GFCI lifespan only 10 years?

[davesl708]

Worked on a house built in early 60's. Had one 20 amp circuit for the back of the house (1 bedroom, bath, kitchen and dining). One 20 amp for the front (two bedrooms, family room and living room). One 40 amp 220 for dryer and one 220 for the AC.

What a mess.

 

[ultrarunner]

Was it a mess because it was a hack job or a mess because circuits were tripping?

The years I lived in my original 1922 three bedroom Bungalow of 1200 square feet... I never replaced the single fuse 30 amp main...

My electric bill was also very modest... and I did have a microwave, full size washer/dryer, toaster and even a small chest freezer...

Maybe I was good at energy management without trying?

A big part of my job is Hospital Emergency Power and integrating new equipment into the system.

Now the property with problems is a triplex on one single 30 amp fuse for the entire building... the 92 year old owner lived in one unit and her two tenants were each around the same age...

Refrigerator, lights, radio and a TV... no microwaves, hair dryers, electric skillets and they used the wash house nearby...

Triplex is still there... building is actually for sale right now for 350k after the owner passed... multiple bids and such is the current state in the SF Bay Area where Oakland area has gained 60,000 new residents with little new housing.

 

[teejk]

Was it a mess because it was a hack job or a mess because circuits were tripping?

The years I lived in my original 1922 three bedroom Bungalow of 1200 square feet... I never replaced the single fuse 30 amp main...

My electric bill was also very modest... and I did have a microwave, full size washer/dryer, toaster and even a small chest freezer...

Maybe I was good at energy management without trying?

A big part of my job is Hospital Emergency Power and integrating new equipment into the system.

Now the property with problems is a triplex on one single 30 amp fuse for the entire building... the 92 year old owner lived in one unit and her two tenants were each around the same age...

Refrigerator, lights, radio and a TV... no microwaves, hair dryers, electric skillets and they used the wash house nearby...

Triplex is still there... building is actually for sale right now for 350k after the owner passed... multiple bids and such is the current state in the SF Bay Area where Oakland area has gained 60,000 new residents with little new housing.

Will probably require bringing the building up to code but from what I understand in that area the costs of upgrades would pay for themselves in about 2 days. In the normal world though, I think the demand for more amps was largely driven by a/c, bigger refrigerators and freezers (my grandpa and dad used to run a locker plant...that was your freezer! You rented a locker and got a key to it!). Lest people think that was a long time ago, I think they shut it down in the early 60's when home equipment became more common). Demand has since slowed and decreased on a per/capita basis with more energy efficient appliances. The trend here is to shift more of the monthly bill to "fixed" (a/k/a standing meter charge) as opposed to usage.

 

[JPRambo]

Not as per the NEC

NEC210-52(b)(1) Exception No 1: A receptacle installed solely for the electric supply to and support of an electric clock in any of the rooms specified above