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2020 NEC GFCI protection of Ranges

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Beniah Naylor

SAWHORSE
Joined
Sep 10, 2020
Messages
640
Location
Manhattan, Kansas
Per the 2020 NEC, receptacles for electric ranges are required to be GFCI protected if the receptacle is located within 6' of the sink.

We are having issues with the double pole GFCI breakers (Square D Homeline) nuisance tripping on these ranges.

I'm sure other jurisdictions are having similar issues, how do you guys handle this in your jurisdiction?
 
2023 it will be all ranges....We tell them we don't care and the manufacturers got that into the code to sell product so take it up with them...Or keep the receptacle further than 6'...until that goes away and maybe the manufacturers will figure it out by then..
 
Expanding on the requirement for the 2020 NEC:

The requirement of 210.8(A)(6) is intended for receptacles serving the countertop. However, 210.8(A)(7) would apply to any other single-phase receptacles rated 125- through 250-volts that are located within 6 feet of a sink.

Receptacles installed below the countertop for appliances such as trash compactors are not required to be protected by GFCIs if the receptacle is more than 6 feet from the inside edge of the top of the sink bowl. A receptacle(s) installed behind a refrigerator is installed to supply that appliance, not the countertop, and is not covered by this GFCI requirement if the receptacle is more than 6 feet from the outside edge of the sink. According to 406.5(G)(1), receptacles installed in countertops and work surfaces cannot be installed in the face-up position because liquid, dirt, and other foreign material can enter the receptacle.

Sinks in kitchens are not the only sinks where a ground-fault shock hazard exists; therefore, this requirement covers all sinks in a dwelling. This GFCI requirement is not limited to receptacles serving countertop surfaces; rather, it covers all 125- through 250-volt, single-phase receptacles within 6 feet of any point along the inside edge at the top of the sink bowl. Many appliances used in these locations are ungrounded, and the presence of water and grounded surfaces contributes to a condition of increased risk of electric shock. The exhibit below illustrates receptacles installed within 6 feet of a sink located in other than a kitchen that are required to be GFCI protected.

We had complaints about AFCI's tripping too back in the day and every single time I investigated the situation, I found a wiring problem and the AFCI breaker was working as intended.
 
Beniah Naylor said:
We are having issues with the double pole GFCI breakers (Square D Homeline) nuisance tripping on these ranges.
Click to expand...
If the problem is that the GFCI breaker trips as soon as a resistive electric element is turned on (stovetop or oven), then I have read the following but can't confirm firsthand:

During manufacture or shipping, the resistive elements are often exposed to high humidity and can absorb some of that humidity. This increases the ground current leakage. So if you can run each element for ten minutes or so without GFCI protection, that dries out the elements and reduces the ground leakage to where it will hold on a GFCI.

Cheers, Wayne
 
I saw that too, report from AHAM: https://www.nh.gov/safety/boardsand...-GFCIs-and-Elec-cooking-ranges-00102418-6.pdf

As to the wiring problems, it's a dedicated circuit, meaning one section of wire, usually a fairly short run, and the terminations are easy. Additionally, the quality of electricians I am hearing this from is not the type you would expect to have such problems. The ones who will tell me about it are the best around, the others just swap it with a normal breaker after I leave.

I have not had a chance to test such a circuit and oven situation myself, I will try to get my hands on one with my tester soon and see what is going on.
 
So, if you were to connect the equipment ground to the breaker at the neutral lug(s) along with the neutral, you would create a code violation of bonding ground and neutral together past the first means of disconnect (which is really of dubious relevance on a dedicated circuit that was already possibly bonded together by whatever was causing the "leakage current", IMO)... but your nuisance tripping would go away, the GFCI would still trip if someone touched an energized part and a return path, and the breaker would still trip if you have an overcurrent event or a short circuit.

If "leakage current" is the only problem, that might be a better solution than creating a violation by pitching the GFCI and installing a regular breaker.

The electrician is screwed either way, no matter what goes wrong with that device they will be blamed and possibly held liable.
 
Mass allows an exception if the appliance is not compatible with GFCI protection

Rule 11. Electrical installations that appear incompatible with GFCI protection as covered in 210.8 Exception of this Code, regardless of the code requirements in effect at the time when the permit as described in Rule 8 was issued, or when the installation was completed, shall be inspected by a qualified person. The inspection shall review all field elements of the branch- circuit equipment grounding return path, and the quality of any field-accessible cord connections if applicable. The inspection shall be documented, subject to audit by the Inspector of Wires, and inspected by him or her as deemed necessary. Installations of listed equipment that, under normal operating conditions, are found to be incompatible with GFCI protective devices as made available by the manufacturer of the circuit protection currently installed shall be excused from providing GFCI protection. If not connected to an individual branch circuit, incompatible equipment shall be directly wired or connected to a single receptacle, and the circuit shall be arranged so required GFCI protection is retained for the remaining outlets. The inspection documentation required by this rule shall constitute the notice required in Rule 8 and no additional notice shall be required for corrections applied accordingly. The location and the date of this determination shall be forwarded to the Department of Fire Services for inclusion in a central registry of such allowances. The report shall also include the appliance manufacturer and model, together with the identity of the GFCI protective device. This rule shall expire on January 1, 2026.
210.8. Insert the following exception after the first paragraph: Exception: Permanently connected equipment and cord-and-plug connected stationary equipment that is listed, but incompatible with GFCI protective devices as made available by the manufacturer of the circuit protection currently installed, shall be permitted to omit such protection provided it is installed and inspected in accordance with the provisions of Rule 11 of this Code. This exception shall expire on January 1, 2026.
 
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