A bathhouse or a more modern sauna is just 2 serious dangers to humans in terms of the operation of electrical devices. First, high humidity, which in itself is an excellent conductor. Secondly, no less high temperature, which is destructive even for the highest quality insulation. But there is a way out - you just need to read and remember a few main points, and then the electrical wiring in the bath will become not only long-term in operation, but also safe.
Do not use a metal hose!
A metal sleeve is an invaluable protective element that can be used for a long time, and protects the wires better than an ordinary plastic tube. But we should not forget that the metal hose itself is an excellent conductor, therefore it requires appropriate grounding.
And why then such a protective element if:
- In the event of a breakdown of the wire insulation, the entire sleeve is under a life-threatening potential.
- Its cost is much higher than the more acceptable cable channel.
Therefore, you should not pursue an aesthetic appearance, but pay attention to quality, reliability and, importantly, the cost-effectiveness of installation.
Ground loop - first of all
The owners of private houses do not always pay attention to such an important element of home wiring as the ground loop. But when installing the electrical part of the bath, grounding must be installed at the initial stage, even before marking.
Constant humidity, an increase in temperature and its constant jumps have a very detrimental effect on the "life" not only of the insulation of wires, but also on the quality of contacts. And poor contact tends to simply warm up or fall off over time, according to the law of meanness, touching a perfectly conducting surface, for example, that metal hose. In this case, only the ground loop will save, which will “remove” the life-threatening potential.
RCD will never be superfluous
What is the most popular electrical appliance in the bath? That's right, this is a water heater, inside which the phase wire can always fall off and touch the case. The user will only have to touch the metal casing with his hand, and the consequences may not be too good for his health.
Therefore, in the electrical control room, which is installed in each bath or sauna separately, there must be an RCD after the main circuit breaker. To always be sure of its serviceability, you should periodically press the “Test” button located on the device body.
Step-down transformer
In rooms that pose an increased risk, for example, a steam room, an undervoltage of 36 or 24 V should be carried out. To do this, it is necessary to install a special step-down transformer in the control room, from which the wires will go directly to the consumer.
The step-down transformer should only be mounted on the lighting lines, since for outlets it is low the potential difference is impractical, because almost all electrical appliances work exclusively with 220 V.
P.S. The requirements of the PUE, the scheme, the installation of wiring in the bank - we examined these and other issues in more detail in the video: