Change Summary

• GFCI requirements from 210.8 and throughout Article 422 are related to personnel hazards from specific equipment (contact with equipment with excessive leakage current) and provide those requirements in a single location in Article 422.

Expert Analysis

The requirements to have specific appliances provided with GFCI protection have been gathered into one location within Article 422. This relocation has resulted in the expansion and revision of existing 422.5. Based on the voltage limitation of the product standard for GFCIs (UL 943), the “250 volts or less” value was included in 422.5. While UL 943 does not limit applications to 60 amperes or less, that ampere rating was chosen for the ampacity value at 422.5 because 60 amperes or less covers the appliance applications addressed at 422.5 where GFCI protection is commercially available.

A new 422.5(B) gives five options for the location and type of GFCI protective device to deliver GFCI protection to the specific appliances listed at 422.5(A). These options permit the GFCI protection to be provided by any GFCI protective device listed and identified from UL 943. The options also provide owners, designers, and installers the ability to select the location most suitable for the conditions involved. Where the appliances specified at 422.5(A) include built-in GFCI protection in the supply cord, the text at 422.5(A) does not require additional GFCI protection but recognizes that multiple levels of GFCI protection are compatible and do not cause any safety or operational concerns.

Finally, revisions to 422.5(A) changed the previous 422.52 term of electric drinking fountain to drinking water cooler. This decision was based on the specific identified term used in the applicable product standard for drinking water coolers (UL 399).