Bathroom Branch Circuit

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danny knight

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Electrician
Hello,
Reading from a 2011 NEC 210.11(C) (3) .
I read to understand this as only one bathroom can be on one 20 amp branch circuit. Has a newer code change allowed for another bathroom to be put on the same circuit?
Thanks,
Danny
 
Options:
Receptacles & Lighting in ONE bath can be on a dedicated 20 amp circuit
OR
Bath receptacles (only) in more than one bath can be on a dedicated 20 amp circuit.
 
In layman's terms....

If all you have on the circuit is bathroom receptacles, you can jump from bath to bath to bath.

But if you want to put lighting on a bath circuit, it cannot leave that bathroom
 
That probably was done for bath additions, unless it has something to do with shock hazards.
 
tthh said:
Every lady has a hair dryer and maybe a hair straightener and other things. It is just a bad idea to put more than one bathroom on the same 20A circuit.
Click to expand...

Ok, then I found the only lady that does not have those two items


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James L said:
I typically put 2 bathroom receptacles on 1 circuit
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Fine unless both being used at same time with dryers and curling irons on at same time. 2 people each drying and curling. My ex would have the iron plugged in warming up while she dryed her hair. So if I wanted to do mine at same time it would blow the breaker (Lol I've got no hair.)
 
I prefer to have separate circuits for bathroom receptacles for reasons already stated above. As far as the exception to 210.11 (C) (3), I don't do that either. Most of the homes that I wire today will have H/V/L's in every bathroom. When that heater is on, and someone is using a hair dryer or curling iron, it will most likely trip the breaker even if the condition of 210.23 (A) (2) is met.
 
We always wired the master bath receptacles on it's own circuit then we put the guest, kids and half baths n the other circuit
 
Fred B said:
Fine unless both being used at same time with dryers and curling irons on at same time. 2 people each drying and curling. My ex would have the iron plugged in warming up while she dryed her hair. So if I wanted to do mine at same time it would blow the breaker (Lol I've got no hair.)
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I'm okay if it works for 99% of all people
My wife uses a hair straightening iron occasionally, but she actually prefers to use it in the bedroom
 
Fred B said:
Fine unless both being used at same time with dryers and curling irons on at same time. 2 people each drying and curling. My ex would have the iron plugged in warming up while she dryed her hair. So if I wanted to do mine at same time it would blow the breaker (Lol I've got no hair.)
Click to expand...
That iron is probably only 15 watts max, most not even that much. A hair dryer probably seldom runs for more than 5-10 minutes at a time.

Two hair dryers at once are the biggest breaker tripping issue, so as long as there isn't also a space heater plugged into the same circuit most other items common in the bath aren't drawing enough to be much issue.
 
When they built my house they put the receptacles in 4 bathrooms on one circuit. Given the lengths they went to so that they could just use one GFCI receptacle and one circuit it may have been easier to just run a separate circuit to each bathroom.
 
infinity said:
When they built my house they put the receptacles in 4 bathrooms on one circuit. Given the lengths they went to so that they could just use one GFCI receptacle and one circuit it may have been easier to just run a separate circuit to each bathroom.
Click to expand...
That's definitely a factor when I wire a house.
I'm not gonna string 200 feet of Romex together on one circuit. It doesn't save any time or materials, imho
 
infinity said:
When they built my house they put the receptacles in 4 bathrooms on one circuit. Given the lengths they went to so that they could just use one GFCI receptacle and one circuit it may have been easier to just run a separate circuit to each bathroom.
Click to expand...

In my case, each main floor bathroom GFCI feeds an outside receptacle - common in the 90s. No problems until my daughter fired up her hair dryer when the Christmas lights were up.
 
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