Receptacle in residential bathroom
- Thread starter cppoly
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Connecticut
- Occupation
- Engineer
If one receptacle between the two sinks meets the requirements of the 3' within the edge of each basin, then only one would be required.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Remember if you have to cross the sink then you would need another. One is needed for each sink within 3' without crossing a sink.
mjf
Senior Member
Don't forget, the NEC is the minimum required. If this is a private residence, I'd probably sell the 2nd receptacle. There's a lot of plug-in and/or rechargeable bathroom accessories nowadays.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
What code section says that? I agree that it is a good idea, but I don't see where the code actually says that.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Don it always has been looked at this way in our area. I think it comes from the wording adjacent to the sink. If another sink is in between the recep. and another sink then the receptacle is not considered adjacent to the sink
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
What if the receptacle is directly behind a sink?
IMO as long as within the 3 feet it serves the sink.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Well I understand your opinion however , as you know, an authority having jurisdiction can interpret things as the see it and you would not pass here. Now can you say it is perfectly clear or do you see their argument. I personally see their argument in the wording. I don't see a receptacle behind the sink as adjacent .
The 3' rule is not the only statement in that section-- it states adjacent to the sink. If there were a line of 5 people standing in a row and you are the first one, would you say you are adjacent to the third person?
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
So for two sinks one receptacle will do, but three sinks need a minimum of two receptacles?
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
That would be fine if the code actually said the receptacle had to be adjacent to the sink but it doesn't say that.
If the code is intended to not permit the cord to run across the second basin to get to the receptacle than the words I have shown in red need to be removed.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
I see your point but I think that means that the receptacle can be off the countertop area. It probably does not need to be there
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
I say "behind" the sink is also adjacent to the sink.
definition of adjacent from online Merriam Webster dictionary - : close or near : sharing a border, wall, or point
also:
a : not distant : nearby <the city and adjacent suburbs>
b : having a common endpoint or border <adjacent lots> <adjacent sides of a triangle>
c : immediately preceding or following
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Great so you install it behind the sink-- it will look lovely I am sure. :happyno:
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
I may not install it behind the sink, but wouldn't call it a code violation either. But that is just in general, some weird situation could come up that makes sense to do so an would be code compliant. If you get some really compact width vanity, sometimes just about all the back wall is "behind" the sink.
- Location
- Massachusetts
I think your AHJ is interpreting it incorrectly.
Beside, behind, across another sink are all fine as long as within 36". IMO
Adjacent to? Yes. Immediately adjacent to? No
Consider the wording used here.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
I tend to agree with you all especially since putting a receptacle by a single sink does not guarantee that a cord will not cross the sink. A point in case, is a right handed person using a receptacle on the left side of a sink.
In respect to 2 sinks I think it would be highly unlikely that one could install one outlet for both sinks if the receptacles is to one side of one sink. That would almost mean the two sinks were almost touching and I have never seen that.
In respect to 2 sinks I think it would be highly unlikely that one could install one outlet for both sinks if the receptacles is to one side of one sink. That would almost mean the two sinks were almost touching and I have never seen that.
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
Are you arguing that for a 40" wide (hypothetical) sink you would have to have two outlets so that no point of the sink is more than 36" from a receptacle? Otherwise one receptacle between two sinks that are up to 72" apart should be fine.
mjf
Senior Member
- Status