I am here to push your buttons- GFCI’s required around your home. Home Inspection Wenatchee
I have been writing on the new requirements that will be adopted for GFCI’s (ground-fault circuit-interrupter) and AFCI’s (arc-fault circuit-interrupter). With the new rules adoption of the 2014 NEC I am trying to put this all together.
Lets talk GFCI’s, as a home inspector in Washington State we are to test GFCI’s and recommend their installation in area required by “Industry Standards”, nothing like lawmakers dancing around the word “CODE”. So you can say when I am on a Home Inspection I am there to push your buttons… for GFCI’s that is.
With no dancing involved here is the code section for the requirements of GFCI’s. (Bold and underline is mine).
NEC 210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel
Ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel shall be provided as required in 210.8(A) through (D). The ground-fault circuit-interrupter shall be installed in a readily accessible location.
Definition: Accessible, Readily (Readily Accessible)
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.
(There are other sections of the code that require GFCI protection see other areas below)
Now we got that out of the way here is the list of locations that will be required in the home in regards to 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in these locations.
Bathrooms- A bathroom is defined as “an area including a basin (sink) with one or more of the following: a toilet, a urinal, a tub, a shower, a bidet, or similar plumbing fixtures.”
Garages, and also accessory buildings that have a floor located at or below grade level not intended as habitable rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas, and areas of similar use.
Outdoors, Exception to this rule: Receptacles that are not readily accessible and are supplied by a branch circuit dedicated to electric snow-melting, deicing, or pipeline and vessel heating equipment shall be permitted.
Crawl spaces, at or below grade level.
Unfinished basements, unfinished basements are defined as portions or areas of the basement not intended as habitable rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas, and the like
Exception: A receptacle supplying only a permanently installed fire alarm or burglar alarm system shall not be required to have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection.
Kitchens, where receptacles are installed to serve the countertop surfaces.
Sinks, (all sinks including the kitchen sink) where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the outside edge of the sink. This would include a disposer receptacle under a kitchen sink, a microwave or refrigerator if within 6 feet of the sink.
Boathouses
Bathtubs or shower stalls, where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the outside edge of the bathtub or shower stall
Laundry areas, all 120v receptacles, even the washing machine.
Boat Hoists, GFCI protection shall be provided for outlets not exceeding 240 volts that supply boat hoists installed in dwelling unit locations. It is important to note that it applies to all outlets, not just to receptacle outlets. Therefore, both cord-and-plug-connected and hard-wired boat hoists are required to be GFCI protected.
Kitchen Dishwasher Branch Circuit, GFCI protection shall be provided for outlets that supply dishwashers installed in dwelling unit locations.
Other Areas (you need to keep in mind)-
Hydromassage bathtubs, (Jet tubs) The GFCI device protecting the hydromassage bathtub is required to be readily accessible. Where the GFCI device is installed in the space under a hydromassage bathtub, the opening to that space must provide ready access.
Electrically heated floors, of bathrooms, kitchens, and in hydromassage bathtub locations.
Hot Tub and Spa, the outlet(s) that supplies a self-contained spa or hot tub, a packaged spa or hot tub equipment assembly, or a field-assembled spa or hot tub shall be protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter.
Pools, Outlets supplying pool pump motors connected to single-phase, 120-volt through 240-volt branch circuits, whether by receptacle or by direct connection, shall be provided with ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.
Fountains, Luminaires, submersible pumps, and other submersible equipment, unless listed for operation at low voltage contact limit or less and supplied by a transformer or power supply that complies with 680.23(A)(2), shall be protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter.
If anyone finds something I missed please let me know.
Electric Drinking Fountains (I have run into these on home inspections) The GFCI protection must be either part of the fountain, included in the receptacle for the fountain, or provided on the branch circuit feeding the fountain. Bottled water coolers are not considered electric drinking fountains.
If anyone see an area I missed please let me know and I will update this list.
“If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”
Red Adair
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…
Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Real Estate, Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service
www.ncwhomeinspections.com 509-670-9572
You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and on my website Blog.
Comments(13)