DIYbanter - Sump pumps -- GFCI required?

On Sat, 12 Dec 2015 03:51:55 -0800 (PST), John G
wrote:

Exception No. 2: GFCI protection is not required for a receptacle on a
dedicated branch circuit located and identified for a specific
cord-and-plug-connected appliance, such as a sump pump.

Yeah these are the old rules. Most of the exceptions have been eliminated in
the 2011 and 2014 code updates.

I dont have the recent code so I cant know for sure if this Exemption
was eliminated. And I did work for an electrician years ago, so I do
support following the code. But I think the code has gone overboard in
recent years and some of their rules are senseless nit-picking, and a
few are downright wrong.

If a GFCI is now required on a sump pump, THIS is WRONG.....
Granted, safety for people should come above and beyond protecting
property, but there are situations where they need to look at common
sense. This is one of them. A person is more likely to get electrocuted
in a flooded basement, than one that is not flooded, because a sump pump
is keeping the basement dry.

When I lived in a house that had a sump pump, I ALWAYS UNPLUGGED IT,
when I was doing maintanance on it, such as cleaning the pit. Whenever
an electrical cord enters water, a person should uplug the cord before
contacting the water. That's just common sense. Yet, it seems our
schools dont teach stuff like that anymore, and we now live in a society
full of idiots..... That apparently is why the code keps getting
changed.

However, there are two instances where I will NOT use a GFCI. A
Refrigerator/freezer and a Sump Pump. You can move the fridge to a place
that dont require a GFCI, but you cant move a sump pump. However, there
are cheating methods. You can get a 14ga (or heavier) extension cord and
plug the sump pump into an outlet located on the first floor of the
house, rather than in the basement. Or just install a non-GFCI outlet on
the ceiling above the pump, label it "SUMP PUMP ONLY - DO NOT UNPLUG",
and if the inspectors come, tell them it was like that when you moved
in. It's not like they are going to put you in jail for it. The worse
they can do is make you install a GFCI. Many inspectors wont even notice
it, if your electrical system is in decent shape.

I'm not going to risk flooding my basement over a code rule that is not
in the best interest, and should be changed.....

Sometimes consumers need to speak up as well as electricians when it
comes to these codes. Just because it's written in a book, dont mean
it's correct....

---

I should make mention that many years ago, I lived in a house that was
prone to basement flooding. After a heavy rain, that sump pump ran
continuous for days. If it plugged up with debris, or failed for any
reason, that basement would quickly flood, and by "flood" I mean it
could get as deep as 6 feet of water. (bottom of basement windows). One
time there was a power outage, by the time the power company turned the
power back on, there was about 5ft of water. When the power came back
on, the sump pump did not run, because the wash machine, furnace and
other stuff in the basement was under water and had tripped some
breakers when the power came back on. The breaker box was in the
basement and water was close to that box. There was no way to shut off
the power without going into the basement. Swimming thru a flooded
basement did not bother me, but doing so in a basement with electric
devices under that water did bother me a lot.

I went outside, cut the band, and removed the electric meter. Then I
swam thru the basement, turned off all breakers, except one for the
upstairs. Then I tossed the sump pump cord out a basement window,
plugged it into an extension cord, and plugged it in to an upstairs
outlet, and replaced the meter. I phoned the power company, told them
what I did, and they were understanding.

I was glad when I moved from that place. Dealing with the basement
flooding was a constant struggle...

I dont have a basement now, nor a permanent sump pump. But I do have a
portable sump pump that I may occasionally need to pump out the pit
where my well pressure tank sits, or other farm related things that need
to be pumped out. If I plug that sump pump into a GFCI it trips
immediately. Yet the pump works fine. I just mke sure it's plugged into
a non-GFCI outlet and dont make bodily contact with the water while it's
running. I have checked the pump, it appears normal, but I think a
little moisture gets into the switch, which is what causes a GFCI to
trip. Otherwise I dont know why it trips the GFCI....