Receptacle for new Washing Machine - TVSS or GFCI?

[HarryHomeowner]

I have a customer who was asking me about a situation they have. They have an unfinished area of the basement where their laundry machines are. There is a dedicated 20amp regular (no GFCI/TVSS) receptacle that is in use for both machines (the dryer is gas). Both machines are very old, and both are getting replaced with very expensive new machines with lots of digital controls, touchscreens, etc. Due to the digital chips/computers inside these machines, the customer was asking me about replacing the existing standard receptacle with a TVSS. He doesn't currently have a whole-house surge protection system in place, so I agree that a receptacle would offer some protection. However, I believe by code - because this is an unfinished area of his basement, and a laundry sink is within 6 feet, the receptacle must be GFCI protected. Should I offer to put a GFCI breaker in the panel and then replace the receptacle with a TVSS device? That would give the most protection possible, wouldn't it? Any other tips/suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[PetrosA]

You can have both if you run the TVSS recept off the load side of the GFCI. A whole house surge protector will help as well. Getting more protection throughout the house increases your chances of equipment surviving a hit. A surge protective receptacle isn't a cheap investment, but if the new washer/dryer is that expensive, it might be worth it.