edward4100
Member
- Location
- Bradley il
- Occupation
- Maintenance electrician
Do I need a gfci for a water softener in a finished basement? I don’t know if the softener has any kind of built in gfci protection.
Water softener gfci?
- Thread starter edward4100
- Start date
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letgomywago
Senior Member
- Location
- Washington state and Oregon coast
- Occupation
- residential electrician
2020 yes it's a basement doesn't matter if finished
2017 maybe is the best I can say without knowing more about the surroundings.
2017 maybe is the best I can say without knowing more about the surroundings.
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
Generally the load does not trigger GFCI protection requirements. Location does.
Dishwashers are another story.
Dishwashers are another story.
edward4100
Member
- Location
- Bradley il
- Occupation
- Maintenance electrician
Thanks for your input. The location is technically a bathroom, there is a sink. Along with a water heater but the softener outlet is on the opposite side of the wall the sink is on. It’s a “U” shaped room if that makes any sense. I assumed it was needed
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
As Ron stated the requirement is generally dictated by the location. Since you're in a bathroom the receptacle would require GFCI protection.
edward4100
Member
- Location
- Bradley il
- Occupation
- Maintenance electrician
There is a toilet in the room too
Water heater is to your right of the toilet and softener is behind the wall about where the mirror is. One outlet on the wall, 48” from floor on the wall across from the sink
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rc/retired
Senior Member
- Location
- Bellvue, Colorado
- Occupation
- Master Electrician/Inspector retired
Yes, under the 2020 code you need GFCI protection for the receptacle outlet supplying the water softener. Finished or unfinished.
Ron
atitus
Member
- Location
- Tallahassee
- Occupation
- Healthcare
Not sure if this belongs here or somewhere else, OR if this was even answered in another thread... I used to work for an electrician who is now retired, shout out to that man, taught me all I know related to the industry.. anyways he refered me to this forum.. anyways..
I live in Tallahassee and have a rainsoft water softener system that was just installed by a particular company.. they installed it over by the well about a good 30-50 feet away from the house... When I asked him questions about how he was going to get power for the system there, he said we do this all the time and that he was going to take it from the 240volt well pump and wire in a 120volt GFCI... I asked if it was code to use the ground coming from the panel as the neutral AND ground at the newly installed GFCI and he said yes, it is code.. I felt unsettled about this and started to ask questions.. could someone clear up the air for me?
I live in Tallahassee and have a rainsoft water softener system that was just installed by a particular company.. they installed it over by the well about a good 30-50 feet away from the house... When I asked him questions about how he was going to get power for the system there, he said we do this all the time and that he was going to take it from the 240volt well pump and wire in a 120volt GFCI... I asked if it was code to use the ground coming from the panel as the neutral AND ground at the newly installed GFCI and he said yes, it is code.. I felt unsettled about this and started to ask questions.. could someone clear up the air for me?
He lied.
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
Is it a a lie if he doesn't know his a_s from a whole in the ground?
mopowr steve
Senior Member
- Location
- NW Ohio
- Occupation
- Electrical contractor
Wait I don’t see “bath” in your bathroom equation
Sink+toilet+bath/or bathing apparatus = bathroom
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
Nope. It’s a sink and toilet. See bathroom definition in NEC.
In the early 70’s when GFCIs were required in bathrooms, no one knew what a bathroom was, hence a definition. Same issue happened with kitchens.
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