ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area telephone

how close can a telephone be to a bath tub enclosure ? maybe 3 feet?

Stan,

Your best bet would be to think cordless. Chances are that no matter where you put it in the room someone could still use it in the tub.

Bill

hmmmm,
well Stan, i really do not know, and cannot find any NEC either. It does bring to mind phones outside, phones by the pool, portable vs. cord connected phones, cell phones in a hot tub....

Does any forum memeber know of a phone related incident here???


(other than using it as a projectile...)

Sparky,

I think I've heard of lightning related instances where someone was killed while talking on the phone.

Bill

ouch!
and to think they were probably billed for the call!

Sounds like an ungrounded telephone if the lightning came in on the telephone.

This is all I was able to find so far:
http://www.urbanlegends.com/death/phone_electrocution.html

Bill

Hi Stan,

Our "code" in Britain allows no electrical light switches or other accessories to be within reach of anyone in a bathtub or shower, the min. distance to meet this requirement being specified as 6 ft.

Bearing in mind the telephone line carries 50V DC when idle and up to 100V AC when ringing, I would exercise the same degree of caution.

Another point to consider is that most domestic telephone equipment is not really built for moist atmospheres, and you could have problems with steam condensing inside the unit.

Back when our telephone network was state-owned and the P.O. installed all the wiring (pre 1982) requests for any telephone apparatus in a bathroom were refused point-blank.

I did hear a concern once about cell phones and pagers being inadvertintly brought into hazardous locations.

My impression is that one could pursue rating /listing requirements here to install said phone in the shower, right next to the NEMA rated panel as we seem to entertain such folly.

I have seen lightning damage done when the telephone was not bonded to the electrical GES.

I have no doubt that a person would have been harmed in some of these instances had they been in the wrong place.