Sump pumps -- GFCI required?

[gfretwell]

You have to be careful when you look at just anything that pops on a Google search. Those exceptions were eliminated in 2008.

[gfretwell]

All 120v 15 & 20a receptacles in those areas require GFCI whether they are twist lock or not. If it is that important to you, buy a 240v pump.

[clare]

I would say since it is all for the sump pump it is still a dedicated circuit and should be exempt from GFCI requirement. Using the twistlock connections makes it unlikely that anything else might be plugged into the circuit. Not 100% sure of code requirements, but is how I would do it if I had a house with a sump pump.

[clare]

It is still a "dedicated circuit" but to be 100% legal I would install twist-lock receptacles and plugs to make it clear it is DEDICATED to the specialized equipment with the matching plugs. (assuming there are no other outlets or devices on the circuit)

[gfretwell]

I am not sure about what happens in the Great White North but in the US those "dedicated outlet" exceptions are all gone and have been for the last 3 cycles. The only exceptions now are for "ice melting equipment" outside and alarm systems inside (basements crawl spaces etc)

[Micky]

Thanks all.

[Robert Green]

Indeed. Looking more closely that article appears to be from 2002. My bad.

So does that mean a sump pump *has* to be on a GFCI? I can see some seriously bad results arising from putting a sump pump (or a refrigerator) on a GFCI. Having said that, I haven't had a nuisance trip from a GFCI in quite some time and I now wonder if the refrigerator that was causing the trips wasn't actually suffering from real current leakage.

[John G]

Yeah these are the old rules. Most of the exceptions have been eliminated in the 2011 and 2014 code updates.

[trader_4]

If it's in an unfinished basement, yes.

[Robert Green]

I am not sure I understand your comment. Twist locks, in my experience, can be used for both 110 and 220v applications. I see them listed for 110v use:

Leviton 2311 Locking Plug, 20A, 125V, L5-20P, 2P3W

Whether or not the NEC approves of them for 120v applications is another story I am not able to comment on other than I use them in several places in my house and as I recall, they passed inspection (quite some time ago).

I made the suggestion re: twist locks to specifically deal with someone who might unplug the sump pump to use for say a vacuum cleaner and then forgets to reconnect the sump. Having once had a cleaning lady who plugged a 10A cannister vac into a UPS outlet, there's merit in preventing people from doing things like that. (-:

Or, as I reread what you wrote, are you saying that a 240v pump obviates the need for a GFCI?

[clare]

They also only apply to "new construction". If the sump pump was there and wired before the exemptions dissappeared the exemption still stands - and doing as I suggested WILL pass a "condition inspection"

I just had a "condition inspection", called an "e-safe" for insurance purposes here last month, and up here they have complicated things. The ESA (Electrical safety Authority)enforces the common electrical code, which would grandfather GFCI and AF requirements, but the new e-safe regulations are implemented under the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) which over-rides the code and requires GFCI for all outlets within 6 feet of a faucet or sink and all exterior outlets under something like 8 feet (2.5 meters) from the ground.

Unfinished basements and attached garages (not sure about detatched since I don't have one) do not require GFCI and nor do "dedicated outlets" for refrigerators and other devices - which do not need to be "dedicated circuits"

So, on one circuit with a bathroom outlet, a refrigerator and an outdoor outlet, there are 2 GFCI outlets and one standard outlet on the same circuit. This passed E-Safe inspection in November (and yes, I did need to pull a permit to install the GFCI outlets) Up here ANY work on aluminum wire, including like for like replacements of switches, outlets, and luminaires requires a permit.

[clare]

Just a real light coating of dust, absorbing a minor amount of moisture on the compressor start cap will trip the GFCI.(particularly if it is a metal can) Older fridges and frezers had metal can caps.

[clare]

There are specific twist lock configurations for each combination of voltage and current, all having specific NEMA configuration numbers which I included in my original recommendation - so yes, twist locks ARE allowed by the NEC for 120 volt use.

The code only specifies 120 volt circuits.

[Roger Blake]

I really don't give a damn if it's "required" - I don't want the sump pump disabled due to the GFCI tripping. If it came down to it I'd temporarily install a GFCI receptacle for an "inspection" then remove it afterwards.

[gfretwell]

I have investigated a couple of these refrigerators that trip GFCIs and they do have internal shorts in the compressor. I put them on a 2 to 3 adapter, the old one with the pigtail and put a scope with a current probe on the pigtail. There is definitely current spiking on the ground. It is not enough to trip a breaker but it does trip the GFCI If you cut open the freon line, you will smell the burnt freon.

[gfretwell]

Yes, that was where I was going. A twist lock will not relieve the need for a GFCI but it only applies to 15 & 20a 120v receptacles

[Robert Green]

OK - I got it. Thanks for the reply. I would (and do) use twist-locks on all 240v gear and the 120v outlets that are ceiling mounted and power specific items (not necessarily dedicated but items like a radial arm saw).

FWIW, I saw my first twist lock connector on an old portable tube radio circa 1940 my dad had that had two different types of batteries and came in a folding wood case. He had rigged up some sort of AC power for the unit using a twist-lock connector which kind of negated its portability. As I recall the price of the high voltage battery made operating the unit an expensive proposition. Replaced many years later by one of the first Sony shirt-pocket portable AM radios powered by a more affordable 9vdc cell.

[Robert Green]

I might have agreed with you ten years ago when GFCI devices were still "growing up." I had a lot of nuisance trips using some Slater GFCI's I got at Hechinger's (George should know them!).

I've got Leviton 20A GFCI's just about everywhere and haven't had one trip since the gardener tried to repair the extension cord he had just hedge-clippered in half with a pen-knife and masking tape. Needless to say he failed his audition . . .

I can see the sump being on a non-GFCI outlet when no one's home. However, the combination of water, electricity and many times sloppy Chinese pump manufacturing still make me want the protection of a GFCI on anything that contacts groundwater. I would run it a long time "under test" to make sure I could trust it if we were away on vacation.

[Robert Green]

Everyone knows it's ground-hole pointed south to take advantage of the coriolis effect, at least in the northern hemisphere. Helps the electrons drain more quickly. (-: My Monster Cable sales rep told me!

On a serious note, I assume GFCI's have saved *some* lives but I've yet to come up with a site that even hazards a guess how many lives have been saved. One site said "countless" and that might be the closest estimate because it seems no one has counted them. Even harder to come by seem to be any figures relating the number of nuisance trips one can expect. My own anecdotal evidence strongly suggests nuisance trips are much reduced from GFCI designs of ten years ago, but it's just one data point. Where's Danny D? If anyone could find those numbers, I'd bet on him. I seem to recall others here making similar observations about decreasing nuisance trip rates.

I suspect that the NEC has been changed to reflect the better designs of modern GFCIs as the exceptions to where they are not needed seem to be disappearing.

[Robert Green]

Good to know since I have some ceiling outlets that are Hubbells (all I remember) that I believed to be codeworthy when installed. Thanks.