Bathroom GFCI

[Anonymous]

Have two bathrooms, one existing , one new. I plan to install one remote mounted exaust fan to serve both bathrooms,with a switch in each room. The new bathroom is served by a single 20A GFCI circuit for both lighting and receptacles. Can this also power the exhaust fan?
Also , I am using the bedroom AFCI circuit to power all (7) smoke detectors. Is this okay? Thanks.

[Wgoodrich]

Boy you hit a gray area on that REMOTE exhaust fan. The NEC allows you to install a dedicated bathroom branch circuit to a bathroom and run all in that bathroom including lights small motors, GFI protected bathroom receptacles but limted to being without overloading the branch circuit such as big motors etc. However you are not allowed to leave that bathroom

In your case you have an appuratus that while is serving the bathroom is not in the bathroom. I would rule the interpretation of the NEC as yes you may as long as this remote exhaust fan is not rated in amps more than 50% of the 20 amp ampacity required to serve that bathroom dedicated branch circuit.

Be careful on this gray area you hit, your local inspector [AHJ] may not rule as I would in this scenerio.

A smoke detector located in a bedroom is considered as an outlet and must be AFCI protected per the 2002 NEC. If you are governed by the 99 NEC then the receptacles in the bedroom must be AFCI protected but not the lights and smoke detector.

There is nowhere in the NEC forbidding that AFCI protected bedroom branch circuit from leaving that bedroom and serving elsewhere that is outside the bedroom including smoke detectors. So yes the smoke detectors are allowed to be carried by the AFCI bedroom branch circuit whether these smoke detectors are inside the bedroom or not.

Remember that teh building Code requires the smoke detectors to be not only 120 volt powered but with a built in battery backup and be interconnected with all other smoke detectors so if one goes of all smoke detectors go off and sound. Also you are required a smoke detector on each floor, in each VICINITY of each bedroom area and INSIDE each bedroom.

Hope this helps

Wg

[Anonymous]

I probably should have mentioned that the remote exhaust fan would be controlled from 2 different bathrooms( a timer switch in each room). It's no problem to run the fan off of a different circuit if that would be better or permissible.

By the way , I think this site is awesome. It's the only place I've
seen where I can get good info in a timely fashion. Thanks

[Wgoodrich]

A second circuit for the fan is fine also but no bathroom receptacles if this circuit is not 20 amp rated and does not leave that bathroom to other loads outside that bathroom.

Be careful in your planning.

Most timer switches are single pole.

Do you plan on a relay contactor using two timers or do you have a three way timer pulled out of your hat?

Curious I might learn something on this one,

Wg

[Anonymous]

The relay idea is interesting. But how about just installing the two timers in parallel so that either one will bring on the fan?

[Wgoodrich]

You are fine, just wanted to make sure you didn't find this wiring mistake after you drywalled if you weren't thinking along that line of thought.

Good Thinking

Wg