I think someone needs to hold it up for you to be sure. You have to take in to account the height of the tub wall and the surroundings to see where it would look best in proportion to the space. Six feet sounds a bit low.

Hi monika, I agree with les, 6 feet seems low for an above bath chandelier; I would make the chain shorter by 4 inches at least.

Monica, we have that same chandelier (albeit not over the tub) and we left about 6 inches of cord hanging. We tried lower but didn't like the look.

CAn I see a pic of the chandy over the tub? Having trouble picking one out..thanks

I think newhomebuilder answered this in a previous tread, you could do a search on it, or possibly she will post on your tread. Wish I could remember.....

Newhomebuilder................where are you?????

Thanks for the replies so far. DH is still working and has yet asked me where to hang it :) I'll go higher with it/
scottme1, the link to the chandy is below. Just in case you like it as much as I do and decide to buy it...WARNING! It came with several broken crystals. Company will mail me more...no problem there. It IS a problem connecting those very fragile little crystals but the even bigger hassle was connecting the tiers (7 of them). There was NO way I had the patience to do that. DH (bless his kind, loving, gentle heart) connected them using needle-nose pliers. My sil held it steady. We only broke one while putting it together...I was predicting at least 6 (lol)
Monica

Here is a link that might be useful: Bathtub Chandy

Here's a pic of ours. It's hung just about 6' above the tub. I agree with Les that it depends on the surroundings, etc. We had it adjusted twice before I liked it where it is now.

With a low ceiling like 8 feet, I think semi-flush sounds better, i.e, only about 4 inches of chain. If a tall person stood up in the tub, wham!

It's up and it's semi-flush. The four of us (bil and sil) agreed it looked better. There is no chain, just the two hooks. I'll take a picture after I finish baking my bil's favoirte cookies...snickerdoodles. That's his "pay" for the electrical work :)
Monica

I would think it needs to be hung so that when someone stands up in the tub they don't touch it with their head.

I laughed when you said DH did your crystals, because I delegated the same task to my DH. He was much fussier than me. He had one turned the wrong way around and I couldn't even tell, but he spent 10 minutes playing with it til it was perfect. Can't wait to see yours.

Also wanted to say that Sarah Richardson has used this chandelier in at least 2 bathrooms and she's done them almost flush too.

Here it is. Two different looks (changing shutter speed on the camera)

I have to interject on dangerous propositions such as this: It doesn't matter if an inspector sees it or not, any electrical fixture within 8 feet above and 3 feet out from the rim of the tub needs to be approved for wet locations. The reason for the National Electrical Code? To protect people. Purposefully and wilfully violating it in a flagrant manner is a pretty dumb thing to do. Water and electricity within proximity to each other is pretty scary and I can't believe people don't care when it comes to wanting a chandelier.
410.4(D) Bathtub and Shower Areas. No parts of cord-connected luminaires (fixtures), hanging luminaires (fixtures), lighting track, pendants, or ceiling-suspended (paddle) fans shall be located within a zone measured 900 mm (3 ft) horizontally and 2.5 m (8 ft) vertically from the top of the bathtub rim or shower stall threshold. This zone is all encompassing and includes the zone directly over the tub or shower stall.

Sounds like theft being okay if no one notices something is missing. Unreal, people!

SO....EVERYTHING in your house meets or exceeds the current codes?

My final word on the code - assume the worst - it falls IN The TUB while bathing. It will break free from the wires - the wires are like 6 inches or if it falls attached TO the wires it hangs in mid air. YOU WILL NOT get shocked it if hits the water, it will be broken free of current. WORST case you get hit in the head - you would get hit ANYWAY if it was higher up meeting code!!!

Charles, thank you for posting that. I've never seen a chandelier over a tub before. In the bathroom, but about four feet away. A friend of mine had a beautiful chandelier over her dining room table and sure enough, it fell. This isn't unheard of. And yes, everything in my house is to code. It's for our own safety, isn't it?

