Garage Construction Project

2026-05-25 - Rear Wall 16-inch Outlets with GFCI Lead

2 min read

Rear Wall 16-inch Outlets — Chain with GFCI Lead

Closer view of the rear wall outlet run — four 2-gang plastic boxes at 16" AFF chained with yellow 12-2 NM-B romex visible between boxes; leftmost box holds the GFCI device protecting the downstream chain; one workbench-height box at far right

Photo Details

  • Date: May 25, 2026
  • Time: 5:19 PM EDT
  • Phase: Phase 1 — 120V rough-in (DIY)
  • Location: Looking south at the rear wall, closer than the wide view
  • Subject: Detail of the rear wall outlet chain — GFCI lead protects the downstream conventional duplexes

Description

Detail shot of the same rear wall run as the wide view, close enough to see the yellow 12-2 NM-B Southwire romex chaining between boxes. The leftmost 2-gang box holds the GFCI receptacle protecting all downstream outlets — the rest of the boxes hold standard 20A duplex receptacles per the cost-saving “one GFCI per circuit” approach in Electrical Planning § Outlet Protection Strategy (a single GFCI device protects the rest of the chain rather than spending on GFCIs at every position).

Rough-in state: romex is run between boxes but not yet stapled to the studs. Stapling and dress-down is a future cleanup pass; the install is electrically complete and the circuit was successfully energized later this evening once the panel breaker was added.

Visible Elements

  • Yellow 12-2 NM-B romex — Southwire NM-B 12/2 with ground (the 1000’ Hershberger’s spool documented in wire spool label); visible as yellow loops between adjacent stud bays
  • 4× 2-gang plastic boxes at 16” AFF along the rear wall — Cantex 1G/2G new-work boxes (substitution noted in HD shelf tag)
  • GFCI lead receptacle in the leftmost box; downstream chain takes standard 20A duplex
  • Workbench-height box (far right) — separate workbench circuit; wire pulled today but not yet at panel
  • Stamped OSB sheathing behind the wires (manufacturer marks visible)
  • No staples yet — wire dressing pass deferred to a follow-up day

Why This Photo

Captures the chain topology of the rear wall circuit close enough to read the romex routing. For 20-year future reference: every 2-gang on the rear wall is on the same 20A breaker, protected by a single GFCI at the leftmost (panel-fed) position. If a downstream outlet ever trips the GFCI, the reset is at the leftmost rear-wall box — not at the panel.

Graph View

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