In my apartment bathroom there is a GFCI receptacle with 2 switches on the wall directly to the right when walking in. There is also a receptacle right by the sink. Does the receptacle by the sink need to be GFCI protected or is it protected by the GFCI receptacle closer to the entry of the bathroom?
Bathroom GFCI question
bathroom
Related Solutions
Sure sounds like you may have a couple of unrelated problems. Usually, a nuisance tripping GFI is a sign of a worn or aged GFI device. This is assuming there are no down line devices or lights that are leaking small amounts of current to earth ground. This would be uncommon for a light or simple switch, more likely with a motor load on start up or shut down. The more important and potentially dangerous problem is the whole house lighting flickering when the fan and shower light is on. If you have an accurate digital VOM, you can look at the voltage drop at the breaker that controls the bathroom. If you see variations of much more than 5 to 10 volts then isolate which device is causing the fluctuation. (fan or bath lite) by turning them on individually and test again. A older fan is a common source of your problem as moisture and humidity may have invaded the motor and causing larger than average voltage drop to ground. If this fan is in fact the culprit, the fan may be heating up more than normal as well and could become a hazard. If you do not have a VOM or know how to test voltages inside your circuit breaker panel, I'd advise you to seek a licensed electrician soon to correct the situation.
Based on the description you've provided in your comment. You should be able to install a combination GFCI switch device in the first bathroom (electrically closest to the breaker box), which will provide GFCI protection to the light and the rest of the circuit. Install the GFCI switch combo as follows:
All grounding conductors left off for simplicity. Make sure all devices are properly grounded.
- Connect the grounded "neutral" (white) conductor from the feeding cable, to the silver
LINEterminal of the GFCI. - Connect the ungrounded "hot" (black) conductor from the feeding cable, to the brass
LINEterminal of the GFCI. - Connect the grounded "neutral" (white) conductor from the cable going to the light, to the silver
LOADterminal of the GFCI. - Connect the switched (red) conductor from the cable going to the light, to one of the switch wires of the GFCI using a twist-on wire connector.
- Using a twist-on wire connector, connect the other switch lead from the GFCI to the ungrounded "hot" (black) conductor from the cable leading to the light, and a short bit of black wire.
- Connect the other end of the short bit of black wire (from the previous step), to the brass
LOADterminal on the GFCI. - Appropriately connect all grounding conductors.
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Best Answer
It does need to be protected there by the sink. It may very well be wired into the LOAD terminals of the other GFCI outlet. It is easy for you to check. Plug a lamp in by the sink and turn it ON. Then press the TEST button on the GFCI outlet. If the lamp goes OFF you know that the outlets are coupled.