GFCI outlets

Is it ok to make each outle tin a GFCI circuit have its own GFCI outlet? Wh en my house was built, one GFCI outlet in one bathroom protects the outlets in three bathrooms, so If it trips, the other outlets go out. I assume the re is not a disadvantage other than cost to have each bathroom have its own GFCI outlet even if it is on the same circuit?

Reply to
stryped1
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Yep, It's better to have each one separate, they were probably just trying to save money

Reply to
philo 

Yes, it's OK.

I know you didn't ask, but I'll toss this out anyway.

You will need to move the wires on the first GFCI off of the Load terminals and either attach them to the Line terminals or in some other manner ensure that they are connected to the source hot and neutral. Basically, what you need to do is make sure that each downstream receptacle is wired correctly so that the previous GFCI doesn't impact it when it trips.

Of course, this leads to the question of why is the first GFCI tripping. I can't recall the last time a bathroom CGFI tripped in my house. My garage ones have tripped when the holiday lights got wet or something similar, but my bathroom GFCI's never trip.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

When my house was built, one GFCI outlet in one bathroom protects the outle ts in three bathrooms, so If it trips, the other outlets go out. I assume t here is not a disadvantage other than cost to have each bathroom have its o wn GFCI outlet even if it is on the same circuit?

Yes and no. AFAIK, you're not supposed to have a GFCI on a circuit that already has a GFCI. So, if I understand it correctly, what you'd like to have is one GFCI in each bathroom. That GFCI in turn would protect the other downstream receptacles in that bathroom. That would be easy to do if you were wiring from scratch. To do it now, you have to get a non GFCI circuit into the second bathroom. I can see two ways to do that.

1 - Run a new circuit. 2 - Find where the first receptacle in the second bathroom is tied into the GFCI chain in the first bathroom. Have each receptacle in the first bathroom have it's own GFCI receptacle, ie don't use the load side of any of them, up until where the branch point is going to bath 2. Just pass the line side through to each receptacle up to the point that the second bathroom is connected. If there are other outlets down the line, from that point on, they could be connected to the load side of the last GFCI.

=====gfci rec bath 1 || ||============gfci rec bath1 || ||=============gfci rec bath1 load side=======rec====rec || || || || gfci bath2 rec/load side======== =rec===rec

Reply to
trader4

Agreed. Back when GFCI's were first introduced, they were very expensive. Builders often installed one and used it for all outlets that were required to be protected. My house has one GFCI that protected 3 bathrooms, the garage, and 2 outdoor outlets. Doing that probably saved them hundreds of dollars. Today, it make little sense.

Reply to
Pat

Hi, Economics, when my house was built in 1994 GFCI thing was pretty new. One GFCI was shared like that. But other than testing it once in a while it never really tripped. All I have to remember is it feeds more than one bathroom. Like wise exterior outlets are wired like that. Over time I added few more GFCI with indicator LED which is more convenient.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you mean by "a circuit".

I consider a circuit to be a number of devices that are all controlled by the same breaker. Is that wrong? If it's not, then don't you have multiple GFCI's on the same circuit in your picture below? It looks like all of the GFCI's are sourced from the same breaker. I'm not saying your picture is wrong, I'm just questioning how the picture below relates to your words from above.

If you are saying that you shouldn't have _redundant _GFCI's (a GFCI connected to the load side of an upstream GFCI) then I agree, but that's different than "not supposed to have a GFCI on a circuit that already has a GFCI".

Could you clarify that for me?

Just to be clear, this diagram assumes that the 2nd bathroom is not connected directly to the load side of the first GFCI, right? If it is, then those first 2 "gfci rec bath 1" are not needed. I say that just in case the OP missed that subtle point.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Likely would not work, since being in parallel all the GFCI devices would see the same voltage and voltage differences - so ALL might trip at the same time. Have never tried it, but it would not surprise me if you had that problem.

