It is hard to change old habits- Garage Receptacles Outlets East Wenatchee Home Inspections
Well now that I am seeing more and more post 2014 NEC new construction, there are many changes that have come to be.
Washington State was in a code freeze so we jumped from the 2008 NEC to the 2014 NEC and with that we skipped a code cycle, the 2011 NEC (code cycles are every 3 years). In that time the electrical code had some significant changes in regards to GFCI’s and AFCI’s. As a home inspector I try to keep abreast of these changes to provide my client the highest level of care possible, it can be a daunting task at times. Washington State Home Inspectors are required to report on GFCI’s and AFCI’s.
Receptacle protected by a garage receptacle
So on a recent home inspection of a newly constructed home I found exterior receptacles being protected by a GFCI receptacle in the garage. It was common practice to use the branch circuit that supplied the garage receptacles for the exterior receptacles so they all would be on GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) protection as required by the code.
But that is not the case anymore. The new code requires that the Garage receptacles cannot supply receptacles outside of the garage hence the infamous “shall not”. This means the garage now joins several other areas of the home that have receptacle outlets dedicated to an area-- such as bathrooms, Laundry rooms and Kitchen/Dining areas.
From the 2014 NEC-
210.52 Dwelling Unit Receptacle Outlets
(G) Basements, Garages, and Accessory Buildings.
(1)Garages.
In each attached garage and in each detached garage with electric power. The branch circuit supplying this receptacle(s) shall not supply outlets outside of the garage. At least one receptacle outlet shall be installed for each car space.
From IAEI (International Association of Electrical Inspectors)
“210.52(G) Dwelling Unit Garage Receptacle Outlets
A receptacle is now required for each car space in a garage. The garages encountered today at most dwelling units have gone from a simple place to park vehicles out of the elements in a bygone era to “do-it-all” locations where homeowners service their vehicles and/or convert a portion of the garage space to serve as a workshop. In previous editions of the Code, one convenience receptacle outlet was required in this garage location regardless of the size of the garage or the intended use of same. In many instances, this one required receptacle outlet may very well be located behind a large appliance such as a freezer or refrigerator. It is not uncommon in these situations for the homeowner to resort to running an extension cord from this receptacle outlet behind the appliance or from the garage door receptacle outlet, stapling the cord to the ceiling and down the wall to have an additional outlet for convenience use for such things as hand drills, car vacuum cleaners, etc. The majority of dwelling units built today is constructed with two- or three-car garages. This new provision which will now require an additional receptacle outlet for each car space will reduce the use of extension cords currently being used to extend the branch circuit wiring and will provide a safer environment for the homeowner.”
Remember all GFCI’s now have to be readily accessible- The NEC’s definition of readily accessible states: “capable of being reached quickly for operation, renewal, or inspections without requiring those to whom ready access is requisite to actions such as to use tools, to climb over or remove obstacles, or to resort to portable ladders and so forth.”
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NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…
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