At the behest of my wife, I am improving the lighting in her shower. For various structural reasons, the only thing that I can do is install two wall sconces at a height of 8 ft (2.44 cm) within the footprint of the shower stall.

Given that these will be 8ft above the shower tray, do these need to be damp or wet rated, or can I use bog-standard dry-rated wall sconces from Home Depot? Even if I could use a dry rated sconce, should I? (The only reason I am asking is that I´m sure that my wife will get unduly excited by the aesthetics of a dry-rated sconce, and I want to be suitably armed with facts before having that "discussion").

Is there any safety advantage in having these sconces on a GFCI circuit? (There are other night lights on a different circuit in the bathroom which should come on if the shower light circuit trips). There is no technical impediment to having a blank face GFCI, I just want to know where I stand before I have to have a "discussion" about the aesthetic merits of such things as well).

 

Welcome to the forums.

Hmmmmm..... I'm thinking wall sconces in the shower aren't going to go over big with the better half.
Anyway....... they need to be waterproof/outdoor rated and yes they will need to be on GFI protection.

 

I think you are going to be hard pressed to meet the clearances the code requires.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&sour...54000197373233

 

Your only option would be a recessed ceiling type fixture. There are some new LED lights that are very thin and have a similar appearance to a can light but only require 1" of space.

Example: https://www.amazon.com/Lithonia-Ligh...-1-spons&psc=1

 

I like the newer surface mounted LED lighting by Halo that mounts to a 4" octagon box, but looks like recessed lighting. I have seen these in both 4" and 6" styles at Lowes. Wet location listed for showers and protected ceilings


BLD6 Surface LED Downlight

 

Welcome to the forums.

>> Thank you!

Hmmmmm..... I'm thinking wall sconces in the shower aren't going to go over big with the better half.

>> No, I don´t think the sconces per say will be an issue - there´s much more scope for girly frills with a wall sconce than a recessed ceiling light. We´re thinking "Marie Antoinette" here.

Anyway....... they need to be waterproof/outdoor rated and yes they will need to be on GFI protection.

>> Yes, its the outdoor rating that is the problem. The styling options tend to be less intimate, shall we say.

>> GFCI it is then!

 

I think you are going to be hard pressed to meet the clearances the code requires.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&sour...54000197373233

>> I followed this link. It doesn´t specifically cover my case since the diagram shows 8 feet being measured from the top of the bathtub. My shower is just a shower stall with a shower tray. I´ve seen other diagrams with showers where the eight feet is measured from the rim of the shower tray (which is virtually the floor). The implication in these diagrams is that there is no code restriction on the light fitting that could be installed above 8ft.

>> Now, even if the code says that I can use a dry-rated sconce here, that doesn´t mean I should/will. But maybe a damp-rated fitting would be adequate (especially in conjunction with GFCI)? This would give more aesthetically pleasing options that wet-rated.

 

Your only option would be a recessed ceiling type fixture...

I like the newer surface mounted LED lighting by Halo that mounts to a 4" octagon box...

>> I don´t dispute that recessed ceiling lighting would be best, but for structural reasons I can´t touch the ceiling.

>> Or are you suggesting using them in the octagon boxes on the wall? Not sure how well that would look, but maybe I should think about it.

 

The link that PCboss posted is from 2004 (2002 NEC). The latest code has been moved to 410.10(D) It says that you may not have any suspended lights in the area of a bath or shower. Ceiling or wall mounted lights are OK but must be damp rated, or wet rated for lights that could be exposed to shower spray. (Your location is) They also cannot be cord, cable, chain, or track connected.

What does that mean? Are you renting? is it concrete?

 

OK. A wet rated sconce it is.

It is concrete. It´s not especially sound. This is a whole other discussion, which is why I don´t want to touch it at this time.

 

FYI likely the only wet rated sconce you will find is one designed for outdoors.

 

Yes, wet rated does not specifically mean it can be used in a shower, most likely outdoors as others have stated. You need to find a light fixture that is specifically rated for a shower application. I doubt you will find a sconce that fits that priority, although, you can prove me wrong by posting a picture and link.

The codes are written that nobody can try to change a light bulb or tinker with it while in the shower area. All the ones I have installed have solid reflective glass restricting access to the bulb.

 

You need to find a light fixture that is specifically rated for a shower application.

>> This is proving tricky. There are plenty of options for searching online (Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon, Wayfair etc). Searching for "Shower Wall Sconce" etc, tends to find Wet-rated lighting, but I´m not convinced that many of these are really "shower rated".

>> I presume by "shower rated" this means it must be "IP65" or better (?), but this information isn´t really provided consistently.

>> I´ll just have to continue searching carefully.