Thread: 120V outlet required in a laundry room?

There's a single outlet for the washing machine and a 240V for the dryer but no other outlet. I'm thinking it's required to have at least one to plug in an iron or whatever else you may need to.

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Nope.

Laundry room only requires 1 20 amp branch circuit and only one receptacle is required.

Reminds me of my favorite code section NEC 90-1 b ....." This Code contains provisions considered necessary for safety. Compliance therewith... will result in an installation ... not necessarily efficient, convenient, or adequate for good service...."...

It is silly that you would only have a single outlet. Could cause a problem if the owner ever decides to put in a gas dryer. Nah, they could just plug in a power strip!

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

It is silly that you would only have a single outlet. Could cause a problem if the owner ever decides to put in a gas dryer. Nah, they could just plug in a power strip!

Scott,

That would be the least of my concerns. If the home owner went to the trouble to install a gas line when none was present, they can go to the trouble to install a 120 volt receptacle.

Which would be quite easy with a 240 dryer outlet already there (as Matt said).

Codes are minimums and most builders and contractors follow the minimums unless the owners want to pay extra for what is not required by code.

No outlet needed other than what is there just as everyone else has confirmed.

I guess nobody irons their clothes anymore....

Originally Posted by Matt Fellman

I guess nobody irons their clothes anymore....

My wife irons hers.

Mine are done by the lady at the dry cleaners. Go figure.

rick

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

It is silly that you would only have a single outlet. Could cause a problem if the owner ever decides to put in a gas dryer. Nah, they could just plug in a power strip!

It would be almost as easy as changing the simplex to a duplex receptacle and much less complicated than changing the dryer wiring to 120.

In my opinion it is required to have an additional outlet other than the one 120 amp dedicated washer (appliance) outlet.

210.52 Dwelling Unit Receptacle Outlets states: This section provides requirements for 125 volt, 15 and 20 ampere receptale outlets. The receptacles required by this section shall be in addition to any recetacle that is:
1. Part of a luminaire or appliance, or............


210.52 F Laundry Areas, In dwelling units, at least one receptacle outlet shall be installed for the laundry.

If you install a dedicated circuit for a washing machine doesn't 210.52 say that you have to provide an additional receptacle?

Originally Posted by Wayne Carlisle

In my opinion it is required to have an additional outlet other than the one 120 amp dedicated washer (appliance) outlet.

210.52 Dwelling Unit Receptacle Outlets states: This section provides requirements for 125 volt, 15 and 20 ampere receptale outlets. The receptacles required by this section shall be in addition to any recetacle that is:
1. Part of a luminaire or appliance, or............

Wayne,

That receptacle is not "1. Part of a luminaire or appliance" ... *not* "part of" the appliance, it is "for" the appliance. Remember back when many appliances, such as electric ranges, came with a receptacle installed within the appliance to allow for plugging other appliances into? Back where there were few receptacles installed for kitchens and places? *Those* receptacles were "part of the appliance".

210.52 F Laundry Areas, In dwelling units, at least one receptacle outlet shall be installed for the laundry.

Correct ... "at least one receptacle outlet shall be installed for the laundry" ... "at least one", and there is "one", it is a single receptacle outlet, could be a duplex, but, if a duplex and if there is a sink nearby, then the other half of the duplex would need to be GFCI protected.

You need to read the exceptions to understand the "for the laundry" part.

- (F) Laundry Areas. In dwelling units, at least one receptacle outlet shall be installed for the laundry.
- - Exception No. 1: In a dwelling unit that is an apartment or living area in a multifamily building where laundry facilities are provided on the premises and are available to all building occupants, a laundry receptacle shall not be required.
- - Exception No. 2: In other than one-family dwellings where laundry facilities are not to be installed or permitted, a laundry receptacle shall not be required.

The exceptions clarify that the receptacle is for the "laundry facilities", and, if the "laundry facilities" is provided elsewhere, as stated in the exceptions, then "a laundry receptacle shall not be required" for the laundry area - and, without laundry facilities, would it then even be a laundry area?

Now, however, if there is a single receptacle installed for the clothes washer, and there is a sink nearby, *IF* that single receptacle is replaced with a duplex receptacle, then that would need to be GFCI protected REGARDLESS of when the house was constructed.

I think I will play "devil's advocate" on this one. My opinion is that as long as you provide the required receptacle for the "laundry", then that is all that is needed.

HOWEVER,

I am seeing many homes with large laundry rooms with lots of wall space.

In this case 210.52(A) may come into play because a laundry "room" can be considered a ".....similar room or area of dwelling units......."

Many laundry areas are in basements and shallow closets and are not their own room. The requirement is to provide a receptacle for the laundry but it does not state for the laundry room.

I think I changed my position.

If you have a laundry room that you can walk into and it has wallspace then 210.52(A) applies.

The original post, however did not state whether or not the laundry area was in a laundry room or just down in the basement.

The room in question is on the second level of a two story home. I didn't measure it out but it's fairly large for a laundry room. I'd guess 10 X 8 or so.

OK, agreed.
Tell me though what kind of appliance has a receptacle that is part of it?
Not being smart alecky...just trying to learn!

Originally Posted by Jeff Remas

In this case 210.52(A) may come into play because a laundry "room" can be considered a ".....similar room or area of dwelling units......."

I disagree. A "laundry room" is in no way similar (as in "similar room or area) to:

"(A) General Provisions. In every kitchen, family room, dining room, living room, parlor, library, den, sunroom, bedroom, recreation room, or similar room or area of dwelling units, "

If you have a laundry room that you can walk into and it has wallspace then 210.52(A) applies.

I disagree. A "laundry room" does not require wall receptacles.

The original post, however did not state whether or not the laundry area was in a laundry room or just down in the basement.

