Does the light switch in bathroom need to be on a GFCI?

10 years ago

Hello,

We're purchasing a home and recently had an inspection completed. One of the safety items that was redlined by the inspector relayed the following:

"The light switch for the shower light was located just outside of the shower (closer than 5 feet) and is not on a GFCI circuit. Recommend putting the light on a GFCI circuit to provide the potential for electrocution."

Call me clueless, but I thought only outlets were on GFCI circuits. If we ask an electricion to follow the inspector's recommendations, would it be considered an unusual request? How difficult is it to convert a receptacle to GFCI?

Thanks
Kristi

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Comments (10)

bus_driver
10 years ago
"Recommend putting the light on a GFCI circuit to provide the potential for electrocution."
Is this precisely what he wrote? Idiocy!!
The existing switch location complies with Article 404.3(C) of the 2011 NEC.
Kristi Richards
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you, bus_driver. I appreciate your feedback. I was really worried given the wording, but I'm not at all familiar with electrical code so thought I'd check in here.
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I assume this is the house inspector and not an electrical inspector? A dedicated 20amp circuit can be used for the bathroom receptacles and lights. Your shower light should be GFCI protected. If you fan is above a wet area, it should be GFCI. In an ideal world where cost isn't a factor and you have unlimited breaker space available, it would be nice for the bath light to be on a separate lighting circuit. That way, if a hair dryer trips, it doesn't knock out the lights too. That is a convenience factor though, not a safety factor.
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Thanks for all your inputs though I'm still not sure what I'm required to or should do. It sounds like if I make any electrical changes at the home (short of changing the light bulbs) that it needs to be done to current electrical standards which could cascade into a major job. Even if I wanted to make the kitchen safer by replacing an outlet with a GFCI outlet, that would be illegal (not per code) since it wouldn't be on a dedicated circuit. FYI The kitchen wall outlets are on the same lines as a couple of the outlets in the adjoining dining room. Doesn't the code tell one how to deal with any existing/old construction issues? Thus still code compliant. I'm sure the house was wired to the prevailing code/standards of its day. I know the safest route would be to modernize the electrical system to current codes but it doesn't seem practical. Homes like this and much older (and much more antiquated wiring) are bought/sold every day. I suspect (not sure)todays code has some significant differences from the code 10 years ago. Are all those homes now unsafe? Where does one draw the line? BTW Two of the bathrooms (one tub/one shower)have fans with separate switches for lights and a fan. I believe there were single switches originally and was changed a very long time ago by my father. The third bathroom (with shower) has no fan but has a window. Also I believe the circuits in each bathrooms are not dedicated but I'm not sure since I don't recall dealing with them. I probably just think this because from experience the rest of the house (ie Kitchen, recreation room, etc...) doesn't seem to have any organized way in which the circuits where wired to the panel. Also I don't know what brand the panel is; I looked at it again today and there were no markings on the outside. I'll check on some of these details soon. Thanks again
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I thought I replied to this post earlier today, but I guess it did not go through. The wiring for the receptacle and the light beyond it sound similar to what I have run across a couple of times in my house. If the power is running to the light switch, then they may have run 14/3 from the switch to the 1st outlet and used the white/black pair to power the receptacle, and the white/red pair passes through the receptacle to provide power to the light that is beyond. The only odd part is that usually you only need 14/2 from the receptacle to the light to make this work, but you said they had two reds nutted together in the box. You can use a similar scheme in reverse if you have power at the light, then 14/3 from the light to the receptacle, and then 14/2 running to the switch. The red wire is just used as a traveler that passes through the receptacle to provide a switch loop from the light switch to the light. I was very confused the first time I found this type of wiring scheme, since it looked like I was working with a 3 way switch circuit. However, it seemed that it was just a way to save running one more 12/2 cable from the light switch to the light. Bruce.
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Ron Natalie
10 years ago
While Bus and I both have relatively low regard for most home inspector, let's skip over that.

If the light is in the shower area it needs to be damp rated, if it can be exposed to spray (which with your hand shower I would count as a YES) then it must be wet rated. Almost every wet rated shower light I've seen REQUIRES a GFCI by its manufacturer.

So, there's a strong possibility that it should have a GFCI, but you can't tell for sure unless you look specifically at the fixture and check with the manufacturer.
Kristi Richards
Original Author
10 years ago
The wording in my original post is a compilation of what was stated at the inspection and what was written in the report.
bus_driver
10 years ago
The problem I have is that the report of such inspectors has huge ramifications, and if in error, can be quite difficult and expensive to correct. And some of them vastly overestimate their abilities.
The competent ones or those who are willing to learn are OK by me.
Kristi Richards
Original Author
10 years ago
ronnatalie, that's what a friend who tinkers with wires told me, too. What is involved in making changing an unprotected switch to CFGI?
petey_racer
10 years ago
The wording of that HI is flat out scare tactics IMO.
I HATE it when those clowns use electrical as a venue to justify their means by using these scare tactics.
petey_racer
10 years ago
"Almost every wet rated shower light I've seen REQUIRES a GFCI by its manufacturer."

Do you have any references to this, or any kind of documentation?
Your opinion here is one of the most well respected, but in all my years I have only seen this a couple of times, and what you are saying contradicts this.
I am curious as to what lights you've seen that require GFI protection.
Raymond Zink
last year
Perhaps Bus driver should stick to driving a bus. It is quite conceivable that a person, especially a child could decide to reach out of the shower wile standing in water and activate the fan switch or the light switch and become fried... An electrician can identify the circuit that supports the switch and related components and install a ground fault breaker in the main panel on that circuit. Bus drivers disdain for Inspectors perhaps is driven out of envy or without realising that Inspectors may use codes to make recommendations but are not required to use code as codes change and differ. A quality Home Inspector uses common sense:
mtvhike
last year
last modified: last year
I think Ramond's concern is rather unlikely, but if it does concern you, then that light should be put on its own GFCI-protected circuit, with no receptacles on it. Especially not on the required GFCI circuit in that same bathroom!

Does the light switch in bathroom need to be on a GFCI?

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bus_driver

Kristi Richards
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Does the light switch in bathroom need to be on a GFCI?

Comments (10)

bus_driver

Kristi RichardsOriginal Author

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Ron Natalie

Kristi RichardsOriginal Author

bus_driver

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petey_racer

petey_racer

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mtvhike

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Kristi Richards
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