Washer Outlet location

[brianmiller]

The washer outlet is located 6" from a sink.

Should it be required to be GFCI protected? Or because it's for the washer, it is exempt?

Thanks as always,

Brian

[James Duffin]

It looks like it does per the code section below:



210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for
Personnel.

FPN: See 215.9 for ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection
for personnel on feeders.

(A) Dwelling Units. All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and
20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in
(1) through (8) shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter
protection for personnel.
(1) Bathrooms
(2) 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
(3) Outdoors

Exception to (3): Receptacles that are not readily accessible
and are supplied by a dedicated branch circuit for
electric snow-melting or deicing equipment shall be permitted
to be installed in accordance with 426.28.

(4) Crawl spaces — at or below grade level
(5) Unfinished basements — for purposes of this section,
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 to (5): A receptacle supplying only a permanently
installed fire alarm or burglar alarm system shall
not be required to have ground-fault circuit-interrupter
protection.

FPN: See 760.41(B) and 760.121(B) for power supply
requirements for fire alarm systems.

Receptacles installed under the exception to
210.8(A)(5) shall not be considered as meeting the
requirements of 210.52(G).
(6) Kitchens — where the receptacles are installed to serve
the countertop surfaces
(7) Laundry, utility, and wet bar sinks — where the receptacles
are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft) of the outside
edge of the sink
(8) Boathouses

[Jim Port]

The Code Article posted above is either from the 05 or 08 edition which started to require the GFI protection for the laundry circuit within 6' of the sink. Before that there was no requirement for the GFI protection.

[James Duffin]

It was from the 08 code.

[brianmiller]

That's what I thought, but wouldn't you get nuisance tripping of the GFCI if the washer is plugged into a GFCI?

[Jerry Peck]

That's what I thought, but wouldn't you get nuisance tripping of the GFCI if the washer is plugged into a GFCI?


Not if the receptacle is properly rated and newly minted.

I was not the GFCI devices which caused the "nuisance" tripping, it was the older appliances which caused the "real" tripping as the older appliances were manufactured to a standard which allowed for higher leakage currents, and it was those allowable higher leakage currents which would "really" cause the GFCI to trip - those were not "nuisance" trippings, those were really telling you there was excessive leakage in those appliances ... just no one want to believe it or understand it ... the GFCI device WAS "doing its job" as it was designed, intended, and installed to do.

The only "nuisance" thing about it was that tingling feeling you would get from touching the appliances and ground or something wet and ground. :eek: :D

[Rick Cantrell]

I was not the GFCI devices which caused the "nuisance" tripping, it was the older appliances which caused the "real" tripping as the older appliances were manufactured to a standard which allowed for higher leakage currents, and it was those allowable higher leakage currents which would "really" cause the GFCI to trip - those were not "nuisance" trippings, those were really telling you there was excessive leakage in those appliances ... just no one want to believe it or understand it ... the GFCI device WAS "doing its job" as it was designed, intended, and installed to do.


I had that happen to me on a house I'm am remodeling to rent.
Every time the Fridge was plugged in, it tripped the GFCI.
It's was not the GFCI but the Fridge that was at fault.
Through the Fridge away, kept the GFCI.
The GFCI was doing exactly what it is intended to do, protect me from electrical shock.

[Robert Mattison]

J.P. I was wonder if you could share with us, in what year did appliance
MFG. up the the standard with leakage current, So they could be plug
into a GFCI outlet, without tripping it.

I do like the way you explained nuisance tripping.

[Jerry Peck]

J.P. I was wonder if you could share with us, in what year did appliance
MFG. up the the standard with leakage current, So they could be plug
into a GFCI outlet, without tripping it.

I do like the way you explained nuisance tripping.

It was a revision to the UL standard, I believe it was in the late 1980s or in the 1990s. The leakage current used to be allowed at less than 50 ma, the new standard is less than 0.5 ma, which is 1/10 of the GFCI trip point.

If the GFCI trips, there is a problem with the appliance :eek: - unless it is REAL OLD, in which case it is most likely time to replace the appliance anyway ;) .