How should this bathroom outlet be wired?2 light switches, 1 GFCI outlet, one Load wire???????

Question

Here is a basic diagram-
4 wires w/ white, black, and ground
(Light 1 WI IB) (Light 2 WI IB) (Load WI IB) (Line WI IB)



(BI IB Switch 1) ( BI IB Switch 2) ( WI IB GFCI-Line) (WI IB GFCI-Load)

The trick is to balence the W to B after the GFCI so it doesn't trip and wire so that the each switch is independent. Everything I have tired either trips the GFCI or one switch turns on both lights. .

Answer 1

Im taking it that you want to wire the lts seperate from the GFI. Right now the way you have it, if the GFI trips out go the lights. Also hopefully the lts control two seperate lights. So what you need to do is identify the line or power source line. Basically its going topower the GFI (line side) and the two lights. If you dont want the lts to trip off with the GFI, dont hook up anything on the load side of the GFI. If the GFI is the only receptacle you have you dont need to use the load side at all. So you have a power line (black) that you need to have 3 lines from it one to each lt switch and one to the GFI line side only. The whites can pigtail all together and same with the ground wires, with one white for the line sideof the GFI. Now hopefully you have two blacks at each lt switch,one for powe and the other for the switch leg to the lt itself

Answer 2

It sounds like your upstairs outlet is already protected by the GFCI outlet in the downstairs bathroom. There is no reason to install an GFCI outlet in your upstairs bathroom. A GFCI outlet protects all other outlets that are wired after it on the same circuit. If the downstairs outlet constantly trips you may try replacing it. If it still trips then you have a wiring problem or you have too much load on the circuit. Hair dryers frequently cause and overload when other things are on as well.