GFCI stickers?

mopowers

I noticed when I installed my new outlets in my garage, the GFCI came with little stickers. Do these need to be placed on the load side outlet plates to meet NEC, or can I just toss them?

Scuba_Dave

Yes, they are supposed to be placed on the Load side outlets

brric

The only mention of labeling by the NEC is when there is no equipment ground .

bhound84

if you use the GFCI as the first rec on a circuit ,with no equipment grounding conductor, and put the rest of the rec on the load side of the GFCI then you would need to place a sticker on each rec stating GFCI protected, no equipment ground. Then you can put three prong rec in place of a two prong rec and still be following the code

Scuba_Dave

I haven't actually seen anything in the NEC that requires the sticker
I have seen many new houses & none of them have the stickers
I do put the stickers on my basement protected outlets & the outside protected outlets

Jupe Blue

I only install them where you don't care if they are visible (outside, garages, unfinished basements, crawl spaces). I'll sometime put on the backside of the trim plate in kitchens and baths, so that info. is visible when you remove the plate.

bhound84

the reason you don't see them in new houses is because new houses are required to have equipment ground run with the circuits. the sticker is used when replacing two prong rec with three prong rec and installing a GFCI ahead of all the other rec a lot of old houses do not have equipment grounds

Scuba_Dave

There are 2 stickers in the box
Since the OP did not state what he is doing:
The "No equipment ground" sticker needs to be installed when there is only a 2 wire connection

The sticker that states: "GFCI protected" does not need to be installed

Termite

When there is no equipment ground, GFCI'd receptacles must bear both stickers, not one or the other.

I'm unaware of any requirement to label a GFCI receptacle that is properly installed and grounded. Might be in there somewhere, but I've never come across it.

Scuba_Dave

I'm thinking you mean on the outlets that are protected by a GFCI breaker or GFCI outlet ?
An actual GFCI outlet does not need a sticker stating it is GFCI protected ?

Hmmmm.....interesting...I just looked at 2 GFCI outlets & neither states anywhere on the face that it is a GFCI
The part that states GFCI is hidden by the face plate

Termite

Dave I was just clarifying the sticker requirement on GFCI'd circuits/receptacles that do not have an equipment ground. If no equiment ground exists, the code is clear that two stickers are required on each receptacle. That does in fact include the GFCI receptacle device itself. Technicality? Kind of dumb? Yes, but the code is clear on its requirement.

Scuba_Dave

OK, I just wanted to be sure
I think I have seen some GFCI outlets that do have "GFCI" on the face that can be seen with the faceplate on
I was surpised that some of the ones I have do not have it

BigJimmy

What is interesting is how many people post questions on this site, the first responses to which are "look for a GFCI nearby that has tripped."(meaning that the receptacle in question that is not working is being fed from a neardby GFCI receptacle.). What I find interesting is that there is nothing in the NEC that requires labeling for load-connected receptacles to indicate where the upstream GFCI is located (that has potential to de-energize the downstream loads).

In the end, Joe homeowner would not necessarily know what that label meant anyhow. Still, I find it odd that the electrical code does not require such labeling.

FWIW, in my house, I always note (using a Sharpe marker) the circuit breakers serving the circuits contained in each box along the way.

Jimmy

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