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Do Bathroom Fans Need GFCI Protection?

A GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) is an effective way to prevent the hundreds of electrocutions that happen every year in the US. However, since bathroom fans are typically out of reach, they may seem to pose little risk of electrocution. Hence, some people may assume that they don’t need GFCI protection.

Follow this simple guide to understand the role that GFCI protection plays in your bathroom fan.


Bathroom fans need to be connected to a GFCI branch circuit when placed in a shower or above a bathtub. In other cases, the GFCI is not required but recommended.

Does Your Bathroom Fan Require GFCI Protection?

Often, electricians will advise you to have GFCI outlets installed in bathrooms, sinks, or any other place exposed to standing or running water. However, you may be curious about how this applies to specific appliances within your bathroom.

For instance, the bathroom exhaust fan all the way up in the ceiling.

Extractor-fan-bathroom-exhaust-fan

Well, the National Electric Code (NEC) does not specifically highlight GFCI-protection of bathroom fans. However, there’s a requirement within NEC 110.3(B) that equipment should be installed and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Typically, bathroom fan manufacturers include a requirement for GFCI protection in their instructions when placed in a shower or above a bathtub.

Therefore, you must follow that requirement, as stated in NEC 110.3(B).

The bathroom fan itself is a requirement by the NEC for bathrooms that have no windows, as a safety measure for ventilation.

If you install the bathroom fan right above your tub or shower, manufacturers generally recommend that you have it GFCI-protected.

Read my article about installing a bathroom fan in a shower if you are planning to do so.

Why?

Well, the area right above your tub or showerhead is at a higher risk of contact with water.

You or your child could accidentally splash some water on the fan. You might even accidentally direct your hand-held showerhead up to the fan. Or it could just be a sudden showerhead malfunction that sprays water on your fan.

How Many GFCI-Protected Outlets Do You Need in Your Bathroom?

According to the NEC, your bathroom must have at least one GFCI-protected outlet.

However, if you have a larger bathroom that sees a lot of traffic, you are allowed to install even more than three GFCI-protected outlets to ensure your safety.

Round wash basin with a GFCI outlet on the side.jpg

It’s best to have separate circuits for your bathroom and the rest of your house. This way, you can install GFCI protection specifically for your bathroom. In case the circuit breaks within your bathroom, the rest of your home will have access to power.

From the separate bathroom GFCI-protected circuit, you can then wire your bathroom fan.

You must remember that the local code always supersedes the national code.

Some local codes are more stringent than others. To be sure that you’re doing it right, consult your local building inspections office concerning the requirements.

Why Is a GFCI Outlet So Vital?

A Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter is designed to protect you from a ground fault. This is a situation where the “hot” wire (wire carrying the electricity) comes into contact with any part of an external grounded device.

This can cause your bathroom fan fuse to blow. But it is especially dangerous if the external “grounded device” just happens to be a human being! The massive current passing through your body to the ground can cause serious harm and even death.

Moisture is the biggest cause of ground faults.

For instance, perhaps you’re out using a plugged-in glue gun, and it’s raining. The glue gun becomes wet, and water comes into contact with the hot wire that is exposed by worn-out insulation. This creates a path for electricity to flow from the device to the ground and through your body since you’re in contact with the water too.

The result is often severe injury or death.

GFCI outlets can detect such ground faults and prevent them from causing too much damage.

How Does a GFCI Outlet Work?

A GFCI outlet is able to detect any losses in current as it monitors all the electricity flowing within the circuit. It does this by monitoring the current flowing between the hot and the ground wire.

Since some of the current will leak from the usual path (hot to neutral) during a ground fault, the GFCI will detect this power “leakage” and trip the circuit immediately.

Just like a fuse, a GFCI outlet is designed to protect you from electrical accidents, but there is a difference between the two.

How GFCI Works, Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter Illustration.jpg

Unlike a GFCI, a fuse provides protection against overcurrent in your electrical circuit – not current leaks caused by ground faults.

The over-current protection helps guard your premises against electrical fires and damage to your appliances due to excessive flow of current. The excessive current heats up the electrical circuit; however, since the fuse melts faster than the wire can become hot, it burns out and cuts off the current.

PROCURU 2-Pack 15A Tamper Resistant Self-Test GFCI Outlet with LED Indicator with Wall Plate, White - UL Listed (2-Pack, 15 Amp)

That prevents overheating of your electrical circuit that can cause an electrical fire

GFCI can be built into the outlet or be installed in the fuse box.

Here’s how the GFCI functions.

An appliance that is working as it should will maintain the expected flow of electricity from hot to neutral. If this flow is interrupted, the GFCI will detect it and cut off the current completely.

For instance, you plug in an appliance like a shaver or hair drier to an outlet in your bathroom. The appliance would work properly until you suddenly drop it in a tub full of water. Then, the GFCI will detect a change in current and cut it off immediately.

This interruption in the flow of current is what will save you from severe electrocution.

A GFCI is able to detect even the slightest change in current up to 4 milliamps and will react in as quickly as one-thirtieth of a second. Just ten milliamps is what it takes to make your body muscles freeze over due to electrical overload, and two seconds of that flow will cause death.

Therefore, it’s critical that you consider having this helpful device installed in areas where there is a high risk of electrocution.

How Do You Know if Your Outlet Has a GFCI Installed?

If your local code requires you to protect your fan using GFCI, then you need to identify which outlets in your bathroom are wired with GFCI. Look out for a Test and Reset button and maybe an indicator light on the outlet.

To ensure you get the protection you need, consider testing the outlet’s GFCI efficiency once every month as this technology wears out. 

To test the outlet, press “Reset” then plug in a simple device like a nightlight or shaver. The device should turn on without any malfunction. Press the “Test” button, and the power should be cut off, making the device shut down.

Press “Reset” again, and the device should turn back on.

How the reset and test button on a GFCI outlet works illustration.jpg

If things proceed in this sequence, then your outlet is working properly. If it does not, then the GFCI will not protect you from shocks resulting from ground faults and needs to be reinstalled or replaced. 

How Long Will the GFCI Outlet Protect Your Bathroom Fan?

A properly installed GFCI should provide protection from electrocution for up to ten years.

However, older models tend to fail “closed,” meaning that they continue conducting electricity even after they fail to detect ground faults. That makes such older models dangerous. 

For that reason, you should choose a newer model.

Newer models fail “open,” meaning that they do not conduct power after failing. This makes them safe even when they fail.

Conclusion

Protecting your bathroom fan with GFCI will certainly make your home safer and give your family peace of mind. It’s certainly better to take extra precautions than risking harm to yourself or your loved ones, even when the risk seems minimal.

Sources

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