Zac Gudakov / Unsplash
Showers tend to be dimly lit spaces.
But safety, cleanliness, and design are also benefits of shower lighting.
Its easier to keep a shower clean when it’s possible for you to see all of the surfaces.
Zac Gudakov / Unsplash
Shower lighting alsoenhances the designof your bathroom by highlighting the aesthetics and different zones in this multi-purpose room.
Read on the learn more about shower lights and how to choose the right one.
The connected unitsjunction box and light housingfit up into a hole in the ceiling plenum.
The Spruce / Liz Moskowitz
A special trim package renders everything watertight.
Wet-rated recessed lights are inexpensive, simple to install, and come in plenty of style and size options.
What Is the Plenum?
The Spruce / Margot Cavin
Plenum is the space above ceiling drywall and below the floor above.
Can-less shower lights hug the ceiling at less than 1/4-inch thick.
But low-profile shower lights are always LED.
The Spruce / Margot Cavin
In a wet-rated recessed shower light, the bulb is no longer sealed behind a watertight lens.
Instead, the entire light unit is waterproof.
Gimbal recessed shower lights give the user the flexibility to turn the light in nearly any direction.
you’re able to even turn the light toward the shower wall for a soft, washed-wall glow.
They’re especially useful if the shower ceiling happens to be sloped.
Yet gimbal shower lights are up to three times more expensive than fixed lights.
And when fully tilted, gimbal units can lose some of their light.
Surface-mount shower lights illuminate all of the shower instead of just part of it.
But choices are few.
Styles are limited to plain, white units that are either circle- or square-shaped.
A surface-mount shower light is not entirely mounted on the surface.
It requires an electrical box to be located within the ceiling plenum.
Too big or too small will look unbalanced.
The most common recessed light sizes are 4-inch, 5-inch, 6-inch, and 7-inch.
LED light packaging often shows incandescent watt equivalents on packaging as a guide.
Color Temperature
Determine if you want thecolor temperatureof your shower to be cool or warm.
Trim
Shower light fixtures use shower trim that is water-resistant.
Water Resistance
Shower light fixtures need to be water-resistant for safety.
Damp- or wet-rated fixtures prevent moisture or water from coming in contact with electrical components.
Damp-rated fixtures withstand moisture but not direct contact with water.
Wet-rated fixtures can tolerate direct contact with water because the wiring components are completely sealed.
The higher the number of lumens, the brighter the bulb.
Theconversion of lumens to wattsisnt exact since bulb technology that impacts brightness and efficiency varies.
Shower enclosures typically are small, so the center of the enclosure is usually the best location.
But for larger showers, you may want two or three lights in the enclosure.
2020 410.10 (D).
National Electrical Code (NEC).
