Aparment kitchen GFCI receptacle


  #1  
Old 10-13-19, 02:34 PM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,572
Received 201 Upvotes on 172 Posts
Aparment kitchen GFCI receptacle

I have a electrician telling me that every single receptacle above kitchen counter has to be GFCI receptacle and cannot feed regular receptacle off of a GFCI receptacle to pass inspection.

I have seen that done before, but never heard of this before.

Is there any truth to it?


This electrician also told me ground and neutral has to be tied together on neutral bus bar and bonding screw removed in the sub-panel to pass inspection, so I have zero confidence in this guy.
 
  #2  
Old 10-13-19, 02:39 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,977
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
The countertop receptacles require gfi protection. This can be from a gfi breaker or wired downstream of a gfi device or each a gfi device.

A subpanel fed by 4 wires needs the grounds isolated from the neutrals. The bond screw would not be installed.

if you had a subpanel in a detached building fed with 3 wires the bond screw would be installed. There are other conditions also.
 
  #3  
Old 10-13-19, 04:17 PM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,572
Received 201 Upvotes on 172 Posts
The countertop receptacles require gfi protection. This can be from a gfi breaker or wired downstream of a gfi device or each a gfi device.
That is exactly that I told him, yet he says I am wrong and every single receptacles must be GFCI receptacles. Even GFCI breakers are not allowed according to him.

The apartment has 4 wire riser. Even the original panel has separate ground bus bar and neutral bus not bonded.
When he replaced the panel, he wired both neutral and ground to neutral bus bar with bonding screw removed.
I told him don't you need to install a ground bus bar. He says no and the inspector will fail. LOL
I will see what the inspector will say about that when the panel gets inspected. Although there is a chance inspector will not pay a close attention and just pass it.
 
  #4  
Old 10-13-19, 05:13 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,977
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
Sounds like he is lacking some essential knowledge. Try the sticky at the top of the forum for wiring diagrams for subpanels.
 
  #5  
Old 10-15-19, 09:44 AM
CasualJoe's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 9,871
Received 185 Upvotes on 166 Posts
That is exactly that I told him, yet he says I am wrong and every single receptacles must be GFCI receptacles. Even GFCI breakers are not allowed according to him.

Sounds like this may be a local requirement because it's definitely not a NEC Requirement.
 
  #6  
Old 10-15-19, 10:21 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,572
Received 201 Upvotes on 172 Posts
I'm in Fairfax County and as far as I know we are under NEC 2014 without any added codes.

I wonder if he is misinterpreting that all receptacles needs to be GFCI protected.

I just discovered the load center this electrician installed has 2 double tapped neutral. This is not going to go well with the inspector.
 
  #7  
Old 10-15-19, 10:48 AM
CasualJoe's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 9,871
Received 185 Upvotes on 166 Posts
I believe I would call the local building office and talk to one of their inspectors and ask them your GFCI receptacle question.
 
  #8  
Old 10-15-19, 11:57 AM
T
Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 1,569
Received 74 Upvotes on 69 Posts
SAme pix as the other thread on the breakers? He has all the grounds on that left bar connected to neutral. Looks wrong from my seat.
 
  #9  
Old 10-15-19, 04:27 PM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,572
Received 201 Upvotes on 172 Posts
SAme pix as the other thread on the breakers? He has all the grounds on that left bar connected to neutral. Looks wrong from my seat.
I know it is wrong.
Yet, the electrician says that is the right way and installing a ground bar is wrong.
He won't listen to me no matter what I say. When I point to NEC, he says NEC means nothing and have to follow what the inspector wants. I know this is not what the inspector wants.
Just waiting for the inspection and will see what the inspector will have to say about this.

This guy has 30+ years of experience, yet seem to know not a thing. Never going to use this guy again, but at the moment I have no choice but to let him continue and let him face the inspector.
 
  #10  
Old 10-15-19, 05:23 PM
Tolyn Ironhand's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 14,319
Received 874 Upvotes on 737 Posts
Sounds to me like somebody wants to sell you a bunch of GFCI receptacles.

As PC posted, they only need to be GFCI protected, not GFCI's themselves.
 
  #11  
Old 10-15-19, 05:28 PM
pcboss's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Maryland
Posts: 13,977
Received 194 Upvotes on 170 Posts
The inspector should be enforcing the NEC, not what he wants.
 
  #12  
Old 10-17-19, 02:33 PM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,572
Received 201 Upvotes on 172 Posts
I'm just sick and tired of this incompetant electrician.
He just did an panel replacement in the second unit and there are MWBCs in these apartment units.

He wired both wires from MWBC to a tandem breaker and when I told him that should be on the different phase, he says it doesn't matter.
He even says it is safer to put both on the same phase since that makes in 120V instead of 240V. When I told him that will overload neutral, he says no.
He later reluctantly moved one wire to different phase, but they are not even next to each other.

I am very surprised his lack of knowledge. Seems like he doesn't have any background knowledge of how electricity works. He must have had someone else take the exam to get his license. There is just no way he would have passed exam with this knowledge.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: