Sump Pump, GFCI - Would you?

[mbohuntr]

I like that advice!

 

[Budweiser John]

There is no good reason to install a GFI ahead of a sump pump or sanitary pump as long as the pump outlet is a single gang single hole outlet and the pump is protected by a dedicated breaker with a home run to the pump. Local or state code may State otherwise however, so after the inspector leaves, kill the juice and remove the GFI.
There are battery powered alarm boxes that are simply left on the floor near a pump crock and should a fairlure occure the box will become wet and emit a loud screech similar to a smoke alarm we got one at Menards and it will wake the dead.

B. John

 

[Monster5601]

Most of the articles that I came up with while digging into this before I posted go back and forth on code but mainly the suggestion is to use a dedicated circuit with a regular outlet.

Pricey but there is a wi-fi outlet that will notify you of a pump issue. Not sure how well these work?

That device looks very interesting and the reviews are good. The price is a bit steep for me but I'm thinking about it because it does include a high water sensor which is something I was going to add.

I decided not to put the two pumps on GFICs. The only reason I considered it was the rare possibility of someone using one of the two outlets while working down in the crawl space. I'm going to use a single outlet box for each pump and add a third GFIC circuit into the crawl space if for any reason someone ever needs power down there.

Thank you much for the feedback, appreciated.

 

[fried1765]

A GFCI on a sump pump means you find out it tripped when things start flooding. Similar issue for a garage fridge or freezer.

Obviously!

 

[Handloader109]

Gfci on a pump meant to remove water is a very ignorant thing to do. Good that you decided not to. Moisture will trip it when you need it.

 

[shooterdon]

Mine is plugged into a GFI outlet. That is the way the electrical contractor did it. Makes sense in my situation.

I also have a 12 V backup pump and an ADT moisture alarm that sounds as well at sending a warning to my cell phone if the water comes over the top of the sump. I have a spare 120V sump pump with the PVC extension already installed so I can replace the primary pump in a couple of minutes if it fails. (My basement as flooded twice in 6 years). I prefer having the GFI as I will be working with water under my feet if I need to replace the pump.

Tying into the ADT system made sense to me as I also get a warning of a power outage. During the spring, my sump pump runs every 3 minutes so the 12v backup would not last long if I was away.

 

[BertZegers]

Make 100% sure the ground wire is functional.

In my 30+ years as an electrical contractor in Europe, accidents leading to death were published in our trade magazine.
Deadly accidents happened when people went into the (narrow) crawl space with lights or power equipment not plugged into a GFI ( < 0.03 Amps protected outlet)

By the way, European GFI's will NOT trip a sump pump, hot water heater, washing machine, outlet outside and so on, unless there is a ground fault.
A pump with a ground fault that would trip a GFI , not on a GFI outlet, will sooner or later burn out, leading to a flooded situation.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It certainly doesn't help that Europe has 220 Volts. I'm guessing they don't have a center tapped transformer and 440V though.

 

[PILOON]

I had a GFI circuit on the line that serviced my tractor block heater.
Well it snowed and that GFI kicked out as it detected moisture, No more for me.
Tractor block heater is no longer GFI protected.

 

[Industrial Toys]

They don't work worth a dammm with christmas lights either.