Panel's in Bathrooms

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
That was why I stated it's not necessarily cut-n-dry. The bathroom normally contains a basin and the fact that this basin is separated by a privacy door could lead to an inspector ruling the panel was in the bath "area".
 

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
In the early 80's the company I was working for wired a large house for a foreign couple (I think they were Scandinavian) They had a glass shower enclosure and sink in the bedroom, no walls, the toilet was in a small water closet. Would that make the whole bedroom a bath room? :oops:
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
You're correct my apologies. I should have looked it up first before responding. So the room with the shower and toilet is not a bathroom and neither is the sink area.
it says "an area" though, which leaves room for interpretation. Can an area go beyond a divider wall or door? There is no NEC defined bathroom if not. I have seen a bedroom with a sink and whirlpool tub in the same room. Does that make the entire room a bathroom or is the bathroom just the area in one corner where those items exist? That situation would make a difference in whether a 20 amp circuit is required and what outlets are permitted to be on that circuit or if outlets in other areas can be on the same circuit. GFCI/AFCI protection requirements also come into question here.

Getting back to OP's situation the last two sentences above loom big in how does one enforce those things in his application.

More recent NEC editions would require GFCI within 6 feet of sink regardless, but does it need to be a 20 amp circuit and separate from the bedroom outlets? If you claim the sink is in the bedroom then it should require AFCI for all outlets in that vicinity.
 
Top