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The last 20 years of Home Power Have Been Amazing

In the late 1990s I installed my first electric panels. Mostly for the sake of running a safe woodworking workshop but also to enable the multiple window units and my partner and my offices, plus the TV and stereo, of course.

At that time whole house surge protectors were available but not required. Being an IT guy in a storm prone area of course I went for it. Otherwise however breakers were rather similar to those from the original mid 1960s versions. I mean, I’m sure there were improvements in panel technology and how breakers were manufactured but for the home there were really only two aspects you needed to care about:

  • Current capacity
  • Poles (1 or 2)

And for the home owner that’s were things stood for almost 40 years. In the last 20 years though much has changed. Arc fault (AFCI or CAFCI) first required in 2002 for bedrooms. Now (since 2017) they are required practically everywhere in a home. Whole house SPDs (surge protectors) are required from 2020.

Most recently, the 2023 NEC greatly expanded the use of Ground Fault (GFCI) protection. GFCI’s which were limited to kitchen and bath outlets are now required for your washer and dryer, microwave, range, dishwasher and (in my case) garbage disposal. Take a look at any modern panel. You’ll see 4 different types of breakers:

  • Old fashioned
  • GFCI (white test button)
  • CAFCI (dark blue test button)
  • Combined GFCI + CAFCI (pale blue test button)

And outlets? Have you noticed weather resistant (WR, 2008) or tamper resistant (TR, 2008) requirements? In addition to GFCI requirements. Sheesh. It’s a marvel any electrician can keep them all straight, let alone a home owner.

Of all these improvements though the only one I'd suggest you rush out and get is the whole house surge suppressor unless your breaker panel is running 40 years old in which case a replacement may be a good idea soon.

erik_squires

Showing 4 responses by oldelectricalinspector

oldelectricalinspector
11 posts
 

One more thought for safety,  when you have an existing circuit for a stove or dryer, if was installed over 20 years ago it will be a 3 wire circuit. Line one ,line two and neutral, NO GROUND! It was at the time permitted to be grounded through the neutral.  A jumper was installed to bond the metal frame to the neutral conductor. If installing a new appliance on an old circuit this jumper must be maintained. 
The interesting reason this was ever allowed in the first place was because during WW 2 copper was precious, needed for the war effort.  The substantiation for the change in the late 90s was, the war was over!

oldelectricalinspector
11 posts
 

In Washington State 2pole circuits serving appliances has been delayed till 2026.below is copied from the State’s monthly newsletter 

ELECTRICAL CURRENTS Question of the Month - How can you apply for the inspector pre-employment electrical assessment? See Page 2. This document may contain hyperlinks to internet web pages. Access this PDF document online at: https://lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/electrical/electrical-currents-newsletter/ Electrical Section Internet Address: https://www.lni.wa.gov/ - Select Licensing & Permits, then Electrical Page 1 of 2 A Newsletter from the Office of L&I Chief Electrical Inspector Wayne Molesworth October 2024 GFCI Protection Requirements Delayed Appliance manufacturers and standards organizations need more time to ensure compatibility with new GFCI protection requirements. For this reason, we are delaying enforcement of the following until July 1, 2026: 1. 2023 NEC 210.8(A) and (B) for 250 volt receptacles for electric ranges, wall mounted ovens and counter mounted cooking equipment. 2. 2023 NEC 210.8(D)(8), (9), and (10) for 250 volt electric ranges, wall mounted ovens and counter mounted cooking equipment.

Personally I’m a believer in AFCI and GFCI.  I find it appalling the appliance manufacturers can’t manufacture a safe product without relying on homeowners to install devices to make their products safe. AFCI and GFCI protect people from conditions they may be ignorant of . An old outlet that can’t hold the space heater plug firmly . 
Regarding whole house surge protection the code minimum is only about a hundred dollars,  it offers a base level of protection.  I feel this code was driven by the manufacturers to sell more products 

oldelectricalinspector
11 posts
 

This is an interesting discussion,  the first appliance requirement for gfci was for dishwashers . The substantiation for the dishwasher requirement was manufactures could not meet the safety requirements for leakage current.  I’ve often wondered why they didn’t include garbage disposals.  
Most code changes are the result of incidents that occurred. The code is often referred to be written in blood. 

oldelectricalinspector
11 posts
 

Well done Erik, installing a gfci under the counter technically violates the readily accessible rule. How can you conveniently access the the test buttons to do the monthly test required by the installation instructions??
fyi I don’t test my gfci devices. I’ve never had an inspection claim they do, I would then ask if you don’t think you need to do it why would you write the correction?

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