*Guest
December 4th, 2002, 02:31 PM
I have a small workshop which I am moving into a new basement. I want to run a pair of 20A circuits in the basement for my various power tools.
As this is an unfinished basement, this circuit should be GFCI protected. However, I am concerned about potential problems with the start-up current for the electric mototrs inadvertently tripping the GFCI. My question is how best to wire the GFCI:
1) A single GFCI outlet at the start of each circuit. (Probably the cheapest option, but if the one outlet trips, the whole circuit is gone.)
2) One GFCI at each outlet. (Pretty expensive, but an inadvertent trip would likely kill only the affected outlet.)
3) A GFCI circuit breaker in the breaker box. (Would these be any better at dealing with the start-up current? Also, would I need a more expensive 2-pole GFCI if I ran both 20A circuits in a single 12-3 cable?)
As this is an unfinished basement, this circuit should be GFCI protected. However, I am concerned about potential problems with the start-up current for the electric mototrs inadvertently tripping the GFCI. My question is how best to wire the GFCI:
1) A single GFCI outlet at the start of each circuit. (Probably the cheapest option, but if the one outlet trips, the whole circuit is gone.)
2) One GFCI at each outlet. (Pretty expensive, but an inadvertent trip would likely kill only the affected outlet.)
3) A GFCI circuit breaker in the breaker box. (Would these be any better at dealing with the start-up current? Also, would I need a more expensive 2-pole GFCI if I ran both 20A circuits in a single 12-3 cable?)