ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area two prong vs GFCI outlet

From my understanding, the permitted "leakage" current from motor-operated equipment is less than the 4-6 mA setting that GFCI's are set at. There is no reason that a refrigerator or washing machine should "trip" a GFCI.

The requirement of 210.8(B)(3) is evidence of this.

406.3 (D)(3)and(4) of the 2002 NEC both seem to indicate that a GFCI outlet is suitable for replacing any non-grounding type receptacle. However, 406 (E) does reference section 250.114 in an FPN, but don't sections 3 and 4 stand alone? This is important information because say during a sale of a home an inspection report may ding an outgoing homeowner for non-grounding outlets and I'd always understood the GFCI method to be OK. Comments?

P.S. Motor loads shouldn't trip GFCIS, but my fridge in the garage did, I just didn't notice it till I smelled it.

I had clients complaining their garage fridge is tripping the GFCI.
So i had to separate the fridge from the GFCI circuit.

Ryan,
In a residential garage receptacles have to be GFCI or protected. if there is work bench then we definitely have a handheld electric drill, sometimes a small benchtop drill press, a chopsaw,
And if you have a front or a backyard receptacle it must to be GFCI protected and usually outside you plug in your motor operated garden tools.

According to 250.114 we can not use these tools where we have GFCI protection???

Edward

250.114 tells us we can not use those tools where no grounding means exists as in a old 2 wire outlet replaced with a 3 wire and GFCI protection.

From what I have read the item that trips GFCIs in older refrigerators and freezers is the defrost circuit, not the compressor.