Gfci And Bathroom Outlets

72chevy4x4

I'm putting together a bid and noticed the outlet in the bathroom's(early 80's house) are tied to a GFCI outlet in the garage. I've seen that as standard fare in kitchen's and older homes, but that seems like a lot of headache to run to the garage when a hairdryer (or more) kicks the GFCI. Can the electrician take the bathroom outlet out and install a GFCI in the bathroom on the same circuit? This would make it a GFCI on a GFCI circuit-is that against code? Just to be interesting, could you then run outlets off the GFCI which is on the GFCI outlet?

Which I could trust the electrician for solid advice but I don't...I'll create another thread looking for your opinion on that matter.

Mike Finley

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Celtic

The NEC is NOT a design manual.
The code requires GFCI protection - where that protection is physically located is not covered by the NEC.




He could...wiring both GFI's as individual outlets by the use of pigtails on the garage outlet.

IF this is allowed (bath circuit on w/other areas) is another discussion ...in NJ, if the bath was the only room being affected it would be allowed by our "Rehab Code" ~ but you would need a licensed EC...unless it's a OO SFH and the owner is doing the work.


(Edited "Which" to Wish" for you...no charge)

He probably considers these "actual" pies:



I wouldn't trust him either

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72chevy4x4

it's a 20A which feeds an outlet in the 1st floor powder room, and two 2nd floor bath outlets. Not sure about the kitchen counter outlets-but it doesn't appear to be the same circuit as the bath lights as they are part of a multi-room circuit listed in the panel.


thanks for the freebie, I which I could get my words straight.

For the record, here is my favorite. I automatically add the cost of one pie to each day a project takes. If the project spans the course of a holiday (as Thanksgiving), the contract includes a pie for each of my children and two for my wife. God bless America!

Celtic

Real pie requires a fork, a plate and preferably linen napkins....definitely not your sleeve

Kudos on the "Pie Clause"

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Tiger

In that time period in this area it was common to run all the non-kitchen GFCIs on one circuit. It creates a strange circuit that includes the bathroom outlets, garage outlet, and exterior outlet(s). There's no violation to double-protect an outlet, if that's what you were asking. Although this old GFCI circuit was code-compliant at the time, it no longer is. It was always a poor design. I usually run a dedicated circuit to each bathroom outlet.

Dave

220/221

Yes. Good idea. The 1980's jbox should be big enough.


Make sure he goes back to the garage and puts the wires going to the bathroom on the line side of the GFCI.

L. B. Condulet

No. I would pigtail the GFI in the garage however since it's theoretically possible (due to variances in manufacture) to trip the garage GFI even though you've installed a new one in the bathroom.

But I wouldn't even bother unless tripping the GFI is a regular occurrence.

macmikeman

Once I double gfi'd an exterior outlet. At final the city inspector stuck his little gfi tester in the outside outlet and the outlet on the interior unfinished storage room on the other side of the wall tripped instead. He said that he cannot pass my final until that is "fixed". I asked right away what imaginary code he was dreaming up for this one. His reply was that he not only enforces the NEC, but also the requirement that the system be installed properly according to all manufacturer's instructions. Now my particular little township adopts the code and no local amendments, so I get my dander up a bit, and decide to ride this wave a bit. I asked him to show me any instructions from any particular manufacturer that two gfi's run in series is not compliant to the proper installation of the devices. He reply's that the homeowner won't understand how to reset the device if it trips again. I said thats all very nice of you but that has zero bearing on my passing final. So he relented and signed the final. The minute he did, I went to my truck and pulled out another in use cover and a standard duplex and made the change he wanted me to do in the first place. Win Win.

Electric_Light

If you mean daisy string a GFCI, it's a baaad idea from practical point. When the GFCI trips, it might be either one, or both. If the home owner finds the one in bathroom not tripped and the main circuit breaker is not tripped, it would likely mean a service call.

If there is nothing else downstream of garage GFCI that are required to be on GFCI by code, I would install a GFCI in the bathroom, THEN, rewire the current connection at the garage outlet, so the feed to the bathroom is fed directly from the power going into the garage GFCI outlet. Then the garage and the bathroom would have it's own GFCI independent of each other.

Since each GFCI responds slightly differently (within tolerance), there's no telling which GFCI will trip when someone's hair dryer decides to take a bath in the sink.