abc

I'm installing a light fixture in a closet. the switch will be on the inside wall. The opposite side of the wall is a shower wall. When i opened the hole for the switch, i found the water supply pipes for the shower. Any problem positioning a switch behind a shower wall or running romex 14/2 cable next to a copper water pipe?

nacko

its generally not cool to have the wire in direct contact with the water pipe, but other than that its ok. If it worries you, put a gfci breaker in for that circuit at the electric panel, then if the switch somehow gets wet at least it should trip before frying someone.

Speedy Petey

There is absolutely no issue with having wiring in a wet wall. Even if the pipes burst, the boxes will do an adequate job of keeping most of the water out.
Besides, if a pipe bursts that bad the wiring is the least of your worries.

nacko, I am curious as to how someone would get "fried" because the wiring in the walls or the switch got wet.

__________________
Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

nacko

read my post again, I don't think I said anyone would get fried, I said "if it worries you, it should trip with a gfi before anyone gets fried". that is, after all, the intent of the functionality of the gfi.

Speedy Petey

Sorry, I took this to imply someone could actually get "fried".
I was just wondering how this would happen.

__________________
Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

nacko

one would hope that if a conductor were to come in contact with heavily ionized water that it would short to ground prior to causing a shock to someone, say taking a shower, but who's to say it never happened ? (I've never heard of it happening either)

adave

You can put some pipe (sponge) wrap around the copper so the pipe is isolated from the romex. You can feed it through the opening, just wrap it around a portion of the pipe that's exposed and feed it up/down as far as possible.