I am planning to add some devices/receptacles to a 20amp circuit in my house. The following image shows the original circuit and my proposed additions. I'm specifically concerned about my plan for wiring outlets after the GFCI tester (see items 12 thru 17 in the image). Three outlets will be wired in parallel from a junction box directly after the GFCI tester, with two additional outlets wired in series off of one of those paralleled outlets. Are there any problems with this plan? Any input or confirmation is much appreciated. Thanks!
Electrical GFCI – Duplex outlets in series and parallel after GFCI
electricalgfci
Related Solutions
GFCI receptacles have two sets of contacts, line, and load. The Line side of the receptacle is used to power the device, while the load side is used to power other devices down the line. Any device connected to the load side of a GFCI receptacle, will be protected by the GFCI receptacle.
For example, if you have a setup like this (which I assume you have).
There is no need to have a GFCI receptacle as the second receptacle, since it will already be protected by the first GFCI receptacle. Because of this, if the first device trips all devices on the load side will not be powered (as you have noticed).
You can use pigtails to connect the receptacles like this.
But in a setup like this, you'll be required to have a GFCI receptacle at both outlets. The devices down stream are no longer protected by the first GFCI receptacle, because they are not fed by the load side of the device.
FYI:
This is what it would look like if the receptacles were wired in series.
Your first diagram is almost correct. The receptacles need to be wired in parallel, but so do the lights. The lights can be GFCI protected, but they're likely not required to be (unless they're in a shower in your garage).
Something more like this
You also need a neutral at the switch, even in you don't use it. So it might look more like this.
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Best Answer
Electrical cable/conduit routing must be tree topology
You can also wire things in a "vine" topology, like 12-15-16-17 - after all, a vine is a type of tree.
You can also wire in a star topology (like 12-9-15-14-13). That counts as tree topology also. (but with many connections, box fill rules must be followed just like anywhere else).
You can freely mix them all.
Here's the acid test: In your graphics editor, take your cabling diagram (remove the non-cablng elements like gray walls). Now, grab the paint can tool, and pour purple color anywhere on the diagram. Does it fill the whole diagram? Then you have tree topology. Yours appears to pass.