Bathroom and bedroom tied

[Jpflex]

My stepson has a house that was built new in 2022. When the bedroom receptacle breaker tripped from a heater, the nearby bathroom power was also cut.

I read a couple years back in nec code that if I remember correctly bathrooms can be ran together but must not supply any other outlet or in other words other room.

How then can new houses be wired out of code and passed? If the code hasn't changed could the builder seller be liable?

 

[nickelec]

Did you check the whole bathroom or just noticed the lights out.

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[James L]

If the bathroom lights and receptacles are on the same circuit, that circuit can't power anything else in any other room, including bathrooms

If you have a circuit with only bathroom receptacles, it can power other bathroom receptacles and nothing else

If the bathroom lights are not on with the bathroom receptacles, those lights can be on with any general lighting/receptacle circuit

 

[charlie b]

When the bedroom receptacle breaker tripped from a heater, the nearby bathroom power was also cut.

James L gave a good summary of the rule. What you described is definitely a code violation. You didn't clarify what item(s) in the bathroom lost power, but that wouldn't change the violation. I can't speak to liability.

 

[Little Bill]

As far as the house being built in 2022 and being inspected, that doesn't mean someone didn't add, or change the wiring after inspection. Also doesn't mean that the inspector might have missed it. He could have tripped the bedroom AFCI and checked to see if it lost power, but didn't see if anything else was off. They usually just trip a marked breaker for a circuit and check to see if that circuit/room went off, they don't go around the house to see if anything else went off.

 

[qcroanoke]

What year did that become code? And what year are they under?

 

[JohnE]

Did you check the whole bathroom or just noticed the lights out.

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Same question here. I often wire master bedroom and bath lighting on same circuit. The bath receptacle is on a separate, 20 amp circuit, which also powers receptacle(s) in other bath(s)

 

[James L]

1996 was the first year the bathroom receptacles could only be on a bathroom circuit

 

[dkidd]

What year did that become code? And what year are they under?

1996 NEC 210-52(d) Bathrooms.....shall have at least one receptacle outlet supplied by a 20 amp branch circuit. Such circuits shall supply no other loads.

 

[Jpflex]

James L gave a good summary of the rule. What you described is definitely a code violation. You didn't clarify what item(s) in the bathroom lost power, but that wouldn't change the violation. I can't speak to liability.

The entire bathroom gfci circuit. So it looks like they wired bedroom(s) together with bathrooms.

How are new houses passing their inspection?

 

[Jpflex]

1996 NEC 210-52(d) Bathrooms.....shall have at least one receptacle outlet supplied by a 20 amp branch circuit. Such circuits shall supply no other loads.

Yes that is the code I remember

 

[Jpflex]

What year did that become code? And what year are they under?

This was answered with code reference below.

Similar to how multiple kitchens cannot be wired together

 

[Seven-Delta-FortyOne]

The entire bathroom gfci circuit. So it looks like they wired bedroom(s) together with bathrooms.

How are new houses passing their inspection?

If they put the bathroom receptacle with anything in the bedroom, yes, that is a violation. If it’s just the lighting and fan, it’s fine.

Inspectors miss things all the time. When I call for an inspection I know what things I would be looking at, and what I have done to make sure I have provided a compliant installation, and I would say the inspectors usually look at about 50% of what I was expecting them to.

 

[nizak]

If they put the bathroom receptacle with anything in the bedroom, yes, that is a violation. If it’s just the lighting and fan, it’s fine.

Inspectors miss things all the time. When I call for an inspection I know what things I would be looking at, and what I have done to make sure I have provided a compliant installation, and I would say the inspectors usually look at about 50% of what I was expecting them to.

50% is being generous in the areas I work.

 

[ramsy]

bedroom receptacle breaker tripped from a (bedroom space) heater..

Like most additional hazards, bath GFCI tied to other room overloads only provides cause for insurance non-renewal & cancellation.

Most couldn't care less about buried construction defects not insured against for some future casualty claim.

After 20 years of specializing in defect abatement, I've seen most expensive hazards resolved by selling it off to the next sucker.

Like hurds stampede off a cliff, the next sucker screws themselves without the "Certificate of Additionally Insured" from re-sellers, house flippers, remodel, addition, or alteration contractors. Inspectors also miss defects from owner builders, licensed contractors, and their laborers.

Any contractor who has a General Liability policy can typically request certs for additionally insured online, for no charge. If your contractor looks at you with a blank stare when requesting this, and you let them get away with it, you are a perfect match made for each other in heaven.

 

[dkidd]

The entire bathroom gfci circuit. So it looks like they wired bedroom(s) together with bathrooms.

The Code only required one bathroom receptacle to be dedicated. The others could be on different shared circuits.

 

[Fred B]

The Code only required one bathroom receptacle to be dedicated. The others could be on different shared circuits.

Are you saying the bathroom with 2 sinks that end up having 2 receptacles, only 1 needs to be on a dedicated to bathroom circuit? Or that only one bathroom needs to have a Dedicated Bathroom receptacle circuit the second can share a non bath circuit? Validate from code reference please.

 

[dkidd]

210.11(C)3
(3) Bathroom Branch Circuits. In addition to the number
of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at
least one 120-volt, 20-ampere branch circuit shall be provided
to supply a bathroom receptacle outlet(s). Such circuits
shall have no other outlets.
Exception: Where the 20-ampere circuit supplies a single
bathroom, outlets for other equipment within the same
bathroom shall be permitted to be supplied in accordance
with 210.23(A)(1) and (A)(2).

 

[Jpflex]

The Code only required one bathroom receptacle to be dedicated. The others could be on different shared circuits.

The one dedicated circuit is the one branch circuit feeding the first bathroom. This same circuit also is allowed to feed only another bathroom(s) BUT SHALL SUPPLY NO OTHER OUTLETS all from this one dedicated circuit.

If the first bathroom has 1 feeder but is allowed to feed another bathroom, then the first bathroom has not supplied other outlets beyond what is allowed.

The second bathroom you say can feed other outlets such as a bedroom but this would also mean that this one feeder is now supplying other outets beyond what is allowed (bedroom). Unless another separate circuit is added to second bathroom which just makes code ambiguous

Anyways I'll give this another look in the code book

 

[dkidd]

The one dedicated circuit is the one branch circuit feeding the first bathroom. This same circuit also is allowed to feed only another bathroom(s) BUT SHALL SUPPLY NO OTHER OUTLETS all from this one dedicated circuit.

If the first bathroom has 1 feeder but is allowed to feed another bathroom, then the first bathroom has not supplied other outlets beyond what is allowed.

The second bathroom you say can feed other outlets such as a bedroom but this would also mean that this one feeder is now supplying other outets beyond what is allowed (bedroom). Unless another separate circuit is added to second bathroom which just makes code ambiguous

Anyways I'll give this another look in the code book

The correct terminology is branch circuit, not feeder.