Forget the chandelier over the tub, I'd be more concerned about the bare windows! If someone saw my big butt they could be traumatized for life!!

Beautiful bathroom, by the way!

To quote dtinbna:

SO....EVERYTHING in your house meets or exceeds the current codes?

If it doesn't and I know about it, I fix it. If it doesn't exist in the first place to break code, I don't make it so. Also, this is not about exceeding the code, it's about falling far below it to the detriment of one's own safety.

Scottmel, I don't know what you usually assume, but that is not the worst. The code is not just a stupid list of rules. It would say nothing about height if it was a matter only of a fixture falling. It's a matter of accidental contact between a person and the light fixture. Ceilings could fall down, whole houses could collapse for that matter, Scottmel. I will state again, so you know, the NEC is about electrical safety, not structural safety or component failure, which is what a falling chandelier falls under.

To flout the code with such enthusiasm is stupid, really. It doesn't exist to make chandelier lovers angry. Any person here who found out their electrical was not done to code when building a house would probably raise hell even if they didn't know the particulars of the code! So why ignore it now?

Mammarazzi, no need to thank me, but thank you. I too would worry about falling chandeliers (I'm involved in talks about the engineering behind hanging a 2,000 lb antique crystal chandelier at the moment) if that were the case. A properly suspended chandelier is assumed to be as safe as can be. Water and electricity, however, is another matter... I agree with you, codes to exist for a reason, for our safety.

I know who hung my chandelier. I know their level of competence and intelligence (altho some in this forum may argue those levels). But, more than that, I realize that if the chandelier fell it's either going to break free of the connection or stop about 6 inches(at the most) from the ceiling. No one is going to attempt to change the light bulb with water in the tub (standing in or out of the tub). I'm just not in the least concerned about it but thank you for your concern :)
Monica

That actually has to do with the code (changing light bulbs). Believe it or not, there has been a death from an idiot changing bulbs while in the tub full of water. The code is there not just for you but to make things safe no matter who is there. At that height, someone could even make contact with it just standing there, don't even have to reach. People love to go against the code, sometimes they really get hurt or loose money. One time a lady just had to put in a non ul listed, arts and crafts chandalier in her $850,000 house. Well it burnt down and the insurance company was happy to give them 10 cents on the dollar for the value of the home :)

Is this chandeleir at least protected by a GFCI circuit. If not, you are an IDIOT. You will probably the manufacturer when someone stands up in the tub and gets shocked.

My concern would be someone buying a home with a chandelier and thinking it was done by contractor with GFCI and it was not and a family members being electrocuted. These things don't shock; they kill. Then who is at fault? The buyer for believing the seller, the seller for misleading the buyer? If the house was sold on an equity or cash basis, then there would be no inspector and said buyer would be at the mercy of the seller's integrity or lack thereof.

I have no doubt our OP would not do that, and I am not saying our OP would do that, but I can bet there are plenty of people who would.

Most people I know buying a home have someone come in to make sure everything is to code before they buy. If it's not it needs to be corrected by the seller. Not that you would necessarily leave that chandelier if you were to move but it's still something to consider.

I'm 5 ft. My husband is 5'8". I can't reach the bottom of the fixture. I'll be able to JUST reach it with my arm fully extended when the tub is mounted.
It's on a GFCI.
We built this house 26 years when we were 21 and 22 and have no plans of ever leaving here alive.
I'm finished discussing whether or not there should be a chandelier over the tub. There IS and it's staying.

ro-ro-rorge...the infamous chandy over tub debate!

It must be a regional thing...you see them everywhere down here.

I will not knock anyone for coming into this thread and making sure the OP has a heads up regarding code/safety concerns, thus ensuring they're making an educated decision, and the consequences, if any, are on their own heads (HA!) but lets try and leave the name calling out of it. Geesh.

Now if someone could explain a bit about how you ensure your chandy is on "GFCI" and such, that would actually be constructive.