Jeff, if the laundry room was in the basement, would you require wall receptacle outlets spaced in accordance with 210.52? Of course not, because the room the laundry room (or area) is in does not require that.

Same thing applies if you take that laundry room (or area) and put it in a closet off the kitchen, or as a "walk through" room between the kitchen and the garage.

You will notice that all of the rooms listed are "habitable spaces" as defined by the building codes:

From the 2006 IRC. (underlining and red text is mine)

HABITABLE SPACE.

A space in a building for living, sleeping,
eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls,
storage or utility spaces and similar areas are not considered

habitable spaces.

Wayne,

The one that came to mind, and I've seen many of them, were electric ranges.

That section also referenced lighting fixtures, and surely you remember those bathroom lighting fixtures which came with a receptacle mounted in a square hole in the base of the fixture, right?

The ranges had the receptacles mounted in the top pedestal where the controls were, typically over at one end. Back when there were few receptacles for the countertop, that receptacle was very important and often used - but you have to remember back to when there were only one or two receptacles for the kitchen countertop.

I know the receptacles in the lighting fixtures phased out when GFCI requirements came in for the bathroom, beginning in 1975. The ones in the ranges started being phased out when GFCI protection came in for kitchens, beginning in 1987.

However, the code still "allows" those receptacles, as long as they are GFCI protected and they are listed and labeled as part of the lighting fixture and the appliance, BUT ... *if* they are installed as part of the appliance, you cannot count them toward the required receptacles, because when the appliance goes, that receptacle also goes. A case of where the code actually is applying common sense.

Habitable space has nothing to do with the NEC, only the IRC and it is not even part of the electrical chapters.

This can be a gray area subject to interpretation by the AHJ.

The "laundry" is required to have a receptacle but it does not say laundry area or laundry room, just laundry. This is to ensure that the appliance(s) have the circuit that they require.

There are no wall space exclusions for the laundry room. And since a laundry room has the word "room" in it, it therefore becomes part of the house.

The basement is not a room and when the laundry area is located in the basment, it is still just an area and not a room because the laundry is located in a basement and not a laundry room.

Wallspace is wallspace is wallspace as far as any room is concerned.

Looking back at previous new construction, I have now realized that the electricians always put wall outlets in laundry rooms with wallspace.

As a matter of fact both sets of prints sitting on my desk right now waiting for review show wall outlets in the laundry room. The plan review I just did last week also has a laundry room with outlets shown on wallspace.

Again, this may appear to be subjective and at the mercy of the AHJ's opinion.

Originally Posted by Jeff Remas

Habitable space has nothing to do with the NEC, only the IRC and it is not even part of the electrical chapters.

While there is no direct connection, the definition of habitable space and the rooms and areas listed in that section of the NEC as one and the same ... even though there is no habitable space definition in the NEC.

All you have to do is look at the rooms listed and their uses.

This can be a gray area subject to interpretation by the AHJ.

It's not very gray, more closer to black and white, maybe a dirty white.

The "laundry" is required to have a receptacle but it does not say laundry area or laundry room, just laundry. This is to ensure that the appliance(s) have the circuit that they require.

Correct.

There are no wall space exclusions for the laundry room. And since a laundry room has the word "room" in it, it therefore becomes part of the house.

There is also no wall space inclusions in the section requiring receptacle spacing, and the laundry room is not a similar room or area to any which is listed, thus it is included in the exclusion of the exception.

Having the word "room" in there does not designate it as having to meet the wall receptacle spacing, otherwise the bath"room" would also have to meet that same requirement, and it does not. Additionally, if the word "room" was a prerequisite, then "den", "library", "office" and other areas without the word "room" in them would be excluded. The word "room" has nothing to do with whether or not wall receptacles are required.

Wallspace is wallspace is wallspace as far as any room is concerned.

So you ARE saying that bath"rooms" require wall receptacles?

I frequently find laundry rooms with wall receptacles, I also frequently find hallways with *more than one wall receptacle* even though the hallway is not longer than 10 feet, I also find bedrooms, living rooms, and other rooms with *more* receptacles than are required. Doing so does not make them *required*, or, by your interpretation, *does* make them *required*?

Not sure what your requirements are as you seem to be flip-flopping terms and requirements to suit you, without being consistent with your application of those requirements across the board, with bath"room" being only one example.

Jerry is correct! Only one 20 amp branch circuit require for a laundry room! Does it make sense to put another receptacle other than the washing machine one in the laundry room? Yes. Is it required? No. I do a lot of phase inspections where city inspectors also inspect - most track houses in San Antonio have one duplex receptacle in the laundry room and all have been "passed" by the city.

Yes I flip flopped on this one once I read the NEC again.

I contaced the NFPA today for an opinion on this and they agreed that receptacles were needed inside laundry rooms with wall space.

I absolutely see your point when it comes to bathrooms and hope that the next code cycle clarifies both of these locations.

When you say "...the laundry room is not a similar room or area to any which is listed.." I disagree because it is a room just like any other.

We will have to agree to disagree. Luckily this has not been an issue where I am an AHJ because the electricians always put receptacles in those areas automatically.

Either way, good discussion.

So ... on places where laundry was added long after the original construction .... how many are checking the size of the drain / sewer lines?

Older homes and apartments frequently have 1-1/2" drains. Current plumbing code calls for a washer to have a 2" drain.

Since I don't quote codes, but I do use a lot of common sense to determine what might be inconvenient or downright dangerous, I'd simply tell my Clients that there is only one 110-V receptacle in the laundry room, so if they wanted a gas dryer, they would have to have another receptacle installed. After the fake/manipulated Enron energy crisis of 2000-2001, a great many people here switched to gas dryers.