Do bathroom lights have to be GFCI?

The NEC has no requirement for GFCI protection of lighting in a bathroom. If your fan is not inside the shower it does not require GFCI protection. You stated your bath lighting is on a lighting circuit outside the bathroom with receptacles.

Keeping this in view, what has to be GFCI protected in bathroom?

Per 210.8, you must install GFCI protection for all 15A and 20A, 125V receptacles located in bathrooms, rooftops, and kitchens in commercial/industrial facilities. However, GFCI protection is not required for receptacles installed outside a commercial or industrial occupancy.

Furthermore, can a light be on a GFCI circuit? Lights and fans above bathtub sunshowers are required to be GFCI protected. Only receptacle outlets are required to be GFCI protected, however, there is nothing prohibiting additional outlets (such as lighting outlets) from being protected.

Also, do bathroom lights need to be on their own circuit?

Bathroom-circuit receptacles. It does not require a separate circuit for each bathroom. One circuit may supply multiple bathrooms as long as only bathroom receptacles are supplied. Lighting outlets or receptacle outlets in other rooms may not be supplied by this circuit.

How does a GFCI protect a light?

If your lightbulbs will be outdoors and you do want to protect them from ground faults, then the wire to the switch box (both line and neutral) should come from the Load side of the GFCI, rather than directly from the panel (or the GFCI's Line side).

32 Related Question Answers Found

How many outlets can one GFCI protect?

Re: number of outlets after gfci

Using 220.14, a maximum of 13 receptacle outlets are allowed on a 20A circuit. They can be single or dulpex and still only counts as one receptacle.

What is the difference between GFI and GFCI?

GFI is an ground fault interrupting outlet. GFCI is a ground fault circuit interrupter. GFI is an ground fault interrupting outlet. GFCI is a ground fault circuit interrupter.

What size breaker do I need for my bathroom?

The minimum requirement for outlet receptacles in a bathroom is one GFCI-protected receptacle served by a 20-amp circuit. This is a bare minimum, however, and most bathrooms will have at least two receptacles, and often as many of four or five.

Can I use 15 amp GFCI in bathroom?

As to can you have a GFCI 15 amp circuit the answer is yes if it is in addition to the required dedicated 20 amp receptacle circuit. The NEC requirement is for a 20 amp circuit to serve the bathroom receptacle (s). A 15 amp gfi receptacle can be used as it is two receptacles.

Does a bathroom need a 20 amp circuit?

A basic wiring plan for a bathroom includes a 20-amp, GFCI-protected circuit for the receptacles and a 15-amp general lighting circuit for the switches, light fixtures, and vent fan. If the vent fan has a built-in heater, it must have its own 20-amp circuit.

Does a refrigerator need to be on a GFCI?

All commercial buildings/kitchens are required to have GFCI for refrigerators. If the circuit feeding the refrigerator outlet is a dedicated individual circuit, than it can be either 15-A or 20-A. In a garage or an unfinished basement of a Dwelling unit, the refrigerator must have a GFCI circuit.

Can bathroom lights and outlets be on the same circuit?

The same circuit can supply the entire bathroom (outlets plus lighting), provided there are no heaters (including vent fans with built-in heaters) and provided the circuit serves only a single bathroom and no other areas. All receptacles in bathrooms must have ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection.

Can I put lights and outlets on the same circuit?

An option for you if you don't want two switches is just to use a blank face plate (check this question). Basic answer to your question of can a mixture of lights and receptacles be installed on a single circuit is yes. The neutral will be white but some switches are wired up with a white wire that is not a neutral.

Can you mix 12 gauge and 14 gauge wire?

mixing 14-gauge NM and 12-gauge. both 14 and 12 gauge will be protected by a 15A breaker. Code states that 14Ga will be protected by an overcurrent device of not more than 15A and 12GA by 20A. 14 and 12 are both ok behind a 15amp breaker, but you must use one or the other and not both.

How many outlets can be on a 15 amp circuit?

10 outlets

Can I use a 20 amp circuit for lights?

Lighting fixtures can be put on any 20 amp circuit except those that are required by code not to have lighting fixtures (washer, kitchen small applicance, and dedicated equipment circuits).

Is a bathroom considered a damp location?

Almost all finished indoor areas are considered dry locations, including your bathroom, washroom, and above the kitchen sink. That said, installing sconces as bathroom vanity lighting will not require a damp or wet location rating. The same goes for a flush mount above your kitchen sink.

How many receptacles can be on a 20 amp circuit?

10 receptacles

Can LED lights cause GFCI to trip?

Electrical Problem with an LED Light Tripping a GFCI Outlet

The GFCI Outlet must be wired from the wiring of the same circuit, therefore the wiring must be contiguous, and not connected to other circuit wires because this could cause the GFI Outlet to trip, but there is more to this problem as described below.

Do all outdoor outlets have to be GFCI?

Outdoor outlets have watertight covers that allow them to stay covered even with a cord plugged in. The National Electrical Code requires the use of ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets outdoors. Install the exterior outlet in the same wall bay as the interior outlet, but not against a wall stud.

Can you run a GFCI off a switch?

Delivers power from the GFCI to a switched load when wired to the GFCI. The switch cable can also be wired without GFCI protection. If replacing an existing switch: Identify the switch you will be replacing and turn ON the load.

Can you put a light above a shower?

While it may be tempting to place a decorative fixture above a shower, it's not simply a matter of just picking out any ceiling light you like. A ceiling light that goes directly over a shower must be rated for damp or moist areas, and certain types of ceiling light are generally not suited for over-shower placement.