Wet location receptacles?

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hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
I just got turned down on a house inspection that the inspector claimed the outside receptacles have to be rated for wet locations. I have heard that for 2008, that the GFI's have to be rated for wet locations, but does this also apply to regular receptacles? They are already protected by a ground fault breaker in the panel. I can see the requirement for the GFI's to be wet location, as I've seen many fail due to water infiltration. The receptacles also have in-use covers too. I was not there during the inspection to have him quote a specific code reference. Only do about one house a year, so I don't keep up with residental requirements. I have yet to see even the new wet location GFI receptacles, don't know if any body stocks them yet. I had to special order the tamper resistant GFI's for inside.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Check out art 406.8

406.8 Receptacles in Damp or Wet Locations.
(A) Damp Locations. A receptacle installed outdoors in a location protected from the weather or in other damp locations shall have an enclosure for the receptacle that is weatherproof when the receptacle is covered (attachment plug cap not inserted and receptacle covers closed).
An installation suitable for wet locations shall also be considered suitable for damp locations.
A receptacle shall be considered to be in a location protected from the weather where located under roofed open porches, canopies, marquees, and the like, and will not be subjected to a beating rain or water runoff. All 15- and 20-ampere, 125- and 250-volt nonlocking receptacles shall be a listed weather-resistant type.
FPN: The types of receptacles covered by this requirement are identified as 5-15, 5-20, 6-15, and 6-20 in ANSI/NEMA WD 6-2002, National Electrical Manufacturers Association Standard for Dimensions of Attachment Plugs and Receptacles.
(B) Wet Locations.
(1) 15- and 20-Ampere Receptacles in a Wet Location. 15- and 20-ampere, 125- and 250-volt receptacles installed in a wet location shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof whether or not the attachment plug cap is inserted. All 15- and 20-ampere, 125- and 250-volt nonlocking receptacles shall be listed weather-resistant type.

Around here the wet location devices are available but only in white....
 

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
Looks like I will have to get the supply house to order one then. Color will not matter at that location, I've got to get the 2008 edition before the next one comes out!:roll:
 

bmwnut

Member
Location
O-H-I-O
They have a WR enbossed on the rec or gfic so you know they are wearher resistanct We use both here all the time for all damp or wet locations the cover does not make a differance
 

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
I can't even buy the non TR recep. anymore. The supply company decided not to even stock the plain recep.

Apparently it's starting to get enforced here, our supply house in Atlanta had to order the TR receptacles because they don't stock them. I have only seen a few of the big boxes here that have them. North Carolina is much stricter up there, I done a house up near Boone, a rural community inspector that counted every wire in every box! He could only get me on one box that had four three ways (all #12's) Which I knew if he looked close he would catch me on it. Built a four gang box out of four superdeep cut in boxes. Just got back from a week in Charlotte. (Queen city of inspection nightmares! Let another contractor have a service rebuild last year because I knew what the city was like to deal with.) (That contractor found out the hard way)
 

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
The cost of the book would have been less than fixing your screw up. :grin:

Not really, inspectors are now instructed to find anything they possibly can, so they can charge a reinspection fee. Governments are trying there best to make up for lost tax revenue instead of cutting spending. With this paticular jurisdiction, you leave something simple and easy to fix for them to find so they will not go after something totally off the wall! As I said I only do about one house a year, and it's hardly worth keeping up on the residental changes.:smile:
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
I have more to do than sit around reading the code book all of the time! These changes were made more to sell a product than promote a safer installation.

Then try reading an update book.

NEC-08-Analysis_150.jpg
 
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