The once "standard" light with a built-in receptacle over a sink was disallowed for safety reasons. That's why you won't find any new ones. Instead, you may be able to install a combination GFI receptacle/switch.

Thanks, worthy, I suspected it had something to do with safety and GFIs. Darn.

What's wrong with the porcelain ones? If you are using electricity, the Victorians would have used the ones like that...as being practical and easy to keep clean. My bath originally had a gas light above the sink, but that was removed and the porcelain fixtures put in almost right away, I think. While doing some wiring, I found the original gas pipe capped off inside the wall.

At the time, back in '89, I put up fixtures which looked like colonial ones with frosted shades and they still had outlets on them...fortunately, I put the porcelain ones back about five years later, and added a switch so I wouldn't have to cross the dark bath to pull the chains on the lights. :)

"What's wrong with the porcelain ones?"

No GFCI.

You can wire an old one on the LOAD side of a GFCI receptacle and probably talk the AHJ into the install though.

What's unusual about your layout? I would imagine there's probably room to install a GFCI outlet somewhere, even on an adjacent wall. I even had one client get an outlet installed inside the medicine cabinet for her electric toothbrush.

The problem with my bathroom's layout are the walls/ceiling. Two walls have a low, very sloped wall/ceiling - we have a steep Mansard roof that begins about 3 feet up from the floor. On the third wall is an arched window dormer. The fourth and only flat wall in the room is tiled in marble. An outlet would either have to be installed smack in the middle of the tile (no thanks), on the sloped ceiling, or near the floor across the room from the sink and mirror, which would make using appliances a real pain. There is no light switch (lights turn on at the source), so nothing to tap into there. I am guessing this is why no one has replaced the 1940s sconce/outlet combo that's in there now!

However, I really like the sound of putting an outlet inside the medicine cabinet. Pretty clever idea, I may have to try that!

How about installing a GFCI on the side of the vanity?

Or maybe just get a light socket adaptor for one of the sconces. Not the proper way to do it, of course.

I should start a useful thread on all the shortcuts to using electricity. No more mollycoddling Nanny State alarmism! Safety this, safety that. Live like a real man (or woman)!

What's the worst that can happen?

Darwin Awards to the most creative.

This post was edited by worthy on Sat, Dec 22, 12 at 10:39

Combine the grounding rules and the GFCI rules and 2-hole receptacles are not really allowed any more for 'new' work. Any bathroom respectable needs GFCI protection also.

If you talk nicely with the AHJ tey may allow you to use the fixture for authenticity with a 2-hole receptacle and a GFCI feeding it.

Not many bathroom appliances have 3-wire cords, most are just 2-wire polarized.

The AHJ may be worried someone might try and use an 'adapter' to plug in a 3-wire load like a heater though.

Or just break off that bothersome third prong.