NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 40

In Compliance
this in the 2022 code and to develop
new suvivability requirements. The
proposed language includes a new
Level 4 survivability for buildings
with a fire resistance rating of at least
one hour but less than two hours.
According to the Annex A requirements for the new Level 4, a one-hour
fire-rated cable system would likely
be required to be attached to a wall
or floor assembly constructed with a
minimum one-hour rating.
A one-hour fire-rated circuit integrity or fire-resistive cable system
would not need to be attached to
a concrete wall or floor, but could
simply be supported according to the
manufacturer's installation instructions. Note, however, that the UL
testing requirements would need to be
modified for one-hour cable listings.
While the proposed re-write of
the code's survivability section has
merit, it should be noted that a listed
one-hour fire-rated circuit integrity
or fire-resistive cable system does not
currently exist in the United States.
The technical committee feels that
cable manufacturers will address this
issue once the code has been approved
at the next NFPA annual meeting.
Wayne D. Moore is vice president at Jensen Hughes.
NFPA members and AHJs can use the Technical
Questions tab to post queries on NFPA 72 at nfpa.
org/72. To follow the progress on the upcoming
edition of the code, visit nfpa.org/72next.

NFPA 70 + 70E

Electrical Safety

Addressing issues around
GFCI requirements
By Derek Vigstol
ssues have arisen with

I

some of the new requirements in NFPA 70®,
National Electrical
Code® (NEC®), for
ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)
protection for dwelling units. The revision cycle for the 2020 NEC included a

significant expansion of these requirements, which now include receptacles
up to 250V on branch circuits rated
150V to ground or less, as well as entire
basements (finished or not) and all
outdoor outlets (receptacle or not).
Inspectors now have a much greater
responsibility ensuring that requirements in 210.8 are applied properly.
It's worth reviewing why these revisions were made. GFCI requirements
often need a lot of technical evidence to
convince the code making panel to add
new devices, equipment, or areas to
the list. During the 2020 revision cycle,
recent deaths were cited as reasons to
expand GFCI protection for people in
dwellings. Examples included a worker
electrocuted by the energized frame of
a defective range; a child electrocuted
while crawling behind a dryer looking for her cat; and a young boy who
simultaneously came in contact with
an energized AC condensing unit and
a grounded chain link fence as he cut
through a neighbor's yard. These tragic
events could have been prevented had
GFCI been part of the equation.
A question that has been raised
about the 250V requirement is how
it could affect range receptacles.
Requirements for GFCI protection in
kitchens are not as specific as they
are in non-dwelling-type occupancies. First, receptacles installed to serve
kitchen countertops must be GFCI
protected. This doesn't really apply to
range receptacles, which aren't typically
installed at countertop height. Even if
they were, the case could be made that
the receptacles are there to serve the
range and nothing else. The other list
items in 210.8(A) that might require
GFCI protection for range receptacles
are sinks, where the range receptacle is installed within 6 feet of the top
inside edge of the sink bowl. The range
receptacle would only require GFCI
protection if it were installed within
this 6-foot zone.
There are locations in dwellings
where the issue is more straightforward, such as laundry areas. There
are no conditional distances in those
spaces: if the receptacle is installed
in the laundry room/area, it requires

GFCI protection. Therefore, clothes
dryers must now be GFCI protected
because they are in the laundry area.
The same is true for basements; for the
2020 edition, the code making panel
removed the qualifications for unfinished basements. Garages are now
all-encompassing areas, too, meaning
that welders, air compressors, or any
other electric-powered tool or appliance
found in a garage needs GFCI protection if it is cord-and-plug connected.
The new GFCI requirement that has
generated the most discussion is the
addition of outdoor outlets. Notice I
didn't say "outdoor receptacle outlets"-
those were already covered. These new
requirements cover hardwired equipment as well, except for snow-melting
equipment and lighting outlets. This
means condenser units for air conditioners also need to be GFCI protected.
Once this new requirement started to
be implemented in new installations,
it quickly became apparent that there
was an issue with certain mini-split
ductless systems that utilize power-conversion equipment to control the speed
of the compressor and can randomly
trip the GFCI protection. As a result, the
NEC is processing a Tentative Interim
Amendment on 210.8(F) in order to
delay the implementation of this requirement for mini-split systems until January
1, 2023. This TIA is currently in the
public comment stage before it goes back
to the committee for deliberation and
action. The TIA makes it clear that the
committee still supports the protection
of these outlets, but simply seeks to give
the industry some time to develop a solution to this issue for these specific units.
With all of these changes to the GFCI
requirements, it can almost be guaranteed that the 2023 revision cycle
will see more changes related to these
life-saving devices. Staying up to speed
with the conversation will not only help
the code-revision process, it will also
contribute to the NEC being accepted
in more jurisdictions nationwide.
Derek Vigstol is an NFPA technical lead, Electrical
Tech Services. NFPA members and AHJs can use the
Technical Questions tab to post queries on NFPA
70 at nfpa.org/70. To follow the progress on the
upcoming edition of the code, visit nfpa.org/70next.

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