Electric

Unfinished Basement GFCI Receptacles
Unfinished basement GFCI receptacles installation or GFCI protection for a regular type outlet receptacles installed in an unfinished basement is required by the 2008 NEC (National Electrical Code).
GFCI – (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)
Unfinished basement it’s an area or portion of the basement area that is not intended to be used as a habitable room.
Habitable room it’s a space arranged for living, eating or sleeping purposes (must conform to local building codes to be listed as such), but does not include bathroom / toilet rooms, laundries, pantries, foyers or hallways.
If you have a sump pump installed in an unfinished […]

Crawlspace GFCI installed at or below the grade level
GFCI – (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)
Crawlspace GFCI protection for receptacles has changed slightly in 2008 NEC (National Electrical Code). 2005 NEC exception that allowed single receptacles for not easily moved appliances to be excluded from GFCI requirement has been removed.
Because of the moisture, flooding, drainage problems , crawlspace GFCI protection absolutely makes sense in such application. The only device that homeowners would probably prefer without GFCI protection is a sump pump, which used to be a part of that 2005 exception.
If you’re concerned about your crawlspace flooding, the solution would be to install […]

Exterior GFCI Receptacles
The 2008 NEC did not change house exterior GFCI receptacles requirement protection since the previous edition.
All outdoor house receptacles must be GFCI protected.
GFCI – (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)
There is one exception from this exterior GFCI receptacles requirement:
If you have electrical outlets that are not readily accessible (you can’t reach them standing on the ground without using ladders, or any other equipment) and they are supplied by a branch circuit dedicated for snow / ice melting equipment (there’s nothing else on this circuit), exterior GFCI protection is not required.
However, that snow / ice melting equipment must be permanently attached; […]

Garage GFCI receptacles / accessory building GFCI
Exceptions for the garage GFCI receptacles and GFCI’s in accessory buildings have been removed by the 2008 NEC (National Electrical Code). The new rules apply to the structures that have a floor located at or below grade level, are not intended for use as habitable rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas, and areas of similar use.
GFCI – (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)
Always remember about GFCI maintenance and testing – those devices are worthless piece of equipment, unless they  are operating properly!
Accessory building GFCI
There’s no more GFCI unprotected receptacles permitted in accessory buildings. If […]