Home wiring continued...

[millermania]

So, I finally got some time this weekend to begin upgrading the power delivery to my garage. I ended up crawling through the attic, which turned out to be quite the adventure (there was some nasty stuff up there), and ran some 8/3 (w/ground) from the breaker to the garage. So the hard part is done.

My house is pretty old so it has 2-pronged connectors, thus there is no equipment ground in the main panel. I know for the sub panel that I need to make sure that the neutral bar and ground are not bonded. When I wire up the new cable to the main panel, do I leave the bare ground wire disconnected, or should I connect that up to neutral as well?

Also, is it unsafe to be running a welder on an electrical system that has no equipment ground?

[dcsound]

First you must insure that the main fuse box or breaker panel is in fact grounded. There should be a bare copper wire leading from the neutral bus to the main water pipe where it enters the home, or a ground rod, or both. If there is not, one needs to be installed. It should be at least #6 for a 100 amp panel and at least #2 for a 200 amp panel. Current code also requires 2 grounding rods driven into the ground outside the building at least 8 feet apart from each other. These are also to be connected to the neutral bus of the main panel. Note that the wiring in some homes with 2 prong receptacles actually does contain ground wires, they are just connected to the metal plug boxes as the old 2 prong sockets have no ground connection. As long as the main panel is grounded and the sub panel is wired properly, there is an equipment ground. Even in newer homes, the neutral and ground in the main panel is the same bus or the neutral and ground busses are bonded together. I'm not a fan of running much of anything on an electrical system that does not have a proper ground path.

[Sberry]

correctomundo

[TOMWELDS]

Check to see you have a waterpipe ground connection. There most probably is. I would update the ground system. Also, how old is the service? You dont want to 'stress out' an old service with the welding equipment. Another suggestion, change the 2prong receps to the grounded type. Check for a ground to the outlet box first. If there is no gnd or you want to leave the 2prong receps, install GFCI circuit breakers to those circuits. 8/3 is ok for a 50amp feed to the subpanel, but with a 50amp welder, I would add a 12/2 for a dedicated outlet (chop saw, electric heater, etc) instead of changing the whole feeder.

[millermania]

Thanks for the info!

Can you guys explain what the purpose of having a ground point such as a water pipe or rod in the ground is? If the ground bus and neutral bus are both bonded together in the main panel, won't any current discharging through the equipment ground go back to the power company anyway?

[TOMWELDS]

Grounding to earth is for: lightning strikes, unwanted voltage spikes (stabilizes the voltage), grounding the 'neutral' is what makes it a neutral. Otherwise its another 'hot' wire. Remember, electricity always wants to go to earth- in the path with least resistance (which should be your 'ground). Having a waterpipe gnd and 2 ground rods is so you're better guaranteed 25 ohms or less to earth (NEC requirement) and a supplemental in case one is lost ( which is why most inspectors want a seperate wire for the rods and waterpipe). Also, if the neutral was not grounded, if you had a 'ground fault' (short to gnd), the breaker would probably not trip or take too long to trip. This is why they require GFCI breakers on 'ungrounded' circuits (such as 2 prong outlets).

[millermania]

I have wondered how you can put in a 3-prong grounded outlet in a old house with the 2-prong outlets. My step-mother lives in a 1962 condo with 2-prong outlets everywhere. We re-modeled the kitchen a few years ago, and I wanted at least the kitchen and bathrooms to have grounded outlets, so I ran a green wire from new grounded GFCI outlets to the cold water pipes under the sinks and clamped them there. The only ground wires available in the house are those tiny bare copper ones in the metal junction boxes for grounding the boxes themselves. I didn't believe they were large enough wire to serve as the outlet ground, so I went with the dedicated ground to water pipe. During the re-model, I changed out the old main service panel for a new 200-amp Cutler-Hammer panel from Home Depot, and drove a ground rod beneath it. There was no way to run ground wires from the kit. and baths back to the ground bar in the main panel (attic inaccessible). The main panel/ground rod passed local building inspection and the power co. liked it enough to re-land the meter. But I never showed them the grounding in the kit. and baths. I couldn't think of any other way to get the outlets grounded. Did I do right the way I grounded them? The rest of the house is still 2-prong.

You better go remove those grounds now. That's more dangerous than leaving them 2-pronged. While it may be grounded right now, let's say that sometime down the line, those pipes somehow become electrically insulated from ground (something plastic gets installed between the pipe under the sink and the main pipe coming into the house. Now, all of a sudden if there is a fault in your bathroom circuit, your water supply becomes hot and when you go to wash your hands, boom.

