Placement of Electric Outlet Over Vanity
pjreed1
2 years ago
I am building a custom home and in my guest bathroom I have a 48" vanity that is placed next to a tall 24" linen cabinet. I have attached a photo of the drawing that shows where I had directed the electrician to place the outlet.....fast forward, I went to the house and the outlet was placed 2" to the left of the vanity (see picture). This puts it between the vanity and the toilet. My GC is telling me that putting the outlet over the sink is not right. That it is always placed to the side of a the vanity so that it doesn't interfere with the vanity mirror. Is that correct? Is it ALWAYS placed to the side of the vanity? I have 4 bathrooms in my current house and all have outlets over the vanity, and I like it that way. Has something changed since my current house was built 20 years ago? Since the house has been drywalled, what are my options to get it changed at this point? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
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Comments (7)
nhb22
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Recessed lighting placement over vanity.
Comments (10)Ok, trying to understand this. I am standing in front of the sink and the counter is 6 ft. long the cabinet will be 22" deep give or take, so if I understand this correctly I am to #1. Not put one directly over the sink, just one to each side and #2. Place them from the back wall at like 28" plus? Is that right? How about the 3rd one centered with the sink but at the 28" plus dept from the wall? Keep in mind they are 3" lights and they are directional so I could point them towards the wall and bounce the light. I like this idea because I was planning on some dramatic pricy tile for the back wall, whatever that maybe. I will also put a wall sconce to each side of the mirror. Some wattage help in that direction would be helpful. I have one 3" 50 watt recessed shower trim in the shower hooked up right now (non-directional) and I am so happy I planed on putting two lights cause one doesn't cut it. So I moved the 2nd one closer to the back corner so I won't have a scary dark corner. It did look great though when I tested it last night. So exciting to get something done! Thanks you all for your help I have been to a handful of lighting stores and they just have no clue what is the proper thing to do, they just sell lights period. So thank you all very much for your personal experiences....See MoreDecorating & Electrical Outlets
Comments (33)If your house is new construction, you'll have plenty of outlets just to meet code. Other places to consider: 1. At least one on your deck for lights, fan, cooking tools, etc. 2. In multiple places around the house and yard, outlets for electric yard tools (so much quieter, easier, and cleaner than gas ones, even if the cords are a nuisance). 3. Make sure there's one that's easy to reach in the room where you'll be ironing. If you do ironing in a laundry room, the laundry outlets may be hard to get to, and the cords on irons are short. 4. Anywhere you'll need to plug in a vacuum. 5. Wherever anything that needs to be charged (hand vacs, emergency lights, etc.) 6. In the attic, basement, and garage. (My electrician installed an outlet for me in my attic for his own use and didn't charge me, rather than run a long power cord to the 2nd floor. My house was built c. 1870 and is deficient in outlets, although I've added several.) 7. Consider outlets on the walls behind the toilets for heated or bidet seats. 8. Have ceiling lights wired with 3 wires, so you can add ceiling fans later easily if you want (and have separate controls for the lights and fans). 9. Make sure that rooms with multiple entrances are wired for 3-way lights. You may need extra outlets in your home office....See MoreElectric Placement Near Shower / Code Compliance
Comments (12)Ask your AHJ to provide you with the section of code to which they are referencing. Essentially, which part of the code are you in violation of? They are supposed to maintain a copy in office for review and for providing copies of pages as needed. Your best bet is to ask them directly. The link you provided to states that you are still under the 2011 version of the NEC. The NEC has been updated a few times since the 2011 version. However... While I no longer have a copy of the 2011 NEC, if I recall correctly, the 2011 NEC stated something along the lines of "...receptacles shall not be installed within or directly over a bathtub or shower stall." According to that, you would be fine with your installation as is. HOWEVER, your state or village may have language more restrictive than that in their local amendments to the code(s). Your AHJ can answer that question. The latest version of the NEC, the 2020 version? It states: "406.9(C) Bathtub and Shower Space. Receptacles shall not be installed within a zone measured 900 mm (3 ft) horizontally and 2.5 m (8 ft) vertically from the top of the bathtub rim or shower stall threshold. The identified zone is all-encompassing and shall include the space directly over the tub or shower stall. Exception: In bathrooms with less than the required zone the receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be installed opposite the bathtub rim or shower stall threshold on the farthest wall within the room." Because your receptacle is within 3' horizontally of the shower threshold AND within 8' of it vertically, its location would be a violation of the 2020 NEC. Good luck getting things figured out....See MoreOutlet Placement for Bathroom Vanity
Comments (10)We plan to include electrical outlets inside those towers. Well, that was going to be my first suggestion. An outlet inside the towers is a great idea ... out of sight, yet still useful. A thought on the towers: Since they will be near water, you'd be smart to "bump them up" just a bit ... to prevent splashes from migrating over to the towers. Yeah, yeah, I know, you have space, and you're not going to be splash-y ... no one ever plans for this, yet water damage exists. Here are two bathroom countertop towers ... note that the one on the right is slightly "raised" and is better protected. I think 1" of countertop would've been enough, but the idea is solid. We do not want to have outlets at vanity level between the sinks since that would impact our mirror options Outlets can be placed IN a mirror, but I agree it's not ideal in terms of aesthetics. What about a pop-up outlet? You see them advertised for kitchens, but I don't see why they couldn't be placed in bathrooms -- this is just one example of styles available. Other thoughts: - I like that you've included windows for the toilet/shower, but the door is only 30" wide. A little larger would future-proof you in case of a disability /walker. This toilet /shower would still be a challenge though. - I'd like to see a shelf over the toilet /or a shallow freestanding item across from the toilet for holding toilet paper ... and perhaps medical needs as you age. Needing "various stuff" at the toilet is quite common among senior citizens. - Is the shower head on a 4" wall? I think you need a little deeper wall here. - Where do you see yourself hanging towels by the shower? I don't see an obvious answer. - Pocket doors are great for doors that are left open most of the time: pantries, laundry rooms. They're not so good for bathrooms, which are opened /closed multiple times a day. Pocket doors do break (not if, but when), and when they break, they're difficult and expensive to fix. They're also more difficult to open /close, especially for senior citizens....See More
doc5md
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago
bpath
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoanj_p
2 years agopjreed1
2 years agobpath
2 years ago
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