GFCI question

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jetlag

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Can you still wire up to 3 additional regular receptacles from the load terminals on a GFCI receptacle to protect all 4 in a bath or kitchen counter top ? I think I heard a while back the code now requires every receptacle on the kitchen counter had to be a GFCI receptacle . . How about in the bath , 3 receptacles are on the 2 vanities and 2 receptacles are on the walls near the soaker tub .
 
jetlag said:
Can you still wire up to 3 additional regular receptacles from the load terminals on a GFCI receptacle to protect all 4 in a bath or kitchen counter top ? I think I heard a while back the code now requires every receptacle on the kitchen counter had to be a GFCI receptacle . . How about in the bath , 3 receptacles are on the 2 vanities and 2 receptacles are on the walls near the soaker tub .
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You can feed multiple receptacles off a single GFCI receptacle. Only stipulation is some mfg list how many on the instruction sheet that comes with the GFCI. It's usually a high number like 8 or something. And to answer question about the kitchen, the same applies, just need one GFCI for each counter top circuit, with two circuits being the minimum, and then other receptacles off them.
 
What mfg places a limitation on downstream devices. Never heard of that. Leviton places no limitation.
 
I had never heard of it either until someone mentioned it and I looked at the installation/spec sheet. I can't recall which brand it was but remember it to be something like 10 fed from a single GFCI receptacle. There is no NEC rule, just mfg. They may all have removed that as it has been a few years since I saw it.
 
Little Bill said:
I had never heard of it either until someone mentioned it and I looked at the installation/spec sheet. I can't recall which brand it was but remember it to be something like 10 fed from a single GFCI receptacle. There is no NEC rule, just mfg. They may all have removed that as it has been a few years since I saw it.
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Due to the cumulative leakage from the wiring and the number of devices themselves. Likely they redesigned the GFCIs to reduce or eliminate any leakage they might contribute.

On a related note: I recall somebody here talking about there being a maximum circuit or wire length for GFCI breakers?

-Hal
 
hbiss said:
On a related note: I recall somebody here talking about there being a maximum circuit or wire length for GFCI breakers?

-Hal
Click to expand...

Schneider has a 250 ft. limit on their GFCIs:

https://www.schneider-electric.us/en/faqs/FA117270/

Using a very ballpark estimate of 20 pF per foot from a wire to equipment ground this would be 5000 pF for a 250 ft. run. At 120V 60 Hz this capacitance would draw 0.226 mA or 4.5% of the nominal 5 mA Class A trip point. So perhaps they didn't want to degrade their margins by more than 5% or so due to capacitance. Also, the capacitance would draw proportionally higher currents if harmonics were present.
I think a 2-pole GFCI or 3-pole GFCI with reasonably balanced voltages could get away with longer wire lengths because the capacitive currents to ground would cancel. But they probably didn't want to complicate the guidlines with that.
 
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