Proper Position of Bathroom Light Switch?

[kimblebee]

How so? I don't recall any of my Aunt and Uncles houses in Canada having the switch outside the bathroom.

Well, let’s see how many Canadians I can remember from these boards. @ronandannette
@BLAZEY @Frozen Canuck @CdnCarrie @rodeo65 @Teresa Pitman @NFLDERS @mombrontrent @lisaviolet (I think you’re Canadian) whats your norm? Switches inside or outside the bathroom?

Please, add anyone I have forgotten or am unaware of. I know there’s another one, but I’m pretty sure she got banned for life.

If we need answers, we go to the source.

As an aside, @mombrontrent i wish I could figure out your name. I always remember it as mom to Brent and of course can never find it LOL

 

[ronandannette]

Well, let’s see how many Canadians I can remember from these boards. @ronandannette (that ones easy)
@BLAZEY @Frozen Canuck @CdnCarrie @rodeo65 @Teresa Pitman @NFLDERS whats your norm? Switches inside or outside the bathroom?

Please, add anyone I have forgotten or am unaware of.

If we need answers, we go to the source. I have forgotten one but I’ll find her and add her.

Don't forget @Disneylover99 and @mombrontrent and @Disney_Alli . I'll weigh in on behalf of Calgarians.

I've worked in residential construction here for almost 30 years and have been involved in building thousands of houses. Not one, ever, has had the bathroom light switches on the outside. I won't say I've never seen one, but it is entirely atypical. I grew up on a farmhouse way up north that was built in the early 1900's and got indoor plumbing and electricity in about 1932. We only had one bathroom but the light switch was definitely on the inside.

 

[kimblebee]

Don't forget @Disneylover99 and @mombrontrent . I'll weigh in on behalf of Calgarians.

I've worked in residential construction here for almost 30 years and have been involved in building thousands of houses. Not one, ever, has had the bathroom light switches on the outside. I won't say I've never seen one, but it is entirely atypical. I grew up on a farmhouse way up north that was built in the early 1900's and got indoor plumbing and electricity in about 1932. We only had one bathroom but the light switch was definitely on the inside.

You can be untagged now LMAO

Maybe Winnipeg is the epicentre? Or, maybe I just hang around in older homes. Now that I think about it, I really don’t spend any time in homes that are ‘new’ ie 20 or 30 years young.

The stuff I learn on these boards..

 

[ronandannette]

You can be untagged now LMAO

Maybe Winnipeg is the epicentre? Or, maybe I just hang around in older homes. Now that I think about it, I really don’t spend any time in homes that are ‘new’ ie 20 or 30 years young.

The stuff I learn on these boards..

Yeah, pretty sure this is it...

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

The other advice is not to have a bunch of switches that don't do anything. Our current house has that...7 years and still don't know what some of them turn on/off

My previous house had 1 switch in each room that didn't seem to do anything. After a few months I figured them out. They were wired to wall outlets so you could plug in lamps and control them with the switch. Only 1 of each of the switched outlets were done that way with the one on top being switched while the bottom one was always powered.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

A chain hanging from the ceiling fixture is the only proper method.

 

[ronandannette]

My previous house had 1 switch in each room that didn't seem to do anything. After a few months I figured them out. They were wired to wall outlets so you could plug in lamps and control them with the switch. Only 1 of each of the switched outlets were done that way with the one on top being switched while the bottom one was always powered.

This is exactly how lamp plugs work. It never occurred to me, until you mentioned it now, how difficult that might be for someone to figure out if they didn't know.

 

[tvguy]

Well, let’s see how many Canadians I can remember from these boards. @ronandannette
@BLAZEY @Frozen Canuck @CdnCarrie @rodeo65 @Teresa Pitman @NFLDERS @mombrontrent @lisaviolet (I think you’re Canadian) whats your norm? Switches inside or outside the bathroom?

Please, add anyone I have forgotten or am unaware of. I know there’s another one, but I’m pretty sure she got banned for life.

If we need answers, we go to the source.

As an aside, @mombrontrent i wish I could figure out your name. I always remember it as mom to Brent and of course can never find it LOL

Like I said, "countries that use 110" so Canada is in that group so I assume their light switches can be inside the bathroom.

 

[Disneylover99]

Don't forget @Disneylover99 and @mombrontrent and @Disney_Alli . I'll weigh in on behalf of Calgarians.

I've worked in residential construction here for almost 30 years and have been involved in building thousands of houses. Not one, ever, has had the bathroom light switches on the outside. I won't say I've never seen one, but it is entirely atypical. I grew up on a farmhouse way up north that was built in the early 1900's and got indoor plumbing and electricity in about 1932. We only had one bathroom but the light switch was definitely on the inside.

So I mentioned my switches are on the outside and I think it's weird. My next door neighbours house was built at the same time by the same builder almost 20 years ago. Their switches are on the inside. I just always figured they made a mistake with mine.

Some people comment about my washroom switch. Mostly they ask if I have a light in my washroom because they're afraid to hit the light switch on the outside. Light switches on the outside are definitely not the norm around here.

 

[NHdisneylover]

They are often on the outside of bathrooms in Germany. First change I made to the blueprints when we bought our condo before consturction began was to mve the bathroom switches INSIDE the rooms. I hate having htem outside---I tend to go in and have the door closed before I remember to turn them on.

I also like being able to go in our master bath at night, close the door, the turn on the light so as not to distrub DH with the light while he sleeps

 

[kimblebee]

Like I said, "countries that use 110" so Canada is in that group so I assume their light switches can be inside the bathroom.

I know. I’m trying to see if that is actually the normal experience for Canadians. You won’t mind being wrong, will you, if you are?

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Well, let’s see how many Canadians I can remember from these boards. @ronandannette
@BLAZEY @Frozen Canuck @CdnCarrie @rodeo65 @Teresa Pitman @NFLDERS @mombrontrent @lisaviolet (I think you’re Canadian) whats your norm? Switches inside or outside the bathroom?

I'm pretty sure that every house and apartment I lived in in Canada had the light switches on the inside of the bathroom. The one exception was my grandma's house, which was an older war-time? home. It had one bathroom and that switch was outside the door. Every place we have lived in the U.S. (6 domiciles so far), has had the switch inside the bathroom, EXCEPT the one that we currently live in. It is a (relatively) newer home.

The light switches on the outside wall drive me bonkers, but after 14 years, we have gotten used to it. I will say, that with three kids, you can always anticipate those lights to be turned off on you or flashed while you are trying to use the facilities. I have just assumed that light switches on the outside was some kind of weird Massachusetts electrical code thing, but I have no idea and haven't given it much thought.

 

[Disney Ella]

The lights next to the mirror are controlled by an outside switch, and the overhead light is controlled by an inside switch. Before I lived here, I only had inside light switches. The outside switch does make it a little easier for middle-of-the-night bathroom trips. Since it's right next to the door frame, it's easy to find and it's dimmable.

 

[tvguy]

I know. I’m trying to see if that is actually the normal experience for Canadians. You won’t mind being wrong, will you, if you are?

Huh?

 

[kimblebee]

Huh?

What’s not to understand? I’m asking a bunch of Canadians what their experiences have been. Two so far have said switches on the inside but both have also said they’re on newer homes. Maybe it’s something that’s changed as more newer homes are built. How many aunts and uncles homes were you in? Were they newer or older homes?

 

[a1tinkfans]

I have always, always wondered why double sinks are a thing. If it’s just for separating counter space couldn’t you just..get a longer counter with a single sink?

I could not live without our double sinks, lol.
I like My sink meticulous... no dripped toothpaste, my own hand towel etc.
seriously... would not ever want it any other way

And all our switches are inside, including the pocket door bathroom.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I appreciate your sense of humor! However, I just Googled "where should a bathroom light switch be" and the top answer was that light switches INSIDE the bathroom are unique to countries that use 110 volt power. In countries where 220 volt is the norm, they are REQUIRED to be OUTSIDE the bathroom for safety reasons.

Well that is weird---I am guessing you found inaccurate, or at least dated, info.

As I noted above, yes, most bathrooms in Germany out the switch for the main overhead light outside, but about 20% have it inside and it was no problem for us to change to having ours inside when we built (and even then, the main overhead light was what we changed, the master also has a seperate light above the mirror which was always planned ot have a switch right by the mirror, inside the bathroom. OUr old rental also had alight above the mirror on its own switch that was inside the rooom)
And, of course, pretty much every bathroom here in our land of 220 has outlets in it for hair dryers, etc---so banning just a light switch seems downright silly.

 

[tvguy]

Well that is weird---I am guessing you found inaccurate, or at least dated, info.

As I noted above, yes, most bathrooms in Germany out the switch for the main overhead light outside, but about 20% have it inside and it was no problem for us to change to having ours inside when we built (and even then, the main overhead light was what we changed, the master also has a seperate light above the mirror which was always planned ot have a switch right by the mirror, inside the bathroom. OUr old rental also had alight above the mirror on its own switch that was inside the rooom)
And, of course, pretty much every bathroom here in our land of 220 has outlets in it for hair dryers, etc---so banning just a light switch seems downright silly.

Google it and see if you get the same thing I did.

 

[tvguy]

What’s not to understand? I’m asking a bunch of Canadians what their experiences have been. Two so far have said switches on the inside but both have also said they’re on newer homes. Maybe it’s something that’s changed as more newer homes are built. How many aunts and uncles homes were you in? Were they newer or older homes?

You were right, and I was wrong in the case of one of my cousins. Or we both were wrong. Or sort of. One of my cousins lived in Paddockwood, Saskatchewan and he moved out of his parents house in 1968 when he was 18. They didn't get indoor plumbing there until 1970 so for him the answer is no light switch because there was no bathroom in the house and no light other than a flashlight in the outhouse. However, his parents converted a closet into a bathroom after getting indoor plumbing and the light switch was on a chain on the light fixture in the center of the ceiling because that was the light that was already in the closet.
His parents were school teachers and the house was provided by the school, it was an old one room school house built in 1900 converted to a home. And apparently the closet that was converted to a bathroom was the cloak room in the one room school house.

 

[tvguy]

What’s not to understand? I’m asking a bunch of Canadians what their experiences have been. Two so far have said switches on the inside but both have also said they’re on newer homes. Maybe it’s something that’s changed as more newer homes are built. How many aunts and uncles homes were you in? Were they newer or older homes?

My cousin sent me a link to the one room school. It is the second "Dorothy" school, the one in Paddockwood. That's if your care.
http://sites.rootsweb.com/~cansk/school/d.html