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How do you wire a three switch receptacle (all three switches are together in a stacked appearance) with a GFI outlet in a two gang box? There will be a light above the bathroom sink and a fan with a light.

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    What wires are in the box, or are you starting with nothing?
    – Tester101
    Jan 17, 2016 at 0:37

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I'll split it up below into three pieces: wiring at the switch box, wiring at the above sink light (at least with it being second in line), and wiring at the fan/light unit in the ceiling. The grey wire throughout is the neutral, the yellow boxes are wire nuts (you'll need more than shown to splice the hots and grounds at each box), and the ground wires are not shown just for simplicity. Make sure to run a ground and tie it together with every device and (if used) every metal box.

I'm assuming that nothing has been wired yet and so this is starting from scratch. For the easiest wiring, you would want to run the initial homerun wire from your panel directly to the switch box.


Fan/Light combo unit wiring: - - - >Wiring at fan/light combo unit


Above-sink light wiring: - - - - - - - - - > Wiring at sink light


Wiring in box: - - > Wiring in switch box


Power comes in at the switch box. Pigtail off of the hot to feed the GFCI and the common on the switch. Pigtail off of the neutral and connect it to the GFCI. Run your second set of wires between the above-sink light and the box and re-identify them on each end so that you can keep up with which wire powers what. Tie the neutrals together and screw in one wire to each terminal on the switch. (This is where you pick which switch controls which device.) Connect your grounds in the box and you're ready to move on to the above-sink box.

Connect whichever hot that you want to use for the above-sink light to the fixture. Pigtail off of the neutral and connect to the fixture. Run your next set of wires between the fan/light unit in the ceiling and your above-sink box. Remember to re-identify the wires so as to stay consistent and make it all easier on yourself. Connect the grounds and move on.

The same process goes for the fan/light unit in the ceiling. Take one hot and connect it to the light. Take the other hot and connect it to the fan. Finally take your neutral and pigtail off of it to feed both the fan and the light. Connect your grounds, mount your fixtures and devices, and add your switch cover. Now you should be clear to power it all back up.

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  • Why would you connect the neutrals together at the lights/fans? Wouldn't you just connect all the neutrals at the junction box? Mar 19, 2016 at 3:35
  • @VladK What junction box? You would connect the neutral at it's device so that you don't have to run multiple wires back to the source.
    – TFK
    Mar 20, 2016 at 0:19
  • The two gang box. What wires are you using? Romex is prepackaged with all three. It would be more work to remove the extra neutrals with it. Mar 20, 2016 at 6:30
  • @VladK This is the only way to wire it and saves wire by simply pigtailing onto the neutral when possible. - Coming into the box is 12/2, going up to the first light would be 12/4 or 12/2/2, then going to the fan+light is 12/3.
    – TFK
    Mar 20, 2016 at 14:21
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    @VladK I get what you're saying. Yes, you could. It'd let them use one roll of wire. You're right.
    – TFK
    Mar 20, 2016 at 16:07

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