"bob_villa" wrote in message
...
On Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 5:42:58 PM UTC-6, Robert Green wrote:
"bob_villa" wrote in message
...
...everyone blew-over my question? 'Thinking'~maybe they all have me
kill-filed~
Such is life in mediocrity.
What question? About icemakers and the 6 foot rule? I think John G
answered that one. I'd add that most icemakers I've seen are plumbed
with
plastic tubing which would tend, IMHO, to mitigate any shock hazard.
--
Bobby G.
Isn't water conduction the point of GFCI?
Yes, but . . . I'd think the shock hazard is greatest when you're dealing
with things like metal sinks and actual contact with grounded wet surfaces
that improve conduction. With an icemaker you've got narrow diameter
plastic tubing and tap water, whose conductivity will vary with the ion
content of the water and very little chance of contact with liquid water or
the tubing that delivers it to the unit in normal use.
The truth is that I really don't know what the NEC says. I've read lots of
articles that say not to use a GFCI with a refrigerator because of nuisance
trips when the unit starts, but my GE box and Leviton GFCI have lived
happily with each other for over two years now.
Remember, I did say 'mitigate' and not 'eliminate' any shock hazard. (-:
After all, plastic piping is one reason that grounding rules have changed in
recent years. Even when they are filled with water, they don't make a very
good ground. It is an interesting point. Maybe someone out there knows
what the NEC actually says about icemakers, GFCIs, distance rules and
grounding.
I looked around and found this site:
http://www.nachi.org/forum/f19/gfci-...-fridge-10639/
While the posters there are kicking around the same issues, one comment
seems germane:
"The Refrigerator can be fed with a 15A Dedicated Circuit or on the 20A
Kitchen Circuit......but since it is not on the counter top it does not have
to be GFCI."
There's a very lengthy thread about GFCIs and nuisance trips from motors
he
http://www.diychatroom.com/f18/gfci-...-23176/index4/
IIRC, the last time I researched this is that early models of GFCIs, like
AFCIs, were far more prone to nuisance tripping than current models. It's
not nearly the problem it used to be and that's why my refrigerator is on a
GFCI (and not a dedicated circuit - which I might run the next time I decide
to add another circuit in the house. We recently bought an electric skillet
that managed to trip the breaker during Thanksgiving when everything was
running at once.
--
Bobby G.