National Electrical Installation Standards

Standards as High as Your Own

 
?
Monday, April 10, 2023

Question:

Hi Charlie, I very much enjoy reading your daily questions and improving my electrical code knowledge. I often find myself anxiously waiting for the installment. I have an outdoor kitchen with an electric food smoker at my house. The smoker constantly trips my GFCI receptacle. I've had the same experience using different smokers and different GFCI receptacles. Is there an exception in the code that would permit the installation of a single dedicated receptacle, with an in-use cover without GFCI protection, as opposed to a GFCI protected duplex receptacle for this type of use? Thank you, Chris
A

Answer:

Hi Chris, glad to hear you enjoy the forum, and thank you for participating. There is no exception for the installation you described. It may be beneficial to contact the manufacturer of the GFCI devices you have used, informing them of the nuisance tripping issues. Most major manufacturers have a technical support contact phone or email, where a report of product issues can be documented, and in some cases solutions may be available.

 

ABOUT CQD: The Code Question of the Day (CQD) is NECA and ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine’s flagship National Electrical Code (NEC®) public forum for the industry, sponsored by EATON. The daily distribution of Q&A generates a lively dialogue and shares relative Code-based practical responses.

SUBMIT YOUR CODE QUESTION: Click here to submit a question to for inclusion in an upcoming edition of the Code Question of the Day, or email codequestion@necanet.org

CHARLIE TROUT: Charles M. Trout, better known as Charlie, was a nationally known NEC® expert and author. He served on several NEC® technical committees and is past chairman of CMP-12. In 2006 Charlie was awarded the prestigious Coggeshall Award for outstanding contributions to the electrical contracting industry, codes and standards development, and technical training. Even though Charlie passed away in October of 2015, his work continues in spirit. NECA continues to maintain this question forum for its many subscribers in memory and recognition of all his significant contributions to making the NEC what it is today.

NECA STANDARDS: NECA publishes the National Electrical Installation Standards™ (NEIS™), a series of ANSI-approved performance and quality standards for electrical construction. NEIS can be purchased in the NECA Store in three formats: a printed or  PDF download of a standard or, as an  annual subscription service.

NECA SAFETY PRODUCTS & PUBLICATIONS: NECA produces electrical safety publications and products for the industry including jobsite safety guides, handbooks and resource kits. View a full listing of available resources and products »

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Unless the question requests a response based on a specific edition, all answers are based on the latest edition of NFPA 70® National Electrical Code®.

This correspondence is not a formal interpretation of the NEC® and any responses expressed to the questions are opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of NECA, NFPA, the NEC Correlating Committee any Code-making panel or other electrical technical committee. In addition, this correspondence is neither intended, nor should it be relied upon, to provide professional consultation or services. 

UPDATE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES: Subscribe or Unsubscribe from this list.