[TOMWELDS]

Disconnect that sink ground. You dont want to energize it by accident.
The small ground wire in the boxs is the ground wire. Install 'self grounding' type 3prong receptacles. The bath and kitchen should be on a GFI. If it doesnt fit in the box, use a GFI breaker (only with a 2 wire homerun.wont work on 3 wire). If its a 3 wire homerun, use a GFI receptacle with a wiremold extension box (ugly, but it will fit).

[TOMWELDS]

No offense but my best suggestion is for you to hire an electrician to straighten out your wiring. Disconnect the ground to gas pipe! Its not the education as much as the liability.

[Tailshaft56]

Some places require the gas line be bonded to the water line. I had to do this in San Leandro Ca. when I upgraded my service panel. Put the bond on at the gas water heater.

Dennis :)

[Pinecone]

A lot of codes used to allow the ground wire to be smaller than the main wires by 1 - 2 wire guages. Still better to use these.

And if the neutral and ground are bonded, but not acutally grounded to earth, you can get voltage on the nuetral making EVERYTHING hot. In some systems in other countries I have seen as much as 120 volts on the outside casing of kitchen appliances due to improper grounding and phase balance. SCARY.

[Sberry]

Yes, any metal should be grouded including gas line. The oly place a water line should be used as a ground is within 5 ft of where it enters the house, then it is the primary grouding electrode conductor. As for the rest of the water systen it should be grounded, but you are grounding it, not grounding to it. As Tom said we are confusing earth grounding and ground fault return paths. For most practical purposes of this disscussion "grounding" means having a 3rd wire back to the neutral at service entrance. As for self grounding recepts, there is an attatchmet on the yoke of the recept designed to contact the metal box its installed in, most recepts are actually self grounding if they have a metal yoke.

[Sberry]

For replacement of non-grounding-type receptacles with grounding-type receptacles and for branch-circuit extensions only in existing installations that do not have an equipment grounding conductor in the branch circuit, connections shall be permitted as indicated in 250.130(C). C) Nongrounding Receptacle Replacement or Branch Circuit Extensions. The equipment grounding conductor of a grounding-type receptacle or a branch-circuit extension shall be permitted to be connected to any of the following: (1) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode system as described in 250.50 (2) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode conductor (3) The equipment grounding terminal bar within the enclosure where the branch circuit for the receptacle or branch circuit originates (4) For grounded systems, the grounded service conductor within the service equipment enclosure (5) For ungrounded systems, the grounding terminal bar within the service equipment enclosure If you use the water pipe, the connection must be within 5 feet of where the pipe enters the building.
You are permitted to replace a two-wire nongrounding type receptacle with a GFCI under the following in section 406.3 (3) Nongrounding-Type Receptacles. Where grounding means does not exist in the receptacle enclosure, the installation shall comply with (a), (b), or (c). (a) A nongrounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be replaced with another nongrounding-type receptacle(s). (b) A nongrounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be replaced with a ground-fault circuit interrupter-type of receptacle(s). These receptacles shall be marked "No Equipment Ground." An equipment grounding conductor shall not be connected from the ground-fault circuit-interrupter-type receptacle to any outlet supplied from the ground-fault circuit-interrupter receptacle. (c) A nongrounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be replaced with a grounding-type receptacle(s) where supplied through a ground-fault circuit interrupter. Grounding-type receptacles supplied through the ground-fault circuit interrupter shall be marked "GFCI Protected" and "No Equipment Ground." An equipment grounding conductor shall not be connected between the grounding-type receptacles. When you make this change be very, very careful that you get the hot "black" wire on the right side of the outlet.


(B) With Circuit Conductors. By an equipment grounding conductor contained within the same raceway, cable, or otherwise run with the circuit conductors.
NEC HANDBOOK COMMENTARY;
One of the functions of an equipment grounding conductor is to provide a low-impedance ground-fault path between a ground fault and the electrical source. This path allows the overcurrent protective device to actuate, interrupting the current. To keep the impedance at a minimum, it is necessary to run the equipment grounding conductor within the same raceway or cable as the circuit conductor(s). This practice allows the magnetic field developed by the circuit conductor and the equipment grounding conductor to cancel, reducing their impedance.
Magnetic flux strength is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the two conductors. By placing an equipment grounding conductor away from the conductor delivering the fault current, the magnetic flux cancellation decreases. This increases the impedance of the fault path and delays operation of the protective device.

