Adding a new bathroom. Lots of questions

NetTractorTalk

I had a bathroom roughed in when we built this house.
All plumbing was roughed in and an electrical junction box was put in for the electric.

I plan to have two lights beside the mirror and one light overtop. Plus an overhead light light near the center of the room, and a fan light combo. I would like to have 3 switches by the entry door to control all of these.
One switch would turn on the lights around the mirror
One switch woudl turn on the light in the center of the room
and one switch to turn on the light fan combo.

Plus I would have two outlets by the vanity, and two or three outlets across the room. Would all these outlets need to be GCFI?

What size wire would I need for all this?

How would I run it all? Guessing I would do the outlets in series with one jumping to the other all around the room. The switches I would go from the junction box with 3 wires (one for each switch) then from each switch to the device they would control.

Am I on the right track?

k_buz

All bathroom recepts need to be GFI protected and no recepts are allowed over the tub or in the shower (if there is one).

As far as wiring, you sound like you are on the right track, but the size of wire is a little bit tricky. You said that there was power brought there already. Is that power a separate 20 A circuit from the panel or does it come from another bathroom?

If it is a separate 20 A circuit from the panel, you can put the entire bathroom on that circuit and wire everything with 12-2 romex.

If it comes from another bathroom, you can only use it for the recepts in the bathroom and the lighting must come from another circuit (wire size dependent on what that circuit is rated for (most of the time 14-2 romex would be used))

NetTractorTalk

I 'think' it is it's own circut but can't say if it is a 20amp or not. I'll check that out.

I understand I'll need all GFI outlets and will not put any over the shower that is also being installed.

I have nothing and wonder what all supplies I will need from the store to do this project. If any special tools would make the job easier please mention them also. TIA!!!!!

gregzoll

For our bath, the lights and fan are on the same circuit as the bedrooms (15 amp), the two outlets are on a 20 amp circuit. Only one outlet needs to be a GFCI, any others have to piggy back off the gfci and can be standard outlets, but must be TR (Tamper Resistant), same for the GFCI.

I really wish that I had placed one more outlet in my bath, so that you have one on the wall to your left as you walk in, for plugging in either a vacuum, or in the case that someone later one would need to place a heater for the bath, for medical reasons.

As for the lighting, we have the first switch turns on the overhead light, second turns on the light above the mirror, third turns on the fart fan. Everything was ran with #12 romex, 12/3 to the fan/light combo.

As for supplies, if electric has already been ran, you just need to get the fixtures, etc. Our bath came out around $2500 for all materials.

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NetTractorTalk

We are already over 2500 ... I'd guess we are at 4k, but still plenty to buy. I have the faucet for the vanity but need 3 shower faucets for the shower. Still have to pay for the drywall to be hung and finished. I have the drop ceiling and mohawk flooring, yet to be installed.

The supplies I was asking about were to run the electric from the junction box throughout the bathroom. I guess it's just wire, boxes switches and outlets. Interesting that I could make due with one GCFI outlet but what does tamper resistant mean?

Jim Port

Tamper-resistant receptacles have shutters in the slots to prevent things like keys being inserted to help prevent shock hazards.

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Answers based on the National Electrical Code. Local amendments may apply. Check with your local building officials.

hammerlane

without knowing where your junction boxes are heres a crude lighting diagram:

Attached Thumbnails

 

NetTractorTalk

Thanks Jim. Tamper resistant outlets are new to me. GREAT idea though. :thumb:

Thanks hammerlane for your drawing. That helps clarify things for me. Unfortunately, the junction box is across the room from where the switches will go. So I will need four outs from the junction box ....one for each switch and one for the outlets. Does that sound right, and it that in good practice ...or do I need to do it another way?

Msradell

It would be easier to just leave the first box with two wires. Use one of them to daisy chain the outlets (put a GFCI in the first one) and the other one would go to the switches. You can just pigtail from it to feed the three switches, like shown in the sketch above.

hammerlane

You could run 4 cables from your juncton box but why?

You only need one hot conductor at the "3 switch location"

Once the hot conductor is there, use 3 pigtails attached to it. One for each switch.

Real difficult to give good advice without knowing where the incoming power is at in relation to all other junction points(fan, all lights, switches)

NetTractorTalk

I thought of that but was not sure I could safely do it that way. When you say it it seems like Duh, sure that is the way to go. Thanks.

The room is 13 x 12. junction is in the vicinity of where the vanity and toilet would be on the east wall. the door is way across to the north wall with the tub on the south wall and leaving room for a sauna in the south west corner and a 3' closet in the north west corner. Dizzy yet. LOL. Hope that helps.

Your drawing did help for sure. With GFCI and all I thought I had to have 12 3 wiring. Good to know 12-2 will work. Wiring sure is expensive. Is there a cheap place to buy quality wire? Are the big box stores about as good as it gets?

a_lost_shadow

Price for wiring relies heavily on the quantity you want to buy. For the quantities most home owners use, the big box stores seems to have the best bang for your buck. But still, I suggest checking any local electrical supply houses. They may have better prices.

rrolleston

Just remember that the junction box must always remain accesable to meet code.

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NetTractorTalk

Thanks lost shadow, I will check local also. I prefer to buy local if the prices are close.

Good point rrolleston. I did not know that but will remember your tip.

How do I take hot from one switch to another? Do all switches come with a pass through hookup or do I need special switches to be able to pass the hot through to another switch?

gregzoll

There are no special switches. When hooking up the three switches, you will use pigtails for the Black/hot, and the Neutrals will all tie together with a wire nut. Basically you are taking the Hot and splitting it three ways, so each switch has a hot.

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