I just had a job today that was an older house with no ground wires in the cloth romex wire. The customer wanted to update some kitchen plugs to GFCI. Of course I suggested to run new circuits with ground wires and thats what I am doing. My question is could I have replaced the breakers with GFCI breakers and not run the new circuits. I don't know of any violation but I could be wrong. I know the GFCI breakers dont require the circuit to be grounded to operate.
GFCI Question as it applies to Massachusetts
- Thread starter jzadroga
- Start date
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ceb58
Senior Member
- Location
- Raeford, NC
You could have as long as they were labeled " no equipment grounding conductor"
greenjeans
Inactive, Email Never Verified
- Location
- Now living in Virgina
I run into this allot in the n. Virgina area, older homes having the two wire cloth covered wire. I used to try to find the HR from the panel and GFCI it and place the rest of the circuit down stream, but lately Ive been install GFCI breakers, it easier and think it safer for the house, NEVER had a call back tripping the breakers OR the GFCI outlets
I do wish they make a ONE sticker you can put on the plate, instead of two stickers, and make them weather proof too
I do wish they make a ONE sticker you can put on the plate, instead of two stickers, and make them weather proof too
527 CMR 12:00 does not amend 406.3 (D), if your installation is compliant with that section you should not have a problem.
ELA
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrical Test Engineer
I think you made a good decision as long as the customer is willing to pay for it.
Although simply installing a GFCI is allowed I believe it is better to have the ground wire, especially for areas like the kitchen that may have appliances that "require a ground wire". As I recall some Microwaves require the ground.
Any appliance that incorporates an EMI filter is likely to have capacitors inside that connect to the ground. If you plug these devices into a GFCI breaker without a ground wire the metal case (if connected to the ground wire) could now measure 60Vac. This is due to a capacitive voltage divider in the EMI filter.
hurk27
Senior Member
- Location
- Portage, Indiana NEC: 2008
we have used breakers in the past, but with the price of the breaker verses a GFCI receptacle we try to keep it to putting in the receptacles, and around here multi-wire circuits are very common for home runs so a two-pole GFCI breaker would be needed making it even more cost prohibitive, and the fact home owners like not having to go find the tripped breaker in the panel when they can just reset the receptacle.
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