Quote:
Originally Posted by pikeselectric
Good morning to all, this is Casandra with Pike's Electric. Noticed the thread and at the suggestion of Kenswing, I am happy to chime in.
If the post light is on its own, dedicated, breaker, and buried at the correct level, then there will be no GFCI outlet/receptacle associated.
If the post light was wired on to a circuit combined with other items (garage, irrigation, etc.) when the home was built, more than likely there will be a GFCI outlet/receptacle in the garage somewhere that provides GFCI protection to the entire string/circuit.
Also worth mentioning, if you have an outlet on your post light, it MUST be GFCI protected. Either a GFCI outlet itself, a GFCI outlet the post light comes off of, OR a GFCI breaker in the panel. Anyone installing outlets on post lights not GFCI protected is illegal and unsafe.
Hope this helps.
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I understand the explanation and the code requirement. But, wouldn't it be easier, cheaper, and safer to just use a GFCI breaker in the electrical panel? You may pay a few dollars more for a GFCI breaker, but you wouldn't need to dig down and install the wiring 18 inches deep. Also, I really don't see the logic of having the wiring to the lamppost 18 inches deep, when an aboveground short circuit in the light fixture could cause someone to be electrocuted. If I were having a separate circuit installed for a lamppost, I would specify a GFCI breaker in the panel.