A/A Fuel GTX
Senior Member
- Location
- WI & AZ
- Occupation
- Electrician
Does a 240V irrigation pump located outdoors require GFI protection. Would cord and plug connection vs hardwire make any difference?
How many of those electrocutions are directly associated with the pump and how many are associated with any 120 volt equipment in the vicinity? Then you have the issue with bodies of water and "stray" voltage where a GFCi will not protect anyone at all as the voltage is between EGC's and earth.I couldn't find any requirements in the NEC but just wanted to verify I didn't miss anything. Given the close proximity to water that these pumps are often installed in and reading about the electrocutions in these areas, just wondering if it may be a good idea.
But when the pump is connected to pipes which are immersed in a body of water, the common thread to most of the electrocutions I have seen seems to be lack of continuity between the pipe and the EGC so that a fault to the shell in the pump motor does not trip a breaker.How many of those electrocutions are directly associated with the pump and how many are associated with any 120 volt equipment in the vicinity? Then you have the issue with bodies of water and "stray" voltage where a GFCi will not protect anyone at all as the voltage is between EGC's and earth.
But when the pump is connected to pipes which are immersed in a body of water, the common thread to most of the electrocutions I have seen seems to be lack of continuity between the pipe and the EGC so that a fault to the shell in the pump motor does not trip a breaker.
Fixing that is the primary solution, but use of a GFCI on the supply to the pump would also prevent injury as long as the GFCI threshold is low enough or the fault is egregious enough to trip it.
So far I have not seen an electrocution case (as opposed to noticeable shock) that ended up to be related to stray voltage.
If there is no connection between the local ground and the EGC or between the EGC and the neutral, then grounding will not pull the applied voltage on the pipe and water down low enough to prevent injury, but I would not categorize that as stray voltage, since it results from a fault rather than from normal operation.