[Sberry]

"Section 250.4(D) (5) Effective Ground-Fault Current Path. Electrical equipment and wiring and other electrically conductive material likely to become energized shall be installed in a manner that creates a permanent, low-impedance circuit capable of safely carrying the maximum ground-fault current likely to be imposed on it from any point on the wiring system where a ground fault may occur to the electrical supply source. The earth shall not be used as the sole equipment grounding conductor or effective ground-fault current path." This section requires a low impedance fault return path. The only way to achieve this is to have the equipment ground wire in the same cable, or raceway with the circuit conductors. You cannot separate current flow and maintain a low impedance, it is impossible. Notice one more thing in the above statement. The fault return is go back to the electrical supply source, not where else.
This next section tells us what we are to ground equipment to. Believe it or not, no equipment goes to a ground rod, and no equipment whatever is ever connected to a ground rod to ground it. (Yes, there is an exception for 'supplemental grounds') Section "250.4(A)( (3) Bonding of Electrical Equipment. Non-current-carrying conductive materials enclosing electrical conductors or equipment, or forming part of such equipment, shall be connected together and to the electrical supply source in a manner that establishes an effective ground-fault current path." The electrical supply source is the system from which the circuit originated, actually the supply neutral.
Remember this statement: When the code requires a piece of equipment to be grounded, it is grounded (bonded really) to the system grounded circuit conductor, the neutral. It is never connected to a ground rod, a water pipe, building steel or anything else. It goes directly to the system grounded circuit conductor. (in the case of delta systems it goes to the grounded service equipment).

[Sberry]

Then, we ground the system grounded conductor, the neutral, to earth, no equipment to earth, the system neutral to earth. Stop for a minute and consider where you put all the equipment grounding conductors at home. Most of you wired with Romex and the bare ground is landed directly on the neutral bar in the main service disconnect. Not in a subpanel, but at the main itself. Then you grounded the neutral. Thus all the equipment in you house is grounded to the neutral, just like is supposed to be.
Remember this also, the code requires a low impedance ground-fault return path for fault current. In order to obtain this, we must keep all the circuit conductors and the equipment grounding conductors in close proximity in the same raceway or cable. The is also required in "300.3 (B) Conductors of the Same Circuit. All conductors of the same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductor and all equipment grounding conductors and bonding conductors shall be contained within the same raceway, auxiliary gutter, cable tray, cablebus assembly, trench, cable, or cord, unless otherwise permitted in accordance with 300.3(B)(1) through (4)."

[Sberry]

Section 250.54 allows for what the code calls "supplementary grounding electrodes". Some electronic equipment in the installation instructions require this electrode. Why they want these I have no idea, but some electronic people think that if it isn't connected to earth, then it isn't grounded. They don't understand that the earth is loaded with stray currents from many things, but so be it. These stray currents come from many sources. One is the fact that between your grounding electrode at home the system transformer, there are currents through the earth in parallel with your service neutral. These are a fact of life and how much current depends on a lot of things. Also, you, or your neighbors could have a piece of UF going out to a yard light that has a nick in the insulation. Black or white, it don't matter. Some current is leaking out of this nicked insulation and will find it's way back to the electrical system through the earth. Then there are the installations that now grounded to a ground rod because that is the way they were put in. A good example of these are mall parking lot lights, or any large area lighting. A lot of these have no ground wire to them, they are grounded by way of a rod. If one of these lights develops a ground-fault, the current flow is down the rod, then back to the source through the earth. There are many references in the code that prohibit using the earth for an equipment grounding conductor, but these installations exist by the hundreds. If a ground rod is driven into an area that has any of these conditions, the current will be imposed on the equipment connected to this "isolated ground rod". This creates a shock hazard when touching the equipment grounded this way, and any equipment in the building that is connected to the building grounded system.
Take at least one example: A piece or equipment is grounded to a ground rod to satisfy the electronic people. They insist that the equipment be connected to an isolated ground. The average ground rod will megger well over 100 ohms. But just suppose you are lucky and manage a 10 ohm ground rod. 120 volt divided by 10 means that leas than 12 amperes will flow in case of a ground-fault. Will this clear a 15- or 20-amp overcurrent device? No way, but there is 120 volts going down the rod, and 120 volts on the metal of the equipment, just waiting for someone to come in contact with it. Where is this current going from the ground rod. Pretty much where ever it wants, and if there is a swimming pool nearby that for some reason wasn't properly bonded, or has a bad bonding connection, this could be time for an electrocution. About the overcurrent device, in order to clear a standard 20 amp circuit breaker in a reasonable time, it must have close to 80 to 100 amperes pass through it. Kind of hard to do when the rod will only pass 10 or 12 amperes.
I strayed, back to 250.54. This section permits a supplemental grounding electrode at the equipment, but the electrode must be connected to the equipment grounding conductor in the circuit to the equipment. A lot of mall lighting is installed this way. The supplemental electrode is bonded to the equipment ground of the light, and it provides added safety for lighting hits. A lot of the lightning energy will dissipate down the rod. Otherwise it would go back on the equipment ground in the circuit and since the insulation is only 600 volts, it causes a lot of damage to conductors.

