I had a home for sale the home inspector wrote up the sump pump was not GFCI protected, sump pump was in garage. So I added the GFCI, but the sale fell thru:(
the 2nd home buyers inspector wrote up that the sump pump should NOT be GFCI protected......
there was no way to win.......
selling that home was a nightmare.....
the 2 different inspectors reports had nearly nothing in common, and inspector 2 had the first inspectors report
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And apparently neither knew that the code requirements in virtually all cases are not retroactive. Meaning that whatever applied when the outlet for the sump pump was put in is all that needs to be met. With the view they had it's a wonder they didn't come up with a whole list of crap.
That's the idea. Come up with a long list to help the buyer knock the price down. In my business, I get this all the time, and I generally mention that not a stitch of the 1975 wiring in this house meets current code,so why just pick on the non ground fault protection for all the kitchen counter outlets, lets gut this puppy. Can't tell you how many letters I've written as well, refuting "home inspectors". But in the end, it usually comes down to it being a buyers market or sellers market.
Not saying it is code compliant, but to meet the INTENT of the law, I'd tie the 2 neutrals together and use a fused 2 pole (240 v) disconnect, grounded with the one existing bond wire - connected to a "tied" 240 volt breaker at the main panel - giving the capability of using as a 240 volt supply if required. Use a fused or breaker type subpanel in the outbuilding
The "disconnect" does not NEED to be "protected" - it is there for safety reasons - so you can cut the power quickly in case of a malfunction/emergency. As I stated before, I would use a 240 volt disconnect at the door and tie the 2 cables together at both ends - sharing the neutral - and mark appropriately.
On new installation. My 38 year old home doesn't have, or require, ANY GFCI devices. Then again, there is no "unfinished" space in the whole house. Some "semi-finished" - and no sump pump.
I would not buy a house that needs one, personally. Enough high spots, on sand, in our area that I don't need to settle for a house built in a valley, on clay, or in a swamp. And no need or desire to move to an area where that is not the case.
The freezer is another story - and I DO have a "power out indicator" on the freezer outlet. I plugged an old UPS into the other side of the outlet, where the water softener plugs in. If the power goes out it hollers loud enough that I can hear it all the way to the top floor.
And NOT if it is a "dedicated circuit" with a single, rather than duplex, receptacle - at least not under Ontario code, the last I heard.
That's the discussion. The latest NEC changed that exception.
Of course new installations, but also replacements
Who said anything about "protected"?
As dpb said several days ago (and quoted above) the NEC wants the disconnect "at the nearest point where it enters the building rather than by the door."
Paralleling the neutrals is a code violation and not necessary.
borrowed from different post: > Use a fused or breaker type subpanel in the outbuilding
A breaker subpanel in the shed for 2-20A circuits? All that is required is a simple switch. As the OP said (quoted above) "it would be senseless to put another 20A breaker for each circuit in the shed."
But no problem. Holmes will fix the wiring you do when he discovers it.
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