Electrical GFCI – How to Independently Switch a GFCI Outlet

electricalgfciswitch

I would like to add a plug outside where each plug would be independently switched. The use of this is to be able to switch a rope light and a fan separately. This is being added to a new breaker so can be treated independent of everything else.

I know how to do this with a standard outlet, but the GFCI aspect is throwing me for a loop.

The best option I have been able to come up with is to buy a GFCI with a blank face and put it in-line before the switches. Is this the best way to handle this? If so, my follow up question is where to place the GFCI box? Is there any issue with placing it in the attic, or does it need easily accessible?

There are no local codes to follow, but I would like to follow all common codes.

Best Answer

If this is new, I would do this:

Run a wire from the panel to a GFCI outlet in your garage (or wherever -- it may even be in the same box as the switches).
- Optionally, you could just use a GFCI breaker for this circuit but these are over $100 more than regular breakers, whereas a GFCI outlet is easily less than $20 in parts
From the LOAD terminals on the GFCI outlet, run power to your switches.
From here, run everything as you normally would: switch hot for each outlet, and run the switched hot, neutral and ground to each switch.

Related Solutions

GFCI Wiring – Proper Wiring for GFCI with Switched Circuit

Just wire the GFCI between the wiring and the disposal so that it's on the switch (often, you would daisy chain the switch off of the GFCI and have the switched device hardwired, but that doesn't solve your problem). So, in your diagram, the load side is where the current is coming in, the line side goes to the switch, and the disposal is obvious. What you'll have is:

              Switch (I'm guessing this is "line?" in your diagram)
               | | |
Line           W G B           GFCI   Plug  Disposal
Black ---------+ | +--B------- Black  =----B
Green -----------+----G------- Green  =----G
White ----------------W------- White  =----W

In the switch, the input is the white, even though it's hot in the wiring, and the output of the switch is black, since that's what becomes hot to the next device. When possible, I like to have my switch connected to a black and red wire, black always being hot, and red being switched. But that's usually not convenient, so this is the best an electrician can do.

Electrical – How to remotely monitor a GFCI receptacle

There are GFCI outlets that have indicator LEDs on them, like this one:

enter image description here

If you put this in the living space, then connect the sump receptacle (a normal, non-GFCI receptacle) to the "load" side of this outlet, it will also be protected. If it trips, the light will be out and you'll know it.

To make it more obvious, you could plug a nightlight into this outlet.

Even better, plug in an "emergency rechargeable flashlight": the kind that plug into the wall, but turn on automatically when you unplug them or the power goes out.

enter image description here

This would more readily draw attention: if the light is on, there is a problem.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

GFCI Wiring – Proper Wiring for GFCI with Switched Circuit

Electrical – How to remotely monitor a GFCI receptacle

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