I’m putting in a vent fan over my tub. The instructions say to put it on a gfci. So after reading here and the fan instructions I came up with this design. I didn’t add the ground lines to make it easier to read. They are wire nutted together at each box. Am I right, can it be improved? Thanks
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What does outside plug mean? Bathroom outlets need to be on their own circuit (if the walls are opened up or in new const).
I usually dont like to put my lights on a gfi, if the gfi pops your sitting there in the dark. As far as I know you dont need to put the fan on the gfi you can run the light/fan off the line side of the gfi.
It's a 20amp circuit and must have been added in sometime in the past. It had a line tied to the line going to the gfci, wraped in black elect tape before it went into the gfci. So it was an unprotected outside outlet. My moble home has an outside outlet wired into the bathroom gfci. That's why I drew it the way I did. As far as I can tell, these are the only two outlets on this breaker.
There are two lights in the bathroom. The instructions for the fan say it's to be connected to a gfci protected branch circuit.
>>As far as I can tell, these are the only two outlets on this breaker.
Just change the breaker to a ground fault breaker.
Dave
I'm not an electrician but here are a few observtions based on the way I have seen the electricians wire some of the houses I have built, and BTW - the electrical inspectors in my area are rather strict - they do things like disassemble lights to check for grounds, remove outlet covers to check for fire rings, and use testors to test outlets that are supposed to be GFCI protected. Not sure what version of the NEC we are on.
Exterior outlets can be protected by interior GFCI outlets.
Fans in damp areas must be on a GFCI protected circuit.
Certainly exterior outlets can be protected from inside, but the way I understand the code, the bathroom circuit is, just that, nothing else and gfi protected.
I've never protected a bathfan and have never had a problem with inspections.
There is nothing in the code that requires the fan on a GFCI.But it does require that electrical equipment be installed per manufactures instructions.He said that the fan is over the tub that is a WET area and often the fan manufacture does require GFCI protection on fans in wet areas.As to the outside receptacle on the bath circuit that used to be allowed and was common practice back in the late 70's. The idea to save GFCI's.Don't know when a dedicate bath circuit was first required.But it is still done to some extent with garage/basement/crawlspace/outside receptacles.So the circuit is grandfathered in without the bath fan (assuming that it was correct when first done).The question is if the local inspector would require bring the bathroom circuit upto current code for the minor addtion of the fan/light.And all that means is disconnecting the outside receptacle. And then finding a new circuit for it, if you need to keep it funcitonal.But what is drawn will work electrically.And if I understand the GFCI receptacle is existing so there is no reason to go with a GFCI breaker.
I agree. I didnt think you needed gfi for a fan because its a fixed install and you really cant move it, over the tub though I think you're correct. Around here (in Michigan) if you dont open the walls you're grandfathered in. As soon as you can access the internals though you have to up date.
I ran into that on a full kitchen gut. The kitchen was to be rewired and while the walls were open he made us upgrade the grounds on the surrounding rooms that were exposed by opening up the kitchen.
Wallrat,
is that a 3 way switch or are we controlling the fan and light separately? Say one switch with two toggle on it???
The diagram looks good. Likely the existing GFCI setup (at least I presume it's "existing") with the outside outlet is grandfathered, and should be perfectly OK (aside from the slight inconvenience that driven rain in the outside outlet can trip the GFCI and knock out the light and fan).
The fan and light shouldn't need to be on a GFCI, however, unless they're close to the tub/shower -- basically could be touched by a guy who's maybe 6-3, while standing in the tub (and without leaning way out). (There are specific rules in inches, but that's about what they work out to, IIRC.) In any event, it doesn't hurt to err on the side of safety -- worst downside it the above-mentioned inconvenience.