Bathroom electrical

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Al G.

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I'm planning the circuit for a new basement bathroom. I have a 20 amp circuit dedicated to just this bathroom. I have a 4-gang box with switches for a vanity light, shower light, exhaust fan and light built into the exhaust fan. My understanding is that the shower light needs to be GFCI-protected and the others should not be so as to not lose all lights if the GFCI trips.

Power (via 12/2) comes into the box holding the GFCI. I'd like to run two sets of 12/2 from that box to the 4-gang with the switches. One 12/2 would come from the load side of the GFCI and connect to the shower light switch. The other 12/2 would come from the line side of the GFCI and connect to the other 3 switches. Is this acceptable? The box is properly sized for this number of connectors.

Within the 4-gang box I'll tie together all non-GFCI-protected neutrals. I'll also tie together the neutral coming from the load side of the GFCI and the neutral going to the shower light. Am I correct to keep the 2 sets of neutrals separate?

All the grounds in both boxes will be tied together.
 
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JWelectric

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It will not hurt anything for everything in the bathroom to be GFCI protected. If you are worried about being in the dark ask yourself just how many times you have had to reset your devices
 

hj

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I would be more concerned about a couple of blow dryers tripping the circuit breaker. Like the old farmer who said, I hate those GFCI outlets. Everytime my wife uses her blowdryer in the bathtub, I have to reset it.
 
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Speedy Petey

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The shower lights does NOT have to be GFI protected. Unless of course the mfg requires it, which would be pretty rare.

Where did you read that it has to be GFI protected?
 

Al G.

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The shower lights does NOT have to be GFI protected. Unless of course the mfg requires it, which would be pretty rare.

Where did you read that it has to be GFI protected?

Actually, I thought I read it here. Maybe it was somewhere else, but I definitely found different views. The installation instructions for the light in the shower don't say it has to be GFCI protected. Maybe the simplest solution is to not protect anything beyond the outlet.
 

Speedy Petey

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Actually, I thought I read it here. Maybe it was somewhere else, but I definitely found different views. The installation instructions for the light in the shower don't say it has to be GFCI protected. Maybe the simplest solution is to not protect anything beyond the outlet.
The one thing I know is almost always required is when a fan is installed within the tub/shower area. In these cases the manufacturer almost always requires GFCI protection.
 

Al G.

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Thanks for all the replies. My fan/light is outside the shower area so no issue there. I also checked all the shower lights in the rest of the house (built in 2004) and none of them are GFCI protected. I guess I was concerned about nothing.
 

Jadnashua

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FWIW, in 10-years, the electrical codes can change a moderate amount!

It depends on which cycle your local or state has adopted. The latest codes apply when doing remodeling to things you change or add, but are not retroactive to older installs. Arc fault and GFCI are much more commonly required, but you need to know which code cycle (i.e., year) applies where you live to know for sure. Places do not always adopt the latest codes, and some will have local amendments (generally, to be more strict, not less).
 
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