[Solidify]

I have a GFCI washroom outlet that only works when the washroom's light/lightswitch is turned on. This is very inconvenient for when I need to charge my electric razor. Can this be fixed?

There are two cables coming into the outlet box, so 2 white wires and 2 black wires (one set goes to the line side of the GFCI and the other set goes to the load side of the outlet), as ofcourse both bare ground screws are properly pigtailed and grounded to the outlet as well as rhe metal box.

 

[jreagan]

It is switched before the GFCI, so, you'll need to get unswitched power to the GFCI. How far away is the switch from the GFCI?

And what is downstream from it? It is also switched, right?

 

[Oso954]

It's only about a 50% chance of having power at the switch. A lot of bathrooms have a switch loop, which means power (line) would be at the light location.
If the power is at the light, all he would have to do is move one wire from switched hot to line hot.

The OP needs to determine where the line hot is.

 

[Solidify]

What do you mean when say is it switched?

 

[Solidify]

Oso how would I do that?

 

[Oso954]

Pull the light switch. If there is only one white and one black in the box, and both connect to the switch, it's a switch loop.

 

[Solidify]

I think it goes like this: panel, light switch, gfci outlet, light fixtures. Bc when i test the gfci outlet, the washroom lights turn off. The outlet is a foot away from the light swjtch but on a tiled wall.

 

[jreagan]

What do you mean when say is it switched?

Besides the GFCI being controlled by the switch, everything on the LOAD side of the GFCI will also be switched. Where does that wire go to?

 

[Solidify]

Pull the light switch. If there is only one white and one black in the box, and both connect to the switch, it's a switch loop.

No there are two black and two whites, each set goes to one side of the outlet, like it normally would.

 

[Solidify]

I mean each set goes to the right screws: blacks go to copper and whites go to silver

 

[Oso954]

I think it goes like this: panel, light switch, gfci outlet, light fixtures. Bc when i test the gfci outlet, the washroom lights turn off. The outlet is a foot away from the light swjtch but on a tiled wall.

Ok, is there anything else that goes dead in the bathroom or the rest of the house when you trip the GFCI ? ( bathroom fan or light in wet location, etc. that you don't want the GFCI protection taken away from)

Are you wired by romex or EMT?

 

[Solidify]

Romex. no nothing else goes dead. I think the last thing on that run is the light fixtures (nothing else needs to be gfci protected in that washroom), theres no fan and the only other outlet is the 240v for dryer which is on a seperate circuit/breaker

edit: oh wait, there's the washer outlet, i need to test and see if testing the gfci outlet cuts power to the washing machine. lets just assume it does not for now for sake of time since im at work (im pretty cetain it doesn't).. what now?

 

[Solidify]

This is the situation in question

 

[Oso954]

I assume the washer isn't on it, only because I think you would know if you had to turn on the bathroom lights to use the washer.

What I would do is disconnect the wires on the switch and seperate the wire pairs of the two romex cables. You can turn power back on and detireman the hot black and white pair. That's your line pair. The dead pair should go to the GFCI. Turn power back off and disconnect the grounds.

At the GFCI disconnect the black and white from the GFCI line side. Also disconnect the grounds. Try to work the xx2 cable back and forth gently to determine if it is loose.

If it is loose, you can attach a XX/3 cable to the xx/2 and use it to pull the XX/3 thru to the other box. (The alternative approach is attach a pull string to the XX/2 and pull it thru, then attach string to XX/3 and pull it thru)

If it isn't, you are at a decision point. Do you restore things and live with it the way it was, attempt something else to get the new cable thru.

I think you need to realize that if the xx/2 is damaged, or if you loose it in the wall, etc, it may take opening the wall to fix it. Can you open that wall from the backside to avoid disturbing tile in the bathroom?

Assuming you get the XX/3 in place:

At the switch box, connect the line black, XX/3 black, and a black pigtail together. The pigtail connects to a switch screw. The xx/3 red connects to the other screw on the switch. Connect the two whites and reconnect the grounds.

At the GFCI box, disconnect the lights form the load side go the GFCI. Connect the lights black to the red from the XX/3. Connect the black xx/3 wire to GFCI line side. Connect the XX/3 white to the lights white and a white pigtail. The pigtail connects to the GFCI line neutral. Connect the grounds.

At this point, you can power on. The GFCI should be hot all the time, and the lights should work normally.

 

[Oso954]

I didn't see your last pic before posting. Having seen it, I am starting to doubt your pulling a wire thru from this side. I was assuming a flat wall with the boxes roughly in the same plane.

What is on the backside of the wall ?

 

[lenaitch]

If you are correct that power runs from switch to outlet to light you would have to run 14/3 to the outlet. Depending on which side of the studs the boxes are mounted on, it looks like the switch and outlet are either in the same stud bay or adjacent ones. You should be able to get somebody to fish new cable or use a long flex bit. If that is an in-floor heating thermostat, I would expect it is on its own circuit.

Or switch to a blade.

 

[lenaitch]

I didn't see your last pic before posting. Having seen it, I am starting to doubt your pulling a wire thru from this side. I was assuming a flat wall with the boxes roughly in the same plane.

What is on the backside of the wall ?

It think they are on the same plane. It looks like the style of the tile creates an illusion.

 

[Solidify]

Can you open that wall from the backside to avoid disturbing tile in the bathroom?

I can theres drywall but I didnt plant to. If that's the case I'll just leave it as it and charge my razor somewhere else, no biggie.

On the back of that photo/wall is the hallway, which is drywall. there also a light switch there for the hallway lighting (diff circuit) at abt the same height/location as the outlet

 

[Solidify]

If that is an in-floor heating thermostat, I would expect it is on its own circuit.

it is and it is