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GFCI Outlet

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01-29-19, 07:10 PM

dnoonkeste

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GFCI Outlet

Can I install a 15 amp GFCI outlet in the kitchen/bathroom that that does not have a separate ground and be still be protected?

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01-29-19, 07:22 PM

lambition

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Yes. GFCI will work without ground.
However, do not forget that this still does not give you ground.
GFCI will not trip until you touch an appliance even if it has fault to ground.

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01-29-19, 08:32 PM

ray2047

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If you want even more safety code allows you to run a ground independent of the existing cable either from the panel only under older code or also from the nearest ground under latest code.

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Electrical - AC & DC
Home Datacenter Wiring Reality Check

M

MI-ITGuy on Jan 28, 2019

Hello everyone! My first post here, been reading a lot and tons of googling, etc. So I live in Michigan, in Berrien County. According to the state we adhere to the 2015 version of the NEC. I want to give some background on my intended project as well as myself. While I consider myself as much of a home-gamer as anyone else, I do have additional experience that others may not. That being said, I want to make sure I'm on the right track. Project: Add 2 new 240v Circuits with receptacles in unfinished basement. Some background on my home: Built: 1959 Current State of Wiring: Mixed new and original wiring. A supposed electrician came through and rewired outlets and switches and the like, however since I've lived here I've been going around and fixing random newbie errors like reversed hot/neutral or reverse neutral/ground. It's... a mixed bag to say the least. I'm still digging up dead bodies left from this guy. Couple that with there are plenty of instances were there is original wiring, but newer fixtures for lights and the like which normally would entail a fire hazard but has been mitigated to some degree (but still needs to be corrected) by the fact that every light I have is a low-current LED smart light, so the thermal danger is mitigated to a degree. The home is fitted with a separate 100A mains breaker in the garage and a sub-panel in the basement. This is handy as I'm able to completely de-energize the sub-panel to add new circuits and there is room enough in the panel/bus bars for two additional 2-pole breakers. I have a home datacenter (yes, racks of computers, I'm that nerdy) as I'm a freelance CG artist and I need to reduce my render times.). And I'm going to be converting over from 120v to 240v to increase efficiency and reduce current load on the circuits as well as be able to turn up two new chassis I recently acquired that have... enterprise level power requirements. The sub-panel in which I will add two new 240v 30A double pole breakers and pull two new runs of 10/2 THHN to terminate to two separately boxed L6-30R receptacles which are what my replacement 240v rack PDUs are fitted with (factory L6-30P, not pigtailed.) The plan is to run two 3/4" FMT conduits each filled with 10/2 THHN and a separate ground wire as a grounding strap for the racks. This decision was made to avoid having more than 3 current-carrying conductors in a conduit and having to derate. 3/4" might be overkill but I also want to avoid 40% fill and I can't math this early in the morning (started typing this in the wee hours) I'm not looking to "barely get by" with any portion of this configuration as I wouldn't want to potentially screw myself if I decide to sell the house or screw over any potential new owners. SO! With that, if that planned configuration doesn't look like I'm going to burn my house down immediately or kill myself and be in immeasurable pain the whole time I'm dying... (If it does, let's address my errors before moving onto my further requests.) Questions: [list=1] [*]I've read about 30,000 different opinions on weather or not FMT can be ran perpendicularly to floor joists mounted on the surface of the joist as this appears to be one of my options. Is there an issue with this fundamentally or code-wise? What is the best practice? [*]if I choose to run my conduit along the brick wall, what do I do if I have to pass over a water line? There is a surface mounted hot and cold line for a big sink between my washer and dryer running vertically. Is there anything in the code regarding traversing other services? Is there a minimum height requirement from the floor for the conduit or can I run say, 12" off the floor which would allow me to clear all the pipes? [*]In my particular area, the documentation isn't clear on whether or not I require a permit or to have it inspected. I've read that so long as I'm not executing work on "electrical service equipment" meaning the mains where I can't turn them off, I don't require a permit for residential wiring. Other documentation, however vague, including the electrical permit itself issued by the governing body of the code, in this case, my local township appears to indicate that I'd need a permit and inspection for changing an outlet or switch. Does anyone have any light they can shed on this? Honestly, I'm leaning towards just getting a permit anyway. Though if someone can point me to official documentation clearly stating this demarcation, if any, that could save me a couple of hundo on this project. [*]If I have to pull a permit for the work and have my work inspected, will I get dinged on wiring that was here prior to my occupancy? Or is the inspection just on the scope of my work? It's my understanding that original wiring only has to adhere to the NEC standard the year it was installed and doesn't require updating. I don't want this project ballooning out into a billion others because now I let the state into my basement and they saw some janky 1950's era circuit. [*]More to the point of my dinky 100 amp mains breaker. Would this need to be upgraded to support the additional calculated 32.4 amps at full load from my render farm? (For those wanting to nerd out, I have two Dell m1000e Chassis fully populated with 8 machines in each chassis; quad 16-core procs m915's with 1TB RAM each) If I have to upgrade that breaker, I understand that I'll absolutely need to hire an electrician and involve the service provider no doubt. But also, if I do need to upgrade, will the mains lines from the transformer be required to be upgraded or were they overbuilt out despite these older houses only having 100A mains? Honestly, I haven't put an ammeter on my mains to see what the rest of my house's current load is on each phase. Also of note: each chassis will have it's own circuit so the total load will be divided between the two circuits. Each chassis has a theoretical maximum current draw of 16.2A. [*]Lastly.... I haven't cracked open the mains breaker (for obvious reasons.) to see what gauge wire is being used to the sub-box. If I'm required to upgrade the mains breaker, do you think I'd need to upgrade the wiring leading to the sub-box as well? I suppose I could denergize my sub box and look at the wiring in there come to think of it. [/list] So yeah, if you made it this far, I commend you and thank you so very very much for reading through all of my trite details. I also thank anyone in advance for any advice they may be able give or guidance they can provide.Read More
Electrical - AC & DC
Do all, Be all, 240v outlet?

S

skeeter_ca on Jan 25, 2019

I am installing a 240v outlet in my garage. I want this outlet to be multi functional. I want it to run my current 100a 120v Welder and be ready for me upgrading to a bigger 240v welder when I want to. I also want to plug in my 30a RV plug into and be ready for my newer RV with a 50a plug. Of course I don't want these all running at the same time. Just one at a time. I am planning on using a 4 prong 14-50R outlet. Which is what is used for 50a RV plug. I plan on using adapters to fit any other 240v or 120v needs. 3 or 4 adapters should handle just about any plug combination I run into. Are there any flaws to this plan? skeeterRead More

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