ramsy
NoFixNoPay Electric
- Location
- LA basin, CA
- Occupation
- Service Electrician 2020 NEC
Is it now required to have a commercial 220V oven on a GFCI breaker?
..No need to change the wire to 4 conductors.
What everyone says answers code minimum requirements.
Exceeding code for future expansion or by design with a GFCI is allowed, but rarely approved, paid, or justified without good cause.
Design preference for 2-Pole GFCI on a Neutral-Bonded appliance may need to show a Utility neutral that was historically unreliable, or if weather historically damages connections at the service drop. Thereby energizing those Neutral- Bonded appliance frames frequently.
If the owner wants the GFCI, or the need to exceed becomes apparent, the bid process opens a methods debate between proposals.
Some will want the electrical service moved underground, while most just want to rough-in a 4-wire appliance feeder, which are the industry standard operating procedures (SOP).
Yes, a 2-Pole GFCI @ 6mA trips faster than 30 Amp thermal, and cost less than 4-wire rough-ins, if the neutral is unreliable. Its an elegant solution from a design perspective, and perhaps more appropriate for potential electrocution from appliance frames, even worth while at my house, if service neutral was unreliable.
However, putting a GFCI where not required by code raises red flags. Most will say, it was not required for a reason. May be problematic. Or, I'm not going to try experimenting beyond SOP, especially if not paid for tinkering with experiments that fail.
And most will want to go SOP, since Non-Dwelling 2-Pole GFCI only required for receptacles not whips, unless you count those build-in to some appliance cords.
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