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Distance between water and power points

Regulations,Kitchen sinks and tapware,Kitchen appliances,Plumbing,Bath,Shower,Vanity,Toilet,Bathroom,Kitchen,Laundry

Water is a great conductor of electricity, which can be very dangerous in places like the kitchen, the bathroom or
the laundry. There are certain rules and regulations in Australia that govern how switches and outlets can be
placed in relation to water outlets and xtures. Knowing them will help you to decide where the safest places to
put your general power outlets (GPOs) are when you begin planning the layout of your bathroom or your kitchen.
If you have any doubt about where things should go, consult a licensed electrician - they will know these rules all
too well, and MUST be employed to do any electrical work.

Zones for positioning electrical ttings around the bath.

Bathroom zones
For the purpose of wiring regulations, bathrooms are divided into four zones, in accordance with the
Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules (AS/NZS 3000:2007). These are as follows:

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Zone 0 - This covers interior area of the base of the bath or shower.
Zone 1 - This zone is divided into three sections, depending on what you have installed:
Bath - For a bathtub, Zone 1 is the vertical area from the inner rim of the bath to the ceiling, or 2.5m above
the rim, whichever is lower (this usually encompasses zone 0 too).
Shower over a bath - The area with a horizontal radius of 1.2m from the xed plumbing connection of the
shower (i.e. 1.2m out from the shower outlet).
Shower - The area with a horizontal radius of 1.2m from the xed plumbing connection of the shower. The
vertical boundaries of this area extend from the oor to the ceiling, or up to 2.5m above the oor, whichever is
lower.
Zone 2 - This is the area with a horizontal radius of 0.6m out from Zone 1, and a height of 2.25m above the oor
(or to the ceiling, whichever is lower).
Zone 3 - This is the area with a horizontal radius of 2.4m out from Zone 2. The vertical boundaries of this area
extend from oor to ceiling or up to 2.5m above the oor, whichever is lower.

Testing electrical safety

If you have a hand held shower in your bathroom that has a barrier (like a door or a shower curtain),
a good tip to test electrical safety is to test the distance of the water spray when the barrier is in
place. If it can reach a power outlet or a switch, then the switch or power outlet probably needs to be
relocated.

Zones for positioning electrical ttings in bathrooms with a shower. Left is a shower with a barrier and xed wall, right is a
shower with only a barrier.

Zone wiring regulations (sockets)

Where you can place sockets and switches in a bathroom depends on the zone:
Zone 0 - No sockets are permitted.
Zone 1 - No sockets are permitted.
Zone 2 - No sockets are permitted unless they're incorporated into a shaver supply unit OR are protected by
Residual Current Detectors (RCD) with a xed rating of not more than 30mA, and in a cupboard (e.g. a vanity
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cabinet) that maintains the enclosure of the socket outlet during normal operation of the connected
equipment.
Zone 3 - Sockets are permitted provided that they're installed at more than 0.3m above the bathroom oor,
and tted with RCD protection.
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Zone wiring regulations (switches)

Zone 0 - No switches are permitted.
Zone 1 - No switches are permitted unless they're installed higher than 0.3m above the bathroom oor with
IPX4 specication.
Zone 2 - No switches are permitted unless they're installed higher than 0.3m above the bathroom oor with
IPX4 specication.
Zone 3 - No switches are permitted unless they're installed higher than 0.3m above the bathroom oor. No
specic IP rating is required.

Light ttings with an IPX4 specication are only permitted in Zones 1 and 2, while those in Zone 3 don't require a
specic IP rating.

Kitchen and laundry zones

Slightly dierent rules apply in other areas of the house like kitchens and laundries around sinks, basins or other
xed water containers. The distance that electrical outlets (GPOs) can be from a sink is determined by how much
water it can contain. Sinks, basins or other xed water containers that hold less than 45 litres have slightly
dierent rules than those which hold more.
For xed water containers anywhere outside of the bathroom, there are two zones dened:
Zone 0: The area inside the sink or basin, in which nothing is allowed to be installed.
Zone 2: Determined by whether or not the container holds more than or less than 45L - no ttings are allowed
inside zone 2.
For containers that hold less than 45L, zone 2 is dened as 0.4m above the top of the container, and 0.15m from
the edges of the water container. For those that hold more than 45L, it's 1.0m above and 0.5 metres from any
given side.

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Distances to electrical outlets for xed water containers.

Note that these rules only apply for GPOs - other 'switches and accessories' aren't allowed within 300mm of a
xed water container at all, and must be IPX4 rated if they're to be installed at a distance greater than or equal to
300mm from the xed water container inside zone 2. Consult your electrician for exact details.

Safety switches
You can never be too careful where something as volatile as electricity is concerned, especially in a high-risk area
like the bathroom. Safety switches monitor the ow of electricity through a circuit and automatically cut the
power supply if current is detected leaking from faulty switches or wiring. While they are not a complete
guarantee against electrical shocks, they do work to minimise the damage done, and could make all the
dierence.
Since 1992, all new houses in Australia are required by law to have safety switches installed. There are three
types of safety switches available:
Switchboard mounted safety switches - These are the most basic of safety switches and monitor the xed
wiring and electrical appliances in your household. It is mandatory by law for every home to have these
installed by a qualied electrician.
Safety switches in place of regular power points - These switches replace your standard GPOs and
protect any appliances that are plugged into them. They also need to be installed by a qualied electrician.
Portable safety switches - These can be used both indoors and outdoors, and are essential to use if you are
using electrical appliances that are not protected by one of the safety switches listed above.

A nal caveat: All electrical work in Australia MUST be done by a licensed electrical contractor, who should
properly test any electrical work and supply you with a safety certicate.

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