Reply to
clare

And if the GFCI in bathroom 2 is more sensitive than the one in bathroom 1, a ground fault in bathroom 1 can kick the gfci in bathroom

2 before kicking itself. Mabee a SLIM chance, but possible??
Reply to
clare

And if the GFCI in bathroom 2 is more sensitive than the one in bathroom 1, a ground fault in bathroom 1 can kick the gfci in bathroom 2 before kicking itself. Mabee a SLIM chance, but possible?? =========================== You don't understand how a GFI works.

GFIs do not look at the line VOLTAGES, they look at the load CURRENTS.

You can connect anything you like anyway you like on the LINE side of a GFI and not effect its operation. In a way, the entire electric grid is in parallel on the line side. It is an imbalance in the LOAD side CURRENTS that trip a GFI.

Mark

Reply to
makolber

Yes, the above is what I meant. You're right, the way I worded it, it was misleading. In the OP's case if he just put another GFCI in the second bathroom, it would be downstream from the first GFCI in the first bathroom. That is what I was addressing.

Right. I wanted to show the more general case. We don't know where it's connected. If it's connected to the last of 4 GFCI's in the first bath, then he'd need 4 GFCI receptacles in the first bathroom. In the example, he needs two.

Yes, if bath 2 ties in at GFCI one, then he only needs the existing GFCI. But with Murphy's law, it's probably tied in on the last receptacle. :)

Actually I just read it again and it's 3 bathrooms. Depending on the sizes, usage, etc, he might want to consider pulling a new circuit to split the load. Two hair dryers at the same time and you're pushing it.

Reply to
trader4

Ref parallel GFCIs The GFCI only responds to things on the load side. You can feed all the GFCIs you want from the line side.

The only real issue with them in series is which one might trip in a fault. The situation is not uncommon tho. If you have equipment with a cord mounted GFCI (pressure washer, boat lift etc), you are likely to be plugging it into a GFCI protected circuit. Having them in series might be helpful in determining why one might trip tho.

Reply to
gfretwell

What about your kitchen counter?

Maybe this explains why, when my GFCI breaker failed, the price shown beneath it in the store for the new one was a lot, but when the cashier rang it up, it wasn't much at all.

Reply to
micky

Not if it's wired the way I described and showed it wired above, which is the same way that DerbyDad is saying. The GFCI protected portions of the circuit are separate from one another. They are not daisychained, ie, with the second one being connected to the load side of the first. A fault on one will have no effect on the other.

Reply to
trader4

I think what folks are saying is that you should daisy chain from the line side of the first gfci to the second room where you put the gfci, and daisy chain from the line side of the second gfci to the third bathroom. That w ay, each gfci sees an uninterrupted power source back to the circuit breake r/fuse box. Each bathroom can then daisychain from the load side of its re spective gfci to any other outlets and maybe a ceiling light in that same b athroom.

The only shortcoming of this method is that when the ceiling lights are als o on the protected side of the gfci, if it does trip, you will lose all pow er to the room and it will be totally dark unless it is daytime and there i s a window in the bathroom. At night you are SOL if that happens.

Reply to
hrhofmann

I don't suppose it helps much at this point but the rule that allows you to put multiple basin receptacles in more than one bathroom on the same circuit, also says it must only serve those receptacles, not the light. OTOH if the circuit only serves one bathroom, it can pick up everything in that bathroom. Having the ceiling light on the GFCI or even on with the receptacle is still a bad design decision. The code is not a design manual.

Reply to
gfretwell

3 hair dryers would work nice on one GFI one breaker.

Greg

Reply to
gregz

I agree that it would be a good idea to have more than one circuit. I suggested that he consider the option of running a new circuit. But what he has, with non-GFCI receptacles is apparently working. At least he's not complaining about it. Changing them to be on separate GFCIs doesn't make any difference with regard to the possibility of the load of 3 hair dryers. Nor is there a safety hazard, as long as the circuit has the proper size breaker.

Reply to
trader4

Ahh, but he is complaining.

"...so If it trips, the other outlets go out"

I'm still wondering what trips it. Maybe he needs to find the root cause of the tripping before he start rewiring his house.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Don't know how often fans are above tubs or showers, but if they are they probably have to be on the GFCI circuit.

Reply to
bud--

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