[Sberry]

Ok, some important points in those posts.
The earth shall not be used as the sole equipment grounding conductor or effective ground-fault current path." This section requires a low impedance fault return path. The only way to achieve this is to have the equipment ground wire in the same cable, or raceway with the circuit conductors. You cannot separate current flow and maintain a low impedance, it is impossible. Notice one more thing in the above statement. The fault return is go back to the electrical supply source, not where else.
Another
This next section tells us what we are to ground equipment to. Believe it or not, no equipment goes to a ground rod, and no equipment whatever is ever connected to a ground rod to ground it.
last
Remember this statement: When the code requires a piece of equipment to be grounded, it is grounded (bonded really) to the system grounded circuit conductor, the neutral. It is never connected to a ground rod, a water pipe, building steel or anything else. It goes directly to the system grounded circuit conductor.

[Sberry]

Copy these threads into a word doc where you can study them from time to time. If you are doing wiring this is something that should be understood.

[dcsound]

Thanks for the info!

Can you guys explain what the purpose of having a ground point such as a water pipe or rod in the ground is? If the ground bus and neutral bus are both bonded together in the main panel, won't any current discharging through the equipment ground go back to the power company anyway?

Don't trust the power company's ground from the pole or transformer slab. I've seen a few situations where the pole was improperly grounded. One of these almost knocked me across a room. I was installing a new circuit for one of my friends into an old panel and when I placed the ground wire from the new circuit to the neutral/ground bus, it looked like lightening struck. As it turned out, the service from the pole had a bad ground and part of the plumbing had been replaced with plastic, thereby breaking the ground. I metered everything before I started, and it read properly. It was just one of those things. In addition, when electrical lines are in strung in the air or buried below ground for any distance, such as in a service drop, electrical charges can build up, as well as the possibility of lightening. It is much safer if the system is grounded in the home as well as on the pole. The reason for bonding the gas line is to dissipate electrostatic charges that may build up. I'm not a fan of the practice, but it does make some sense and is code in some jurisdictions. Also required to be bonded to the ground in many instances are the phone services, cable TV lines, and satellite dishes.

[dcsound]

All the boxes in the house are metal, with the little 16 or 18 ga. bare copper grounding wires attached only to the box itself. These run back to the main panel, which is a new style modern panel (has a ground bar and a neutral bar which are bonded). I understand what was said about a low impedence ground return path being best, but the only way to achieve that is to use the little bare ground wires that run inside the original cable, and attach them to the outlets ground screw. (seems this would be the same as a self-grounding receptacle, since they both use the metal box and the little ground wire, yes? ) What if I install self-grounding GFCI outlets in the baths and kitchen,
It would be better to use the small ground wires than an incorrect water pipe ground or no ground at all. GFCI's on the original ground wires are probably your safest bet. Lose all water pipe grounds not on the main service.

[TOMWELDS]

In my area, that little gnd wire is not preferred but excepted as a gnd. Maybe elsewhere, but here, a gas pipe is never used as gnd. The utility has an insulating coupling that they use on the pipe for that purpose. Go with the GFI receps if you cant get a good gnd. If its comforting, ive been an electrician for many years.

[millermania]

My understanding is that installing a GFI on a 2-prong circuit protects people from getting shocked, but the only way to protect the equipment is to install a proper ground. Is that correct?

