Refrigeration-heat cable

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hberg71

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I am an electrician that works for a school district and also work on HVAC and refrigeration systems. I have walk-in freezers that have copper condensate drain lines that have heat cables wrapped around them and insulated to drain the water during the defrost cycle. When the heat cables have become defective, I have replaced them with new ones (Ray-Chem) that are marked "must be used with a GFCI" (like a typical roof top ice melt use). None of my freezers were installed with GFCI protection on these lines. I can't find a code reference that addresses this unique use of heating cable as to whether it needs to be GFCI or not. I asked my instructor at my last code update class if GFCI was necessary and he said he didn't think it was rerquired. Any thoughts?
 
hberg71 said:
I am an electrician that works for a school district and also work on HVAC and refrigeration systems. I have walk-in freezers that have copper condensate drain lines that have heat cables wrapped around them and insulated to drain the water during the defrost cycle. When the heat cables have become defective, I have replaced them with new ones (Ray-Chem) that are marked "must be used with a GFCI" (like a typical roof top ice melt use). None of my freezers were installed with GFCI protection on these lines. I can't find a code reference that addresses this unique use of heating cable as to whether it needs to be GFCI or not. I asked my instructor at my last code update class if GFCI was necessary and he said he didn't think it was rerquired. Any thoughts?
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110.3(B) requires we instal listed equipment per the labeling and instructions.
 
They usually don't require class A GFCI protection but do want class B (equipment protection or EPD) which is allowed to trip at 30, 50 or even 100 milliamps of fault current instead of the 4-6 milliamps required by class A devices.
 
kwired said:
They usually don't require class A GFCI protection but do want class B (equipment protection or EPD) which is allowed to trip at 30, 50 or even 100 milliamps of fault current instead of the 4-6 milliamps required by class A devices.
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Class B GFCI is not equipment protection, a class B GFCI is for (or was for) old pools. :)


The term GFCI is reserved for people protection.
 
kwired said:
They usually don't require class A GFCI protection but do want class B (equipment protection or EPD) which is allowed to trip at 30, 50 or even 100 milliamps of fault current instead of the 4-6 milliamps required by class A devices.
Click to expand...
The instructions provided with most of the "plug-in" type of heat trace specify GFCI protection.
 
iwire said:
Class B GFCI is not equipment protection, a class B GFCI is for (or was for) old pools. :)


The term GFCI is reserved for people protection.
Click to expand...

Old pools are equipment:) but the protection was for people using the pool. I stand corrected on the use of the term Class B.

And yes if cord and plug connected it may require typical class A GFCI protection anyway, and instructions in OP do mention the need for GFCI, so at very least the code section that applies is 110.3(B).
 
I do a lot of heat trace with Rachem, in short runs of up to 10 ft, on small tubing, in conduit underground. I use blank face GFCIs and never have had a problem with tripping. GFPE is a lot more expensive than GFCI due to economy of scale on the millions of GFCIs sold
 
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