sump pump
- Thread starter domnic
- Start date
- Status
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
No. And neither does a 240V pump.
texie
Senior Member
- Location
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Occupation
- Electrician, Contractor, Inspector
True, but where would find a 120 volt sump pump that is suitable for anything other than cord and plug?
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
Good point. It would not be legal to cut the cord cap off of a 120V sump pump just to avoid the GFCI requirement.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
True, but the sump pump is not what requires GFCI protection, it is the location of the 15/20 amp 120 volt receptacle that kicks in GFCI requirements. Just so happens those sump pumps are commonly in a location that will require a GFCI if you use a 15/20 amp 120 volt receptacle.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
I totally agree but I wish they would make or use condensate pumps that were direct wired. As it stands now it must be on a gfci if it is in a crawl space and it causes issues
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
In a dwelling I have only run into it once or twice where a sump pump was not in an "unfinished area" and did not need a GFCI. But with today's code they would have needed AFCI protection.
Non dwelling applications may be more likely to not require GFCI.
Non dwelling applications may be more likely to not require GFCI.
Saturn_Europa
Senior Member
- Location
- Fishing Industry
- Occupation
- Electrician Limited License NC, QMED Electrician
Isnt there a rule for a single outlet that is dedicated circuit for a sump pump exempting it from GFCI requirement?
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
Such exceptions to rules went away with the 2005(I think) NEC and never came back, not just for sump pumps, but for any situation where GFCI is required yet there is permanent equipment that plugs into a 15/20 amp 120 volt receptacle.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
Some areas have local amendments that allow the single outlet exemption.
Are you sure you want an exemption?
Mother-Daughter-Electrocuted-in-Flooded-Montgomery-Co-Basement
It's not clear if the sump pump was plugged into an outlet that was under water, the sump pump itself was under water or if they used an extension cord with the female end in the water.
Regardless of what the source of power was, if it was protected by a GFCI the water would not have become energized.
JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
possibly. maybe it was and the pump faulted/failed/was overwhelmed, basement flooded worse, covered receptacle, line side electrocution ensues. If that was the case, only a properly functioning GFCI breaker to everything that could be flooded [read:entire basement] might have saved them. Only a proper investigation will tell what really happened.
refraining from further comment as it would be a thread derailer/closer.
It was flooding and that's a bad thing to have circuits on when one knew the house is flooded!
People think they got all things figured out until things happen.
- Location
- Massachusetts
What issues?
JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
If for any reason that gfci trips, the ho isnt likely to know it. then again, ive never met a ho that did regular checks or maintenance on condensate pumps; we find them running continuously on a somewhat regular basis.
- Location
- Massachusetts
But if a condensate pump trips a GFCI the condensate pump is going bad and needs service. So I am not seeing how the GFCI would make that situation worse.
- Status