GFCI and grounded conductors

whatrymes

Sorry this is pretty complicated. The point of my question is what to do with the grounded conductors.
I want to run 12/2 to a J box behind a sill, a switch loop to a switch/receptacle (because my wife doesn’t want to lose the receptacle I was going to take for a switch) using 12/3 and then pipe through the sill and to a wall mounted box outside which has a gfci receptacle. Then pipe runs up to a light device.
I was going to splice the hot from the home run to THWN going through the pipe to the line side of the gfci. From the load side I was going to run power back to the J box, splice with the switch loop and then to THWN back outside going to the light, keeping everything ground fault protected. Does this switch/receptacle grounded conductor need to be spliced after the load side of the gfci or can I splice it in the J box before it goes out to the gfci?

Thank you,
Ed

brric

In short, everything that is to be GFCI protected must come off of the load side of the GFCI. Grounded and ungrounded conductors.

AllanJ

You need four wires (not counting grounding conductor) from the J box through the pipe to the outside.
1. (Unprotected) neutral (grounded conductor)
2. Raw hot going out
3. GFCI Protected unswitched hot coming back
4. GFCI protected switched hot from switch loop

You need four wires from the J box over to the indoor switch/receptacle.
5. Unprotected neutral directly from J-box
6. Raw hot for receptacle only, from J-box
7. GFCI protected unswitched hot for switch only, from the outside via J-box
8. (GFCI protected) switched hot back to the outside via J-box

You really don't want the inside receptacle to be protected by an outdoor GFCI. If the GFCI tripped, you would have to go outside to reset it. If you insist you can do it this way:

Five wires from the J box through the pipe to the outside.
1. (Unprotected) neutral
2. Raw hot going out
3. GFCI Protected unswitched hot coming back
4. GFCI protected switched hot from switch loop
9. GFCI protected neutral coming back for switch loop

And three wires from the J box over to the indoor switch/receptacle.
5a. GFCI protected neutral from outside via J-box
7. GFCI protected unswitched hot
8. (GFCI protected) switched hot

__________________
The disadvantages of crab apple trees. In summer, the apples are too sour to pick and eat. In winter the birds come and leave dropping all over the place.

whatrymes

Thank you AlanJ, I wasn't sure I even explained myself clearly.

jbfan

The light does not need ground fault protection.

__________________
Yes I am a Pirate, 200 years too late. "Jimmy Buffett"

HouseHelper

Couldn't you achieve the same thing with less wiring by using a combination switch/GFCI receptacle or a switch and GFCI in a 2-gang box?

__________________
"Life is hard. Life is harder when you're stupid." John Wayne

AllanJ

For unprotected outside light:

Three wires from the J box through the pipe to the outside.
1. (Unprotected) neutral for GFCI and light
2. Raw hot going out for GFCI only
4a. Unprotected switched hot from switch loop

Three wires from the J box over to the indoor switch/receptacle.
5. Unprotected neutral from J-box
6. Raw hot for receptacle (or second GFCI) and switch
8a. Unprotected switched hot for outside light

__________________
The disadvantages of crab apple trees. In summer, the apples are too sour to pick and eat. In winter the birds come and leave dropping all over the place.

whatrymes

The point of this circuit is a receptacle, that is gfci protected, between 6 and 20 feet from an above ground pool. It is local code. I figured while I was running an underground circuit to a shed which is 15 feet from the pool, I would also add a motion detection light, and an override switch, to the back of our house. I also figured why not keep everything on the load side of the gfci but I'll think about that some more.

Thank you everyone