GFCI question

[Andrew Cox]

Just finished an inspection on a home built in '91. The bathrooms both have countertop receptacles - and are on the same circuit as the GFCI in the garage. If the bathroom outlet trips, you have to go to the garage GFCI and reset it. Is this acceptable?
Thanks.

[Michael Larson]

I think it is permitted but that doesn't make it "best practice".
At least your in FL where the garage floors stay warm.
No worse than using a GFCI breaker in the distribution panel which is also allowed.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Are you talking about todays wiring..no it is not permitted since 1996....but then again if the home is prior to that time frame it is really something that is not retroactive....you cant turn BACK the code....

As long as it is GFCI protected I would not worry about it to be honest with you.....but today it simply can't be done that way.

[Michael Larson]

Thanks for clarifying the appropriate dates Paul.

[Ralph Morella]

Originally Posted by acox

Just finished an inspection on a home built in '91. The bathrooms both have countertop receptacles - and are on the same circuit as the GFCI in the garage. If the bathroom outlet trips, you have to go to the garage GFCI and reset it. Is this acceptable?
Thanks.

I almost thought you were inspecting my house. That is exactly how mine is set up. My home was built in 1992.

We had a power outage a year ago that tripped the GFCI..I went all over the house checking all the GFCIs before remembering there was one in the garage and, yup..that was the right GFCI for the bathroom outlets.

I wholeheartledly believe we should be identifying what outlets are supported by what GFCI for our clients.

Ralph

[Andrew Cox]

I'm not worried about it, but I did mention it to the client. He is a retired plumber, and his son is an electrician. I'm going to write it up as acceptable prior to 1996, but not the recommended practice today. He said he wasn't too thrilled with it, and would have his son fix it. I told him I was more concerned that there was a GFCI, and he knew where to reset it! He agreed.
Thanks for the help.

[Greg Veal]

I typically write it up as nuisance design installation.
My friends in the Electrical industry tell me they usually design the GFCI circuitry as follows-

Kitchen Area / Min.of 2 circuits, resetable within the area
Bath(s)/ 1 circuit, resetable, w/ max.3 extensions or individual, resetable within each bath
Exterior(s)/ 1 circuit, resetable, w/ max.3 extensions or individual, resetable at each waterproof location
Garage/Basement/ 1 circuit, resetable in each location (extensions within, optional)
Other Area(s)/ as design requires

These are design standards in our area(s). NEC and/or local codes can/will override.