In 2012 I bought a newly constructed house in Buford GA. The Laundry room had one dedicated outlet for the washing machine. Last month I had a code certified inspector check the house. According to the inspector per NEC code210-52(f). A outlet should be installed and the dedicated outlet does not qualify. I contacted the electrician who informed the inspector was wrong. Can you please help me with this?
Outlets in laundry room
- Thread starter jlaa1197
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I would agree with the electrician:
(F) Laundry Areas. In dwelling units, at least one receptacle outlet shall be installed for the laundry.
(Do to the nature of this question and the fact that the OP is not asking advice, I approved the post)
(F) Laundry Areas. In dwelling units, at least one receptacle outlet shall be installed for the laundry.
(Do to the nature of this question and the fact that the OP is not asking advice, I approved the post)
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- Service Manager
Barring local amendment, the electrician is correct. It's common practice.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
I agree too, the code certified inspector would need to clarify what he was thinking. Usually a duplex receptacle on a 20 amp circuit is all that you get.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
I agree with the others. A laundry room can be very large and the only receptacle required would be the one for the washing machine. Of course we generally would add a few others if the room was large.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Some electricians and inspectors assume if the circuit is dedicated then it MUST have a single receptacle.
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
But that would nevertheless count as a receptacle outlet. The code section quoted does not specify that a duplex receptacle or a non-dedicated receptacle would have to be provided.
On the other hand, if the furnace were also in the laundry room, I can see that a dedicated outlet for the furnace would not satisfy the code requirement in spirit.
John120/240
Senior Member
- Location
- Olathe, Kansas
The use of a single receptacle might go back to freezers & sump pumps. In the not to distant past it was common practice here to install a single receptacle in lieu of a GFCI. Example a sump pump or freezer installed in a location that would require GFCI protection. A single receptacle in these situations was an accepted practice at one time.
Gregg Harris
Senior Member
- Location
- Virginia
- Occupation
- Electrical,HVAC, Technical Trainer
The laundry circuit is required to be an Individual Branch circuit
Branch Circuit, Individual. A branch circuit that supplies only one utilization equipment
(2) Laundry Branch Circuits. In addition to the number of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at least one additional 20-ampere branch circuit shall be provided to supply the laundry receptacle outlet(s) required by 210.52(F). This circuit shall have no other outlets.
Gregg Harris
Senior Member
- Location
- Virginia
- Occupation
- Electrical,HVAC, Technical Trainer
Is the laundry in the basement or garage?
(G) Basements, Garages, and Accessory Buildings. For a one-family dwelling, the following provisions shall apply:
(1)
mjf
Senior Member
Volta
Senior Member
- Location
- Columbus, Ohio
Volta
Senior Member
- Location
- Columbus, Ohio
If the laundry room is not similar to the rooms listed in 210.52(A), the usual "6 and 12 foot" spacing does not apply.
NEC 210.52(A) said:
Gregg Harris
Senior Member
- Location
- Virginia
- Occupation
- Electrical,HVAC, Technical Trainer
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- Service Manager
The circuit must serve only laundry areas - an area is not a piece of utilization equipment, and the laundry circuit is not an individual branch circuit.
- Location
- Tennessee NEC:2017
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrician
If the room had the dedicated outlet already, what was the inspectors problem with that. It met every bit of the code requirement.
If it didn't, it would (should) have never passed inspection from the AHJ's inspector.
Side note to the OP: Why did you have an inspection done a year after you bought it? That is usually done before buying. I'm assuming you had a home inspector who just happened to be "code certified", whatever that means.
mjf
Senior Member
Kudos to the honest electrician that didn't have you do unnecessary work just to make a buck.
Keep his business card handy for future endeavors.
102 Inspector
Senior Member
- Location
- N/E Indiana
- Occupation
- Inspector- All facets
If this is a single receptacle, make sure the receptacle is rated for the overcurrent device that protects it. Since it is a laundry circuit, the receptacle would have to be rated for the 20 amp breaker it is serve by. Otherwise, legal installation.
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