By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
Most of the outlets in my garage are equipped with ground fault devices to prevent electric shock, but there are none at the laundry outlets. I discovered this recently and wondered why it was not disclosed by my home inspector when I bought the house. Was this an oversight, and should I call the inspector? - Darrell
Dear Darrell,
Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) are required for most, but not all, garage outlets. Exceptions to the requirement include outlets that are located in a dedicated space for specific appliances, such as washers and dryers. This is why your laundry outlets do not have ground fault protection, and it is why your home inspector made no mention of it in the inspection report.
Most people recognize GFCI outlets as the receptacles equipped with two built-in buttons, one to test and one to reset the internal breaker. One reason for excluding laundry fixtures from GFCI requirements is that motors, such as those in washers and dryers, can cause GFCI breakers to trip when they begin to operate. Also, continuous starting and stopping of appliances can cause GFCI devices to fail.
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