[dcsound]

My understanding is that installing a GFI on a 2-prong circuit protects people from getting shocked, but the only way to protect the equipment is to install a proper ground. Is that correct?
The way a GFI works is that it senses the amount of current flowing through the hot and makes sure the same amount of current is returning throught the neutral. If a less current is returning, and therefore taking a different path (or fault) to ground, it shuts off the flow of electricity. Grounds are meant for the protection of the operator, not necessarily the equipment.

[Sberry]

Yes, I agree with gfci in those areas, kit, bath etc. Some places the old 2 wire are fine, where you are plugging in 2 wire devices anyway. About the only thing in a common home that really needs to be grounded (where gfci wouldnt be good), fridge circuit, 230V appliances and a computer circuit where the surge protection wont work without being grounded. Run a new romex back to the panel for comput circuits. BTW, 2 things, 3 different electricians should come up with 3 same answers, the code is very clear about this (might not always seem so but it is) and I didnt write all that, I keep it in a word doc and copy.

[TOMWELDS]

Sberry, in a kitchen they require a GFI on the refrigerator. I use a GFI breaker and replace it after the inspection with a regular 20amp. Makes no sense to me either.

I didnt agree with the other 2??......LOL

[Sberry]

I dont think a dedicated circuit for fridge needs gfci, only the countertop recepts within 6 ft of water. There would be too much chance of it tripping and ruining the food. Also its a grounded circuit. I think the big worry is 2 wire devices that are ungrounded falling in the sink and the person becoming a conduit to the grounded water line. They do require 2 circuits that have only countertop recepts on them, no lights or fans. Bathrooms have their own set of rules too. Tom, do you check the elect tool box forum with Keis? Here is another one we talk about earlier, the 23 ohm groud rod. As I recall there is nothing in the code that actually requires 23 ohms, what it says is that if you cant make 23 with one rod you need to use 2.

[TOMWELDS]

A few years back they changed kitchens to- all receps on a GFI. Counter, floor, all of them. We argue it because of the frig. As you say, "what if it kicks out"? Im pretty sure the code directly states, 25 ohms to earth. Here, we use two rods because they found many over 25 ohms. Its stupid because who's to say the 2 rods are 25 to earth? They should makes us test the rods. Just another gripe i have. Have you delt with the AFI's yet (arc fault interupter)? First they say to use them in all badrooms, now they say dont. At $50 a pop it makes bidding a job tough.

[Sberry]

I havnt used any afci yet, I have heard they can be useful on old wiring for testing. I am not sure I follow the logic with the bedroom thing, I guess in theory a fire elsewhere is sposed to set off the smokes before it gets to you. I havent wired a new home in a few yrs, before the afci thing came up. I am fairly up to speed on residential codes though. Find that section in the book where it talks about rods just for the heck of it and see how it explains 23 ohms.

[TOMWELDS]

An AFI basically looks for an erratic sine wave form caused by excessive arcing by a defective device. Ie: loose connection in a plug or a receptacle. Personally i have witnessed several times where bedsheets were burned because an A/C unit was on the bedroom circuit, the connection was bad in the receptacle at the bed which caused it to heat up. This is why i like to 'pigtail' my receptacles (as you do also). This is why they favor the bedroom..NOW the problems..NEC wanted them on all 'outlets'. NEC definition of an outlet (not receptacle, as one would think) is anything that uses electric, basically. So thats the lights, smoke detectors, etc. You never want a device like that on a smoke det! I had big problems with them tripping in rooms that had high humidity.For some reason it caused it to trip. Most of the guys here use them to do 'above and beyond' jobs. Its a good idea..just needs the bugs worked out. Oh, Sberry, i admire your knowledge and common sense of the code.

[Sberry]

I also pigtail and dont use the device as a junction. I cant believe they havnt ruled out backstabs. They even work if they are installed right, with pigtails but it seems like a lazy job to use them. Thats the kind of crap they need the AFCI for. Those and junky fixtures. I really dont know much about eletricity but I coulnt see going thru life not being able to hook up my own equipment. I ran into it early on and figured I wasnt going to be able to call someone every time I need a outlet or install. Just my own stuff I have about 25 panels (one upgrade coming and one new this summer) so you can imagine how much stuff is out there. In the shop I have a lot of single outlet circuits. I like knowing those are there, wire direct from breaker to outlet.

