Washington State weighs in on Receptacles in Cabinets Under Sinks.

Submitted by DonHester on Sun, 06/28/2015 - 20:22.

Washington State weighs in on Receptacles in Cabinets Under Sinks.

East Wenatchee Home Inspections

This has been a topic of discussion about receptacles under kitchen sinks between me and a few inspector and electrician friends. I even called the state head electrical inspector on this exact subject and I found this new interpretation interesting and along the line of thinking I had.

The “Electrical Currents” is a publication Washington State Labor and Industries that oversees the Electrical Regulations in Washington State.

From the July 2015 Electrical Currents-

“Questions have arisen regarding receptacles installed in cabinets under sinks, specifically in the kitchen, in accordance with revised requirements in NEC® 210.8. Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupters (GFCIs) must be installed in a readily accessible location. 210.8(A)(7) requires GFCI protection for all 125-volt, single phase,15-and 20- ampere receptacles installed within six feet of the outside edge of a sink. 210.8(D) requires GFCI protection for outlets that supply dishwashers installed in dwelling units.

Question 1: Is a GFCI installed in a cabinet under a sink considered to be in a readily accessible location?

Answer: Probably. As long as the receptacle is visible and can be accessed without using tools to remove an obstruction, it will be considered in a readily accessible location. Care must be taken during rough-in installation to prevent the GFCI from being located behind plumbing or equipment such as a waste disposal. The presence of easily removable items such as cleaning supplies to access the GFCI for testing will not rule out the location as not being readily accessible.

Question 2: Is a 125-volt, 15- or 20-ampere receptacle installed in a cabinet under a sink required to be GFCI protected.

Answer: Yes, if it is within six feet of the outside edge of the sink. There was much discussion by Code Making Panel 2 in the Report on Proposals and the Report on Comments for the 2014 NEC® regarding how the six foot measurement should be taken. The panel rejected proposals to exempt receptacles installed in cabinets under sinks, and in the end, the requirement was published to require GFCI protection where receptacles are installed within 6 feet of the outside edge of the sink. This means that receptacles installed in a cabinet under the sink, for equipment such as a dishwasher, waste disposal, or hot water tap must be GFCI protected as well as being Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter (AFCI) protected in accordance with 210.12. This may be a great use for a dual-function GFCI/AFCI circuit breaker.”

So that helps clarify some of this.

“Electricity is really just organized lightning”

George Carlin

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Washington State weighs in on Receptacles in Cabinets Under Sinks.