions die slowly.

I think those outside light switches are troublemakers for at least
two reasons. One is that guests are less likely to turn the lights off
when they finish using the bathroom if they don't see a switch in an
expected location, and the other is that it's no fun to be sitting on
the pot after dark and have some nasty child come along and turn the
lights out on you. (Yes, I can find my own ass in the dark; It's the
TP I have to fumble around for. G)

Jeff



My house was built in 1984 and the master bathroom light switch is
outside the bathroom door. When the house was being built, I asked the
electrician why it was there. He said that it was code that the switch
could not be reached from the tub/shower. I accepted this at the time,
and since my bathroom was small, there was no place to put the switch
inside the room, unreachable from the shower, except on the outside wall
(shower stall walls and pocket door took up most of the inside wall
space). In this same bathroom, there is an outlet on the wall right
above the sink. In the two other bathrooms, the light switch is inside
the bathroom, right next to the sinks, and can be reached with wet
hands. I have only one GFCI switch in my breaker panel, and it is for
the outside outlets and inside garage.
Why one source of electricity is OK in the proximity of sink water, and
another source is NOT OK in the proximity of tub/shower water is a
mystery to me.

--
Bill
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Around
 
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It is to stop people from turning it on while standing in the tub or shower.
"willshak" wrote in message
...
On 8/14/2005 1:13 AM US(ET), Jeff Wisnia took fingers to keys, and typed
the following:

I've been living in Red Sox Country for over 45 years and have noticed
that more often than not bathroom light switches in homes around here are
located outside the bathroom, while the light switches for other rooms
are located near the door opening inside the rooms they serve.

Our own home, built 19 years ago,has the bathroom light switches outside
the bathrooms.

I've assumed that had something to do with codes from earlier days
requiring that any line power electrical apparatus be far enough away
from sinks and bathtubs so you couldnt touch them when some part of your
body was in contact with a plumbing fixture or immersed in water. That
sort of made sense to me when thinking about earlier two wire systems
where switch plates weren't grounded and a fault in the switch or a
poorly insulated splice touching bare metal could make the switch plate
hot.

A friend who has been a Massachusetts licensed master electrician for 30
year told me there's nothing in the present code preventing light
switches from being mounted inside bathrooms, and code required GFCIs
have allowed outlets to be located near sinks in bathrooms for some time
now.

Can someone confirm the reason why I see so many bathroom light switches
outside the bathrooms they service? Maybe it's just that old traditions
die slowly.

I think those outside light switches are troublemakers for at least two
reasons. One is that guests are less likely to turn the lights off when
they finish using the bathroom if they don't see a switch in an expected
location, and the other is that it's no fun to be sitting on the pot
after dark and have some nasty child come along and turn the lights out
on you. (Yes, I can find my own ass in the dark; It's the TP I have to
fumble around for. G)

Jeff



My house was built in 1984 and the master bathroom light switch is outside
the bathroom door. When the house was being built, I asked the electrician
why it was there. He said that it was code that the switch could not be
reached from the tub/shower. I accepted this at the time, and since my
bathroom was small, there was no place to put the switch inside the room,
unreachable from the shower, except on the outside wall (shower stall
walls and pocket door took up most of the inside wall space). In this same
bathroom, there is an outlet on the wall right above the sink. In the two
other bathrooms, the light switch is inside the bathroom, right next to
the sinks, and can be reached with wet hands. I have only one GFCI switch
in my breaker panel, and it is for the outside outlets and inside garage.
Why one source of electricity is OK in the proximity of sink water, and
another source is NOT OK in the proximity of tub/shower water is a mystery
to me.

--
Bill





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Charles Bishop
 
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In article , Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

[snip]

A friend who has been a Massachusetts licensed master electrician for 30
year told me there's nothing in the present code preventing light
switches from being mounted inside bathrooms, and code required GFCIs
have allowed outlets to be located near sinks in bathrooms for some time
now.


As far as I remember, outlets were allowed near bathroom sinks before
GFCIs were available. They didn't even have to be grounded at one time.
(N) work now, of course, requires them.

[snip]

charles
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