[TOMWELDS]

I once had a bad experience with a backstab. I finished a modular home (which is 95% prewired) and one bedroom didnt work. I checked everything , so i ended up pulling out receps to find the problem. Well, the one recep exploded. What happened was, it shorted once (probably when turned on at the factory) and that 'cleared' the connection. When i 'moved' the recep, i made a connection again. Why did i do this 'hot' some may ask? Dont try this at home , but when trouble shooting something that doesnt work, i find the problem quicker with power on because the circuit will go on when i hit the problem. Something you should take note, being that you're in a rural area, if you see the utility transformer being very close to the building you're working on, be extra careful as the 'inrush' of current will be high. This being why sometimes a short circuit causes a small flash and sometimes it seems like an explosion. All the available current in that transformer is right there...Especially the really big trans tubs!

[MAC702]

in a kitchen they require a GFI on the refrigerator. I use a GFI breaker and replace it after the inspection with a regular 20amp. Makes no sense to me either.

I've made a lot of money showing up at a house and resetting a GFI receptacle that I had to hunt down. People would come back from a weekend during a storm, and all the meat in the freezer in the garage was bad.

Sometimes, I'd get lucky (except for the no money part) and they understood what the heck I was talking about over the phone. Most of the time though, they just wanted to pay me $80 and spend 10 minutes at their house.

I follow codes to the letter in construction, but at my own place, the only things I GFI are power tools.

[TOMWELDS]

I like GFI and AFI, but if it means spoiling $100 worth of food and to be honest, how many frig gnd faults are there. This is the one GFI application in the NEC that i see needing change. Also, they should make them mandatory in commercial as well as residential. Electricity doesnt know its environment..Lol

[Sberry]

Where is it that says a dedicated fridge circuit must be GFCI? I remember Keis talking about this one on ETE. A dedicated micro doesnt either. Only the countertop small appliance circuits. A circuit in a garage for freezer or fridge doesnt either as long as it isnt "easily accessable" for general use.

[MAC702]

Where is it that says a dedicated fridge circuit must be GFCI? I remember Keis talking about this one on ETE. A dedicated micro doesnt either. Only the countertop small appliance circuits. A circuit in a garage for freezer or fridge doesnt either as long as it isnt "easily accessable" for general use.
I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't bring my 2004 NEC with me to Colombia, and couldn't look it up, but all my previous experience was with the 2002 Code, and it actually specifies exceptions for dedicated appliance receptacles in the garage, where GFCIs are normally required. I even checked the 2002 Code which is on my computer and verified it. But I'm not fully current on the 2004 and now I think there is a new one out, so I chose to keep quiet. I've heard the rumors that the AFCIs mandated by the 2004 Code for bedroom "outlets" (see previous post by someone else that discussed THAT definition) were also being changed but haven't yet gotten the chance to update myself.

As in interesting sidenote, I had a GFCI receptacle on an AFCI breaker in two separate circuits. In one, everything worked normally, but in the other, the action of resetting the GFCI receptacle would trip the AFCI breaker. Anyone else have any experiences?

[TOMWELDS]

Sberry, the code clearly states that ALL kitchen outlets get GFI protection. I dont agree with it. That includes oven ignition, frig, etc. In a garage, its NOT needed on the overhead door opener, freezers and other 'not readily accessible outlets'. Also, for those outlets, you should use a 'single' receptacle and not a duplex. Dedicated receps for microwaves are to be GFI also (in the kitchen). If i had the NEC book here, id give you the section.

[Sberry]

I would certainly be glad to read where it clearly states it. Here is what you are looking for 210.8 (6) (7) Countertops and near sinks serving countertop surfaces. Thats it, the rest of the kitchen is just like any other room.

[TOMWELDS]

Which year NEC? Ill look later. But i know it was in the '99 & '02 codes at least.

[Sberry]

2002, I have also see this discussed several times on the code forum.

[MAC702]

Also, for those outlets, you should use a 'single' receptacle and not a duplex.
Duplex receptacles.........$1
Single receptacles..........$6

But, yeah, that'd be nice...

[TOMWELDS]

The inspectors like the single recep because it shows that you're not going to use that recep for anything else that might require GFI protection. How many times have i seen an extension cord plugged in with the garage door and run outside to the christmas lights.......

[Sberry]

To the letter of the code or not I have never had a problem with an insp on using a duplex if it was installed in the opening where the micro or fridge went.

[Sberry]

"How many times have i seen an extension cord plugged in with the garage door and run outside to the christmas lights......."
Hey. I do that !!!!!