Individual GFCIs in bathrooms

[Fred B]

Question: How many of you have had a GFCI trip frequently that was protecting the bathroom receptacles only?

Had one that was a gfci breaker, breaker quite old and start with an occasional trip then progressively more often, replaced breaker, no more problem.
I agree with most replies that not a code issue but is convenience issue when covering more than one bath.

 

[ptonsparky]

Why would it be a convenience issue if it seldom, if ever trips?

Multiple hair dryers would be the bigger issue.

 

[goldstar]

You obviously don’t live in a mega-mansion with 3 daughters and a wife

 

[infinity]

Why would it be a convenience issue if it seldom, if ever trips?

Multiple hair dryers would be the bigger issue.

I agree, these receptacles almost never trip on the GFCI protection but they will trip the circuit breaker on overload so where the GFCI protection is in the circuit (like the first receptacle) doesn't matter much.

 

[Hv&Lv]

I agree, these receptacles almost never trip on the GFCI protection but they will trip the circuit breaker on overload so where the GFCI protection is in the circuit (like the first receptacle) doesn't matter much.

Agree totally and it’s the reason I use two 20 amp circuits in bathrooms.
I’ve said this before here, a hair dryer and a curling iron on the same outlet is over 15 amps. flat iron with hair dryer is a real bad combination..

 

[James L]

Why would it be a convenience issue if it seldom, if ever trips?

Multiple hair dryers would be the bigger issue.

The "seldom to occasional" trip in each house can add up to semi-frequent phone calls to an electrician.

The convenience goes both ways - convenient for them to know where the button is, convenient for me not getting a phone call because they decided to run a vacuum cleaner (with a bad cord) from the hall bath plug and now it stopped working.

For sure, the convenience issue isn't as big a factor with houses wired in the last 25 years. Back when all wet location receptacles would be wired on to one circuit, it seems like electricians went out of their way to put the button in the most inconvenient or hard to find place, like behind garage shelving or on the basement stair wall behind the water heater

 

[norcal]

You obviously don’t live in a mega-mansion with 3 daughters and a wife

But GFCI's are not overcurrent devices.

 

[synchro]

By the same token, if you are wiring a mega-mansion with 3, 4 or 5 bathrooms and you install the GFCI in the first bathroom with the other bathrooms wired on the load side of the GFCI, while you may be Code compliant you are truly a scoundrel and a cheap skate.

That guy wired my house.

That guy must've also been a member of Local 12 like Boris:

 

[kwired]

Agree totally and it’s the reason I use two 20 amp circuits in bathrooms.
I’ve said this before here, a hair dryer and a curling iron on the same outlet is over 15 amps. flat iron with hair dryer is a real bad combination..

First it is supposed to be a 20 amp circuit.

Second the hair dryer typically doesn't have long enough run time to trip the breaker even if it were a 15 amp breaker, maybe if bigfoot or chewbacca were using it that may be a different story.

Curling irons are what, maybe 25, watts if even that?

 

[goldstar]

I just thought of another inconvenience (regarding the OP) - when the EI comes in to test the GFCI's he will have to go down to the powder room each time he trips the GF device. Why tick him off and give him a reason to look for OTHER minute defects that may not seem obvious.

 

[ptonsparky]

I just thought of another inconvenience (regarding the OP) - when the EI comes in to test the GFCI's he will have to go down to the powder room each time he trips the GF device. Why tick him off and give him a reason to look for OTHER minute defects that may not seem obvious.

I suspect the inspector would figure out how to trip the bath GFCI in the first, then check there is no power at the rest of them

 

[rnatalie]

Second the hair dryer typically doesn't have long enough run time to trip the breaker even if it were a 15 amp breaker, maybe if bigfoot or chewbacca were using it that may be a different story.

Never had teenage daughters, eh? Mine kept tripping the bedroom circuit with her stuff. I kept telling her to use the bathroom receptacles (she had one bathroom entirely to herself but she still ran the stuff in her bedroom).

 

[goldstar]

I suspect the inspector would figure out how to trip the bath GFCI in the first, then check there is no power at the rest of them

You know that and I know that but is that really a true test?

 

[goldstar]

Never had teenage daughters, eh? Mine kept tripping the bedroom circuit with her stuff. I kept telling her to use the bathroom receptacles (she had one bathroom entirely to herself but she still ran the stuff in her bedroom).

The same goes for showering, one daughter by herself can empty a 30 gallon tank of hot water

 

[ptonsparky]

The same goes for showering, one daughter by herself can empty a 30 gallon tank of hot water

I believe I told mine they didn’t have enough body to warrant that much water.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Just go to the water heater and turn off the hot water while they are in there. They won't be in there long

 

[480sparky]

I just thought of another inconvenience (regarding the OP) - when the EI comes in to test the GFCI's he will have to go down to the powder room each time he trips the GF device. Why tick him off and give him a reason to look for OTHER minute defects that may not seem obvious.

That's part and parcel with the job and should be expected by the EI.

 

[kwired]

Never had teenage daughters, eh? Mine kept tripping the bedroom circuit with her stuff. I kept telling her to use the bathroom receptacles (she had one bathroom entirely to herself but she still ran the stuff in her bedroom).

No daughters. Wife possibly as bad as having two females in the house though when it comes to this kind of thing

What other loads may have been on same circuit? I still think if the hair dryer and a curling iron are the only load on even a 15 amp circuit you may seldom if ever trip the breaker with typical usage. A 2000 watt hair dryer would draw about 16.6 amps. That should probably trip 15 amp breaker but may take at least 10-15 minutes most cases probably even longer. Much of any other load on the circuit will make a difference though.

20 amp required circuit in the bath - it should hold indefinitely add a curling iron and you are still under 20 amps.

 

[480sparky]

You know that and I know that but is that really a true test?

That's when the electrician stays at the GFCI to reset it. The inspector can go to the protected receptacles and plug in the tester. I'd think the inspector should be able to determine whether pushing the button is what's causing the GFCI to trip and not the electrician trying to sneak one past him/her.

 

[kwired]

That's when the electrician stays at the GFCI to reset it. The inspector can go to the protected receptacles and plug in the tester. I'd think the inspector should be able to determine whether pushing the button is what's causing the GFCI to trip and not the electrician trying to sneak one past him/her.

You would have similar problem with GFCI or dual function breaker. It is unfair for EI to scrutinize a legal install just because something is an inconvenience to him.