# Bathroom Fan/Outlets on Same Circuit



## clydesdale (Nov 25, 2010)

rjschwar said:


> I know that bathrooms can be on a 20 amp circuit that feeds outlets and lights in one bathroom, or outlets from multiple baths with lights on a separate circuit. I have a powder room downstairs with one outlet. I am remodeling the main bath upstairs and plan to use this same 20 amp circuit with the one outlet downstairs, so I don't have a dedicated circuit for the outlet in the powder room that will rarely be used. I will thus put the lights on separate general lighting circuits.
> 
> My question is regarding the bathroom fan. Can this be on the same circuits w/ the outlets? It is required to be GFCI protected since it will be in a wet room area, though 5-6 feet from the closest shower head. I would normally think that this would need a separate circuit with I guess a GFCI breaker, but inside the fan, the motor has to be plugged into a built in outlet inside of the fan. Does this qualify as an outlet that can be on the 20 amp outlet circuit shared between two bathrooms, or do I need to run a separate circuit for this?
> 
> ...


Usually Bathroom exhaust fans don't need to be installed on a GFCI protected circuit. However, you should be follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions. In most cases if the exhaust fan is installed directly above the bathtub or shower the bathroom fan must be listed as suitable for such locations and must be installed on a GFCI protected circuit. The recessed lights and trim kit need to be properly rated for the location and follow manufacturer instructions about GFCI requirements.


----------



## jbfan (Jul 1, 2004)

The fan can not be used on the receptacle circuit.
You can add it to the lighting circuit.
The light over the shower nor the fan has to be gfci protected.


----------



## rjschwar (Nov 13, 2009)

The fan says "U.L. Listed for use over bathtubs and showers when connected
to a GFCI protected branch circuit." What constitutes "over"? is this directly above? As I said, my fan is about 5-6 feet from the nearest shower head, but in an area where the whole floor is a mud pan sloping toward the drain. Basically we have a 3x10 foot area with 2 shower heads on one end, and the toilet on the other end. The fan is on the end above the toilet in the corner. The shower heads are at the far end. There are three recessed lights, with one above one of the shower heads, but the fixtures don't say anything about needing GFCI protection, and I am using shower trims for the recessed lighting. I am not sure how well the seal will be as our tile isn't perfectly smooth on the ceiling, so I may caulk around the trim as well and if I ever need to remove the trim, scrape the caulk off the tile. I'm assuming that because it doesn't say GFCI is needed, that it isn't. Is this a safe assumption when using the shower trim?


----------



## branover (Jun 10, 2010)

yes, i agree. from what i understand there is no reason to put the fan on a gfci protected circuit. 

seo los angeles | web design los angeles


----------



## clydesdale (Nov 25, 2010)

The shower trim kit is wet location rated and should have a gasket that will help provide a good seal between the trim and the tile.


----------



## rjschwar (Nov 13, 2009)

Ok, thanks, I guess that makes it easy and I will just put the fan on the light circuit.

Thanks,

Richard


----------

