Metspitzer wrote:
On Thu, 13 May 2010 19:32:49 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:
hr(bob) wrote:
On May 13, 5:15 pm, "RBM" wrote:
"hr(bob) " wrote in message
...
I am helping an elderly lady get her house ready to sell. There is an
electrical outlet in the wall about 26 inches from the nearest point
of the sink. I know it has been mentioned here many many times, but
I'm too tired to go scratching around. What is the minimum distance
from the sink to an outlet that is not Ground Fault protected?
Thanks,
The more interesting thing is that by current code, if that outlet is 26"
from the sink, you'd need another one 2" from the sink.
The current outlets are nowhere near as dense as current code, but the
house is80+ years old. I know any home inspector will want GFCI's
near the sink, but you did not say what that minimum safe distance is.
Is there a ground available in the box? If so, stick a GFCI in there,
and I don't think the inspector will even check the distance to the
sink. He'll just stick his little checker in there, and when it glows
green, move on to the next one.
I am not so quick to give the same advice. If the wiring in the house
is 80 years old, then the insulation on the wiring could be brittle.
It is better not to disturb wiring that old unless you plan on
changing it.
If there is a ground in the box, the wiring is not 80YO. Probably the
same age as the most recent kitchen remodel. 80YO house is likely on 2nd
or 3rd kitchen. A 1930 original kitchen is unlikely to have any counter
outlets- back then you were lucky if you got an outlet on the stove, and
maybe a clock/fan outlet high on one wall. Pull-chain ceiling fixtures
were still quite common back then. I'd be surprised if kitchen string
hasn't been redone. Unless this is a fancy house, you were lucky to get
one wall outlet per room, back then.
Of course, before you muck around, you do want to pull some cover
plates, and look in basement and/or attic to see what the feed lines
look like. Anything wiring older than late-50s is unlikely to be
grounded, unless it is in greenfield cable or something.
--
aem sends...