How can I add an outlet in my bathroom?

Gary Breen
by Gary Breen

I have one outlet in my bathroom and would like to add another.can I somehow use the existing outlet and connect off it?

  7 answers
  • Tom Tom on Dec 21, 2018

    you could always put a double outlet box in that is what I have done many times

  • GrandmasHouseDIY GrandmasHouseDIY on Dec 21, 2018

    Here's a how to! https://www.constructionprotips.com/jobsite-tips/installing-an-electrical-outlet-anywhere/

    The big problem with adding a new outlet in an already finished space is having to tear off the drywall to be able to run the wire from outlet to another. Just make sure you get big enough wire (to be safe I'd just use 12-2).

  • Seth Seth on Dec 21, 2018

    Gary,

    What is your current outlet and how many amps is the circuit? Before you go haphazardly adding another outlet and using the existing one to power it, make sure you are working within code requirements. And, do you really need more than two sockets in a bathroom? What do you have plugged in that you can't unplug when you need an available socket? Remember, if you add a receptacle upstream of a GFCI it will not be protected, so try and make it downstream if you can. Here is the current NEC code for bathroom electric supply:

    • The outlet receptacles must be served by a 20-amp circuit. The same circuit can supply the entire bathroom (outlets plus lighting), provided there are no heaters (including vent fans with built-in heaters) and provided the circuit serves only a single bathroom and no other areas. Alternatively, there should be a 20-amp circuit for the receptacles only, plus a 15- or 20-amp circuit for the lighting.
    • Vent fans with built-in heaters must be on their own dedicated 20-amp circuits.
    • All receptacles in bathrooms must have ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection.
    • A bathroom requires at least one 120-volt receptacle within 3 feet of the outside edge of each sink basin. Duel sinks can be served by a single receptacle positioned between them.
    • Light fixtures in the shower or bath area must be rated for damp locations unless they are subject to shower spray, in which case they must be rated for wet locations.


  • Marissa Morin Marissa Morin on Dec 22, 2018

    Hey Seth....can you come and do some electrical work for me? ... I guess I am the conservative one here. I believe in leaving electrical work to the electricians. It is too easy to burn a place down by screwing up connections....JMHO.

  • Seth Seth on Dec 22, 2018

    Ha ha. I'm only willing to burn my house down, not yous too. :-) But I agree with you in that electric work is the most dangerous and easiest to screw up if you are not 100% confident in what you are doing.

  • Archie C Milligan Archie C Milligan on Dec 22, 2018

    Unless you're a Professional Electresion, I wouldn't Recommend it, is it worth Burning your house down if something doesn't go right! Just plug in a power strip and hang it on the wall beside the outlet, it's Cheaper,Easyer & Safer than anything else. Think about it!