Having an electronic toilet seat added to your bidet affords some extra luxuries. They are usually fairly straightforward to install, but adding an electrical outlet would be better suited to a professional.
To add an outlet to a bidet would typically cost about $100, but this would depend on whether there is other work required or not. If a new circuit is needed, the wiring is not up to standard code, or there need to be tiles removed and replaced could all increase the cost significantly.
In this article, we’ll look at the safety aspects involved when adding an electrical outlet to a bidet, what factors could influence the costs of that installation, and whether you could or should do it yourself!
How Do You Add An Electrical Outlet To A Bidet
Wherever you have electricity and water in proximity, you need to exercise the utmost care, and the same applies when adding an electrical outlet. Regarding this, there are usually two options: connecting the bidet to an existing outlet or installing a new one.
Connecting The Bidet To An Existing Outlet
Connecting the bidet to an existing outlet is more straightforward, easier, and cheaper. Still, it depends on how far away the outlet is from the bidet, as most supplied electrical cords are only about four feet long, and if your outlet is further away, you will need to extend the cord to reach it.
You can either add an extension cord, which, depending on where it’s going to lie in the bathroom, may not be practical or safe, but if you can run it behind or through a cabinet, then that would be ideal, and you should buy an extension cord rated at 1600W or higher.
Your other option is to extend the supplied cord by cutting the plug end off, extending the cable using a similar core cable, and then reconnecting the plug at the end of the longer cable.
While this option won’t cost you anything, you must ensure that the extension link is insulated correctly. You don’t want to risk electrocution, or a short circuit should the live cable come into contact with water.
Why The Outlet Needs To Be A GFI Outlet
Before you connect, you need to ensure that it is a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) outlet. This is a crucial safety requirement as a short circuit breaker on the electrical board won’t trip, and continued supply could cause death, severe burns, injury, or even a fire.
Here you may need to get an electrician involved to check that the outlet is GFI; if it’s not, you will need to install one. Doing this would cost about $50, including the new outlet, as the electrician would just replace the existing one with the GFI outlet.
How Much Would It Be To Install A New GFI Outlet
If you don’t have an existing outlet and need to have one installed, you would be looking at the cost of about $100, provided the installation doesn’t require additional work like cutting away wall tiles or upgrading the wiring to meet the necessary code.
Wiring that complies with the safety code required is always better as it means that there is very little (if any) chance that your wiring could cause injury or fire in the bathroom. This gives you peace of mind as the homeowner that the electrical installation is safe for you and your family.
If you are going to install a new outlet, it may be worth the money to have the electrician run the wiring from the bidet to the outlet along the walls where it is out of the way and not likely to get pulled out if someone trips over it, as could happen with the extension cord.
If additional work is needed when installing a new GFI outlet for the bidet, ask the electrician to quote you and describe in detail what needs to be done and why. Then get a few different electricians to inspect the job and advise their pricing.
This extra work could quickly run into hundreds of dollars, and you don’t want a price shock when you get the bill, so do some due diligence first, as this could save you some money on this installation.
Should You Add An Outlet To A Bidet Yourself
The only time you should consider adding the GFI outlet yourself is if there is an existing one that needs to be converted to a GFI outlet; if there isn’t an outlet and you need to run wiring in the walls or add a new circuit, then getting an electrician would be required.
If you can do it safely and wouldn’t be relying on YouTube videos for your instruction , or you have a practical mind, understand the basics of electrical installations, and have done a few before successfully, then you could install a GFI outlet to an existing power point.
Tips To Save Money When Adding An Electrical Outlet To A Bidet
While you cannot avoid costs when adding an outlet to a bidet, there are ways you can reduce the costs, and that involves buying the parts needed yourself. Most electricians will buy components like wiring and GFI outlets from a wholesaler and then mark them up on their quote.
For the most part, those markups are reasonable, but in some cases, contractors take their chances and can add ridiculous margins!
So get a list of what you need for the job and pop down to your local wholesaler and buy the parts yourself; this way, you only pay for labor on the installation, which will save you some money on the job.
If you go this route, remember to ask for a quote for labor /time only and advise that the components will be supplied.
Conclusion
Adding an outlet to a bidet isn’t an expensive job, and unless other work is required shouldn’t cost you more than $50 to $100. But the most important thing here is safety regardless of whether you use an extension cord or hire an electrician.
Using your new electronic seat on your bidet can feel like heaven. Not having to worry about whether the electrical supply to the bidet is working correctly when you need it to is an added benefit!
