adding to non grounded circuit

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romeo

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Contractor doing minumum housing work adds recpectical outlets to a exising 2 wire receptical outlet witout ground in a bedroom and installs gfci protection for the new outlets.

Help me with the NEC violatins
 
Check the local ordinances. It may be legal in some areas. One ordinance here allows it IF there are less than three receptacles being added.

I think it's in the ordinances because of all the knob and tube still in use around here, and in my opinion, it makes sense because it eliminates extension cords.

John
 
I would be ok with adding gfci protection for the 2 wire non grounding circuit, but I question adding any more receptacles to that circuit. I do agree with John's thinking in regard to the receptacles will eliminate the use of extension cords, yet to add the new receptacles constitutes a new installation and would be adding to the existing violation of a 2 wire circuit.
 
Romeo IMO you can not add receptacles to a two wire circuit here in MA.

Rule 3. Additions or modifications to an existing installation shall be made in accordance with this Code without bringing the remaining part of the installation into compliance with the requirements of this Code. The installation shall not create a violation of this Code, nor shall it increase the magnitude of an existing violation.
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A 'new' receptacle must be grounded.
 
romeo said:
Contractor doing minumum housing work adds recpectical outlets to a exising 2 wire receptical outlet witout ground in a bedroom and installs gfci protection for the new outlets.

Help me with the NEC violatins
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Code would not only require the ground but also afci protection,so while its a nice attemt to make things safer it still falls way short of code.Are you a home inspector or electrical inspector ? Also lots depend on what code year was used at the time as well as local laws.
 
Jim W in Tampa said:
Code would not only require the ground but also afci protection,so while its a nice attemt to make things safer it still falls way short of code.Are you a home inspector or electrical inspector ? Also lots depend on what code year was used at the time as well as local laws.
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AFCI protection on an exisiting bedroom circuit? I question that one, again because it is EXISTING. I know we can sit here and debate this, and of course the AHJ will have the final say, but if it were a new installation, of course you would need the AFCI protection, but not on wiring that is already in place. I guess what comes to mind is the AFCI requirement they had put in the code that said you needed to put AFCI breakers in when you did a service upgrade, but later recinded it.
 
racerdave3 said:
AFCI protection on an exisiting bedroom circuit? I question that one, again because it is EXISTING. I know we can sit here and debate this, and of course the AHJ will have the final say, but if it were a new installation, of course you would need the AFCI protection, but not on wiring that is already in place. I guess what comes to mind is the AFCI requirement they had put in the code that said you needed to put AFCI breakers in when you did a service upgrade, but later recinded it.
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I think that since the original question pertained to the receptacles that were added, the would indeed need to be AFCI, since the code reads "All branch circuits that supply 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere outlets installed in dwelling unit bedrooms shall be protected by an arc-fault circuit interrupter listed to provide protection of the entire branch circuit." Anything added must be protected. Since you're coming off an existing non-grounded circuit, do you then put a GFCI on the first new receptacle and an AFCI breaker in the panel?
 
bhwolf said:
Anything added must be protected. Since you're coming off an existing non-grounded circuit, do you then put a GFCI on the first new receptacle and an AFCI breaker in the panel?
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Nope, because its against code to add a new receptacle without a ground...
so why would you need GFI protection?
 
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