GFCI origins

I have a house that I am selling and it was built in 1973. It has no GFCI outlets. There are outside weatherproof outlets on the house. There are also kitchen counter-top outlets within arms reach of the sink. I assume all of these are part of the original wiring which took place in 1973. I know it is easy to update these and make them safer with the install on GFCI outlets, but wonder if they are required. When were GFCI's introduced?

 

You are under no obligation to add GFCI protection. The buyer may request it, but you don't have to add it. Assuming the house passed inspection when it was built, then it is still legal today. You can call your local building department to see when this requirement became effective in your city (it varies from place to place).

However, I assume that you are trying to increase the saleability of your home. Many homes built in 1973 do indeed have GFCI protection. At this time, it was often done with a GFCI breaker -- have you looked in the panel to see if any of your breakers are GFCI. Furthermore, many people insist they have no GFCI receptacles, but what they really mean is none that they know of -- these receptacles are sometimes located in the darndest places. A GFCI receptacle tester (about $7 at Home Depot) can easily tell you whether your bathroom receptacles are GFCI protected. Of course, if you use that tester to trip the GFCI, then you'll be forced to find it.

 

Thanks for the reply John. I do have a GFCI push button tester that checks polarity etc. That was how I determined these weren't protected. The house is under contract and is getting inspected by the lending institution tommorrow. I was just going to minimize the chance of them failing anything. As it stands I think i will take my chances.
Thanks again

 

According to Square D, they introduced the first GFCI in 1967.

 

http://forum.doityourself.com/showth...threadid=91628

See this post.