BTW...that chandy is fantastic! And I love the color scheme you've got in there.

Nat (who never used the term "chandy" until she picked it up on this forum, and now can't stop)

Have an electrician put in a waterproof GCFI junction box but don't tell him you are hanging a chandelier in that spot - that is totally against code.

I found this site that explains GFCI in simple terms.

Here is a link that might be useful: GFCI

About 6'3 to 7' above the tub is about right. This will probably keep everybody alive for 6 months or a year while the steam and humidity from the tub corrodes the wires and the inside of the fixture. Then one day you'll stretch some tired muscles or maybe start to slip a little and throw your arm up... Thank you!! you just upgraded the gene pool!

Threedgrad, not an intelligent thing to say, although you were right about it being against code

I'm finished discussing whether or not there should be a chandelier over the tub. There IS and it's staying.

Even less intelligent, I'm afraid. Stubborn is more like it. The fact is, there shouldn't be one over the bathtub unless it's over 8' up or has no electricity going to it. Anything else is a sub-standard installation and shoddy at best.

Charles, you are right, I was wrong - a non-waterproof light should not be anywhere near the tub no matter how pretty it may be. Plus an electrician would not just put in a GFCI box over the tub - he would want the correct fixture.

"We built this house 26 years when we were 21 and 22 and have no plans of ever leaving here alive."

Unfortunately Monica, you have just made that possibility much sooner than you planned. Lovely light. However, it has no business being located where it is.

I don't see anything wrong with the people that have made comments about the dangers of putting a chandelier over a tub. If it is illegal, it is clearly for a reason of life safety. Just as you wouldn't put an outlet beside the tub and plug in a lamp, doing the same with a chandelier at that height is apparently equivalent. The idea of it being a problem for someone who buys your home down the line (if it got by a home inspector) is worthy of consideration as well.

I do believe there are light fixtures that are appropriate for 'wet' applications. Likely not a chandelier or pendant at that ceiling height, of course. Or, hang the chandelier but don't wire it. How much would it be on, anyway?

In all honesty, the idea of a chandelier over a tub seems to be a new phenomenon - I guess with the advent of the huge tubs?

Designers and architects go to university to come up these types of ideas.

As much as I hate to keep this thread on page 1, I've got a question to ask.

I have very high vaulted ceilings in my master bath. There is currently an "eyeball" type recessed light up over the spa tub (as installed by the builder back when they built this as a model), and I've played with the idea of perhaps changing it out to something more attractive. I can't seem to commit either way at this point, so all the knowledge I can pick up on the subject is very helpful (although snide remarks are not).

Am I right in thinking that if I keep the fixture a minimum of 8ft above the tub ledge, and make sure it is appropriate for moist environments, I'm okay? Or does it still need to be GFCI?

TIA,

Nat

As long as it is 8' up and 3' out, it is fine. If any part of the fixture is more than 3' out from the tub and shower enclosure, it can be lower. Outside of this area the fixture does not require GFCI protection. You should probably ask in the electrical forum though where you can get a more thorough and detailed response.

Thank you.

"SO....EVERYTHING in your house meets or exceeds the current codes?"

The electric code does NOT work like you think.
If an installation met code when installed AND inspected, it continues to meet the code even as the code changes.

You are NOT required to update to the latest code.
It changes every 3 years (though some places do not adopt every new issue).

It also carries the force of law if it is adopted.

I have NEVER installed equipment in violation of the code.
NOT EVEN ONCE.

Falling is the least of the problems.
It is not designed for a wet/damp location.
The entire thing could become live, and even make water on the wall live.

The GFCI MIGHT save your life, but they also fail regularly.
When was the last time you tested yours?

Is the GFCI for the chandelier going to be checked regularly?

Water splattering on a hot bulb can also cause them to break.
This can result in hot glass and metal falling.

If you look at fixtures for above a tub or shower you will notice the bulb is ALWAYS covered and protected.

Be sure to keep your life insurance up to date.