Is your crawl space electrically safe?
Many homeowners may not venture to their crawl space often, but HVAC technicians, plumbers, and electricians must access the area to perform repairs or installations. Your crawl space must be electrically safe to protect these workers.
Check out these critical crawl space electrical safety requirements that can be found in the National Electric Code 210.8
One of the most important ways to make your crawl space electrically safe is having proper GFCI protection. The current National Electric Code requires GFCI protection for all 125-volt to 250-volt receptacles supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to the ground. Some people only classify these as receptacles but Article 100 defined an “outlet” as “a point on the wiring system at which current Is taken to supply utilization equipment.” This means that a lighting “outlet” in the crawl space or any luminaire or light fixture located in the crawl space also needs to be GFCI protected. Crawl spaces are cramped, dark areas with as little as two feet of vertical clearance so it is important to protect individuals from being shocked or electrocuted if they come in contact with a broken bulb or lighting socket.
Additionally, all GFCIs located within the crawl space is only supposed to protect the outlets within the crawl space so all receptacles for dehumidifiers or sump pumps should be GFCI protected by the electrical breaker. This ensures that you do not have to go underneath your house to the crawl space to reset the device.
If you have an air handler unit in the crawl space, it should have a general-purpose GFCI receptacle and lighting for a service technician.
If your crawl space is not electrical safe with proper GFCI protection, contract Transworld Electric, and our electricians will help to make sure your home is protected and up to code.
