What are the codes for the following bathroom wiring questions:

Do I need to have the GFCI outlets on a dedicated home-run line to my circuit breaker box?

Do all outlets in a bathroom have to be GFCI outlets? As long as I have one GFCI outlet, can't I add another regular outlet after this in the bathroom without having it also be a GFCI? Isn't anything I put on a line after a GFCI outlet by definition GFCI-protected? I remember reading somewhere that if you have two GFCI outlets in a line, the second may trip frequently due to slight variations in the voltage.

Can I tie in the bathroom lights to another circuit, or must these lights also be on a dedicated home run line?

Do the lights also have to be GFCI protected? Is there a minimum distance I need to have them from any water source? The light switch is next to the toilet - I can't imagine anyone putting a body part IN the toilet while turning off the light, but stranger things have happened.

 

Bathroom receptacles need some form of GFCI protection no matter how they are wired. GFCI protection comes in the form of a GFCI receptacle in the bathroom, a GFCI receptale upstream, or a GFCI circuit breaker. It doesn't matter which of these three forms of protection you provide. There must be at least one receptacle within 36" of the rim of each sink. Bathroom receptacles must be on a 20-amp circuit. Nothing outside of a bathroom may be on the same circuit as a bathroom receptacle.

You may put two GFCI receptacles in a row with no adverse affects (other than the fact that you wasted money on the second one).

Bathroom lights may be on a separate circuit than the receptacle, including a circuit serving another room. However, there are limits on what you can put on the same circuit with the bathroom receptacle. Post back if you need to know the gory details. If you are planning a dedicated circuit for that one receptacle, then you don't need to know.

Lights do not require GFCI protection, except those inside the shower/tub enclosure. Lights inside a shower/tub enclosure must be rated for that purpose. Other than that, you can put the lights anywhere.

You can put a light switch anywhere you want, except inside the shower/tub enclosure.

You are free to exceed the safety requirements of any of these codes if you choose. If you think putting a light switch a foot outside the tub is dangerous, then don't put one there (although the code would allow it, I wouldn't do it).

 

Ok, sounds good. Two last questions -

I have two separate bathrooms adjacent to each other (separated by a wall). Can I use one circuit to power the GFCI outlets in both bathrooms?

For the light in the shower, are there lights I can buy that come with GFCIs, or do I/should I just run the light coming off of the GFCI outlet?

 

On your first question, the answer is yes if absolutely nothing else but these two receptacles is on this circuit.

I'm not sure about your second question.

 

As john said, if you run the same circuit to both bathrooms, then you can put nothing else on this circiut (no lights, fans, etc).

I'm not sure about the lights, but I'm going to guess no. GFI's get pricey

The easiest thing to do is to run a seperate circuit for each bathroom. Run into the first outlet box, and put a GFI outlet there (LINE side). Feed the rest of the bathroom from the LOAD side of the GFI, and everything will be GFI protected, so you light will be coverd (and if somebody has a foot in the toilet and flips the switch, they will be covered).

The only complaint with this setup is that if the GFI trips, the bathroom goes dark.

 

If you wire lights from the GFI, aren't you exceeding the recommended 15A circuit for the lights? (I didn't think you should wire lights to 20A) If it's ok, can 14ga wire be used?

 

You cannot use 14 gauge wire on a 20 amp circuit...only on a 15 amp circuit. You must use 12 on a 20 amp.
You can use 12 or 14 gauge on a 15 amp circuit.
Mike

 

Mreloc:
There is nothing wrong with wiring lights to a 20 amp circuit. You must use #12 wire for the lights in this case as OldGuy stated. Many people think this is a "problem" becuase it is harder to work with #12 vs #14, and you need to watch the box fill (i.e. less #12's fit into a box vs #14's). However there is no code against running lights off 20 amp circuits.

I prefer it this way because when someone plugs a vacumn into a receptical that is on the lighting circuit somewhere you get less flicker and diming becuase of the larger wire used.

 

Everyone has their own way of doing some things and I am no different. In a new home you sometimes have more choices than a remodel. When I have a choice I use 3 or 4 lighting ciruits for a house and all the lights go on there, 15A number 14 wire circuits. It makes it really easy to keep track of and being overhead and wirenutting to smaller wires is easier and plenty adequate. I put no recepts on any of these and I wire all recepts everywhere else on 12. I like a seperate circuit to each bath and then you meet all codes without any speculation. If the curling iron and hair dryer are going there is never a problem and heaters sometimes get plugged into baths also. That also makes no splices in these possible hi draw circuits. Those are not rules but it makes it easy to comply with the codes and is just the way I like it. Keeps the flickers to minimum also. Others do it some other way.