Originally Posted By: rpalac
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The code is very clear and simple regarding GFI’s.
If you are within the distance of 6' of a water source protect it.
(kitchen, bath, powder room, laundry area, bar sink, etc.)
If you are in an area that has possible water , protect the people using the receptical in the area. ( basement, garage, outside recepticles)
Contractors have to protect these areas by code. To put a $5 GFI in or a $0.39 recepticle, they choose cheap to increase there profits.
If you put a GFI in and wire to the feed side (a.k.a. line side), there is another set of terminals as the output side (a.k.a. load side), this would protect anything attached to that GFI down from there. So you feed one GFI recepticle to the line side and from the load side of the GFI you go to the next regalr $0.39 standard typicle receptacle, and then the next and so on. Now they are all protected by the first GFI. If any one trips by ground fault them they all go out down from and including the GFI feeding them.
Builders save a couple of cents by doing it that way. Another way is to put GFI breaker in the circuit panel and anything on that line is proptected by the GFI. The problem is ----convienience. If one you trip the GFI circuit and the receptacle is in another area you need to walk there to rest it. Typically it is better to put a GFI at each location just for convenience, but the code DOES NOT require that.
Now another issue that I'm not certain of here, and I would have difficulty thinking that a builder would over look is by code you must have a minimum of two seperate circuits in a kitchen area. All kitchen circuits must be wired with 12/2. (There is an exception for certain dedicated items, but all general wiring devices in the kitchen must be on 12/2). When you said that the kitchen GFI cotrolled aprox. 8 receptacles another issue came to mind. Is this all the receptacles it controlled? Was there any other couter receptacles on another circuit that was not affected in the kitchen(Ihope so)?If all the kitchen counter receptacles tripped when the GFI went off this sends up a red flag that there might not be two circuits in that kitchen. This is a code requirement. NEC Article 210.52-B (3)
The part regarding feeding mutiple bath rooms from one bath GFI is not allowed Nec Article
210.11-C(3) Bathroom Branch Circuits: In addition to the number of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at least one 20-Ampere branch circuit shall be provided to supply the bathroom receptacle outlet(s). Such cicuits shall have no other outlets.
(Exception: Where the 20-Ampere circuit suppplies a single bathroom, outlets for other equipoment within the same bathroom shall be supplied in accordance with 210.23(A)
I urge you to read ALL of Article 210 in the NEC There are bits and pewices related throughout the article that bounce back and forth but the bottom line is some contractors don't keep up with the code. You use to be able to feed multiple baths or GFI locations. That has changed but you need to read to know....................
I hope that helps some what..../.
Bob
Excuse the type -o's ....I'm tierd and lazy...just got in from school and got get up at 5.
See ya
Bob