Failed inspection, ahj said i need a egc

mtnelect

HVAC & Electrical Contractor
Location
Southern California
Occupation
Contractor, C10 & C20 - Semi Retired
How do they know what type of wiring you have? I've never known of one to come and look.

In California the insurance companies are particularly interested in fire prevention. This summer for the first time ever, the local fire station stopped by for brush clearance inspection. Fortunately, I passed. Then my home insurance, USAA, sent me a form with questions about my home construction including electrical service. Like, does your service use fuses ?

So, if you falsified your answer(s), and later you had a claim ? Also, they had a box to check "If there was a wildfire would you allow a private fire crew to protect your property ?
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
The wording is somewhat fuzzy but the branch circuit wiring that is already there is certainly an "existing installation".
But any extensions to that wiring has to comply with 250.130(C) whether the room was added onto or if you just added another outlet into the same space.

Adding GFCI protection is allowed for existing receptacle replacements, adding a new outlet location needs to have an EGC ran to it. If you go to the trouble to do that may as well run new cable with EGC and forget extending from the non grounded receptacle location.

You cant add GFCI protection and then extend circuits from that point if you have no EGC. Not saying it is never done but NEC doesn't condone it.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
That is exactly what I stated in post #4.
Sorry. I'm at home, it is zero degrees F outside, forecast is for -15 before the weekend is over, snowing and blowing. On top of that I'm still congested and coughing some from being sick earlier in the week. I can make any mistakes or overlook anthing I want at this point :)
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
Sorry. I'm at home, it is zero degrees F outside, forecast is for -15 before the weekend is over, snowing and blowing. On top of that I'm still congested and coughing some from being sick earlier in the week. I can make any mistakes or overlook anthing I want at this point :)
No problem feel better.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
No problem feel better.
I'm feeling well enough. This first time it been this cold or even close to it this season. Been somewhat unusually nice December, been doing work outside that normally tell clients can't be done until spring up until New Years Day and even a few days after. Most the time Thanksgiving is about the time to expect underground excavating to end until spring and they were still pouring concrete on many job sites as well until just recently.
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
Do AFCI receptacles come with stickers that say "No Equipment Ground" ?

JAP>
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Never used an AFCI receptacle and was just wondering.

JAP>
I never used one either.

NEC has some provisions to use GFCI to protect items with no EGC but nothing like that for AFCI's. They are not about ground fault currents at all, though some do have 30 mA GFP incorporated into them - ETA at least some circuit breaker types do.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I think a GFCI sticker is a lame way to alert someone that there is no grounding wire inside. The plate that comes with the receptacle should be etched in with "You Fool - No Grounding Wire Inside".
I think nobody knows what it means besides a few in the electrical trades anyway and therefore is pointless.
 

mtnelect

HVAC & Electrical Contractor
Location
Southern California
Occupation
Contractor, C10 & C20 - Semi Retired
How much do you have in your house that's not double insulated?

My home was built in 1972 with 3 & 4 wire Romex, and no GFCI/AFCI that randomly trip for no good reason. But they have helped with a lot of past and future service calls where the new homeowners don't know why the circuit is suddenly dead.
 

letgomywago

Senior Member
Location
Washington state and Oregon coast
Occupation
residential electrician
My home was built in 1972 with 3 & 4 wire Romex, and no GFCI/AFCI that randomly trip for no good reason. But they have helped with a lot of past and future service calls where the new homeowners don't know why the circuit is suddenly dead.
I mean double insulated like when there is no ground prong on your plugged in appliances. Not dualfunction that's something different. My vacuum, skill saw, rotohammer, ect all double insulated. Only 120v things that aren't are air fryer, fridge, DW, CW, and microwave.
 
I mean double insulated like when there is no ground prong on your plugged in appliances. Not dualfunction that's something different. My vacuum, skill saw, rotohammer, ect all double insulated. Only 120v things that aren't are air fryer, fridge, DW, CW, and microwave.
Yeah I always say I'm not too concerned about not having an EGC in a dwelling because the typical number of two prong things used. Micro and fridge and CW about all I have here that have 3. Many electronic power bricks have a ground prong but it doesn't do anything.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I remember seeing those labels before I entered the electrical trade and had no clue what it meant
A few other labels we are required to use in certain places are no different - Electricians and inspectors know what they mean but probably don't need the label to figure many of them out either, they are pointless and for the most part ignored by everyone else.

Example should I use the "main breaker" label or the "service disconnect" label that comes with the panel.

Electrical professionals are the only ones that know what the difference is supposed to mean. What we don't know is whether whoever applied the label actually knew what they were doing. Either way it usually means if you turn that switch off the rest of the panel is dead.

Putting labels on receptacle plates - when someone decides to paint, none those plates go back to where they originally were, making the labeling meaningless in many instances, whether it be GFCI protection or circuit breaker identification or anything else.
 
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