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stevanrk · Sep 7, 2006, 06:23 PM

Hello,
I just wired up my basement bathroom and was wondering if what I did was against some kind of code. I wired it for one GFCI outlet next to the sink. This outlet is the bottom half of one side of a double gang box. The top half is the light switch and the whole left half is a timer for the vent fan. What I did to save money was rigged the fan and lights to the GFCI outlet so that everything was protected (since I read that the fan and lights need to be on a GFCI protected). BUT, as you now see, if the outlet trips so does everything else along with it. I read that the fan and light over the bathtub (which is what I have) need to be GFCI protected. According to the book it should be OK because everything is protected, but it just feels like something MAY be incorrect because it will ALL trip. Is that a bad thing or just an inconvenience that is still legal? Any comments or help would be appreciated.
Thanks very much in advance!
Regards,
Steve

tkrussell · Sep 8, 2006, 02:53 AM

If the light is in or over the tub or shower, then it needs to be GFI protected, as the outlet does. Everything you did is fine, but it will be an inconveinence if the GFI trips while the room is occupied and the light is tripped off.

All you could do is use a separate GFI device to protect the light separate from the outlet.

bhayne · Sep 8, 2006, 09:30 AM

You concern is well founded. All the wiring in the double gang box must be GFCI protected since it is next to a sink.

I doubt if the light and fan circiuts are protected by the receptacle. It just doesn't make sense. I could be mistaken (it surely wouldn't be the first time). An easy check would be to press the 'test' button on the outlet and see if the fan and lights are disconnected.

The proper method (to have an outlet box that close to a sink), is to replace the panel breaker with a GFCI breaker. That would be acceptable to me.

If your worried about pitch blackness if the power trips, install a backup battery operated light that glows in the dark!

tkrussell · Sep 8, 2006, 11:48 AM

To clarify, the statement, All the wiring in the double gang box must be GFCI protected, is not true, and is misleading. The wiring inside a box or partition is not required to be GFI protected.

The intention is that any receptacle within 6 feet of a sink is GFI protected so that any appliance, such as a hair dryer, actually be protected in the event the appliuance is dropped into the sink or water, or if the appliance is shorted and the person using the appliance comes in contact with a grounded surface.

stevanrk · Sep 9, 2006, 06:40 PM

Thank you guys. To clarify for bhayne, I wired up the GFCI receptacle first then used the load terminals off the GFCI receptacle to power and GFCI protect the light switch AND fan switch through pigtails. tkrussell has verified that this configuration is OK even though everything will trip if one of these three things are tripped. Thanks again guys!
Regards,
Steve