Change Summary

• The “provided for public use” condition has been removed from GFCI requirements for both automotive vacuum machines and tire inflation machines. Sump pumps has been added to the list of appliances requiring GFCI protection. Bottle fill stations was added to GFCI requirements for drinking water coolers. GFCI requirements for dishwashers rated at 150 volts or less to ground and 60 amperes or less, single- or 3-phase located at both dwelling unit and non-dwelling unit locations. Dishwasher text moved from 210.8(D) to 422.5(A)(7).

Expert Analysis

One of the first revisions to look at occurred in the parent text of 422.5(A) where the type of GFCI protection addressed by this section was clarified as being “Class A” GFCI protection (protection of people).

Changes occurred at 422.5(A)(2) where “bottle fill stations” was added to the existing GFCI requirements for drinking water coolers.

New for the 2020 NEC 422.5(A)(6) will now require GFCI protection for all sump pumps rated 150 volts or less to ground and 60 amperes or less, single- or 3-phase sump pumps (hard wired or cord-and-plug connected). In previous editions of the Code, a sump pump might have been required to be GFCI protected, but only because of its location (in an unfinished basement, etc.), not because it was a “sump pump.”

The requirements for GFCI protection for a dishwasher was relocated from Article 210 to new 422.5(A)(7). Article 210 is dedicated to the requirements for branch circuits. Users of the Code are better served by having the all the GFCI requirements for appliances located in the article that covers appliances (Article 422).

At its previous location at 210.8(D), GFCI protection was required for outlets that supply dishwashers installed in “dwelling unit locations.” This GFCI rule would now also encompass dishwashers rated at 150 volts or less to ground and 60 amperes or less, single- or 3-phase located at a non-dwelling unit location, such as a restaurant, school cafeteria, etc.

Finally, a new informational note was added at the end of 422.5(A) pointing the users of the Code to 210.8 for specific requirements for GFCI protection for appliance branch-circuit outlets installed in locations where GFCI protection is warranted.

Leviton Solution
For areas where more power is required for appliances and tools, Leviton’s 20-Amp GFCI is a great solution. The device is rated at 20-Amp, 125-Volt with 20-Amp Feed-Through. It is Tamper-Resistant and offers back and side wiring with self-grounding clip included. Available in non-TR versions and available in several popular colors.