To GFI or not to GFI

[buddhakii]

Situation: PRV vault with about a 4 foot long man hole. Going to install a 4x box and mount two duplex recepticles inside of box on the side of the man hole. Plug in two sump pumps and one heat trace. Do you think I should install GFCI recepts. or just regular. My thought is regular since they are inside the 4x box. Heat trace has GFCI incorporated in it's attachment plug.

 

[jumper]

What does PRV mean?

 

[raider1]

What does PRV mean?

Pressure Reducing Valve.

Chris

 

[raider1]

Situation: PRV vault with about a 4 foot long man hole. Going to install a 4x box and mount two duplex recepticles inside of box on the side of the man hole. Plug in two sump pumps and one heat trace. Do you think I should install GFCI recepts. or just regular. My thought is regular since they are inside the 4x box. Heat trace has GFCI incorporated in it's attachment plug.

Other than the heat trace (GFPE protection required), the NEC would not require GFCI protection of the receptacles in the underground PRV vault.

Chris

 

[buddhakii]

Thanks raider. I didn't think it was required but was just thinking it might be a good idea with so much water. The man hole also gets about 6 inches of frost build up on the walls in the winter. Definately don't want gfi on the sump pump though. Got there this morning and due to the existing gfi tripping the thing was full of water.

 

[Girl Engineer]

I would be cautious. We have a lot of sump pumps on site. If(when) the pumps fail, the manhole will fill with water, then you have a bad situation. NEMA 4 is not watertight. I always install the sump pump receptacles a couple feet above the overflow line.

 

[buddhakii]

I would be cautious. We have a lot of sump pumps on site. If(when) the pumps fail, the manhole will fill with water, then you have a bad situation. NEMA 4 is not watertight. I always install the sump pump receptacles a couple feet above the overflow line.

It will be above the oveflow line. They are adding another pump in case the first fails. And if they both fail they will imediately get an alarm and someone will be there with a pump before it gets completely full.