![]() To test the GFCI receptacle after installation, plug something into the outlet (like a radio or light) and turn it on. If you are at all unsure of how to do this, hire a professional. Just make sure to completely cut power to the breaker before you begin. We have a separate article on wiring a GFCI outlet, but most savvy consumers can do it themselves if they follow the instructions. For upgrading, we recommend focusing on the most critical areas like bathrooms, kitchens, crawl spaces, and outdoor spaces. For homes protected by fuses (seriously consider upgrading your box), stick to GFCI receptacles. Obviously, newer GFCI circuit breakers make retrofitting a home with GFCI protection much easier than replacing each individual outlet in a system. All receptacles in crawl spaces and unfinished basements also require GFCI outlets or breakers (since 1990). Many homeowners find themselves redoing their electrical to comply with current law. It took until around 1987 for the code to include kitchen receptacles. In 1975 the NEC extended that to include bathroom receptacles. Since around 1973, most outdoor receptacles in homes built to comply with the National Electrical Code require GFCI protection. This also explains the change from GFI to GFCI-to reference the protected “circuits”. Completely compatible with any standard outlet, it can protect other outlets “downstream” (any outlet receiving power from the GFCI outlet). This inexpensive device replaces a standard receptacle (outlet). The most common GFCI in residential homes comes in a GFCI receptacle. While you may have come here asking what is a GFCI outlet, there are actually three basic types of GFCI devices: GFCI Receptacles Water provides a conduit for electricity to “escape” and find an alternate path to the ground. Since water conducts electricity so well, ground faults occur more frequently in areas near water. If your body provides a path to the ground for this leakage, you could be injured, burned, severely shocked, or electrocuted. A ground fault occurs when AC current “leaks” and escapes to the ground. What is a GFCI outlet? It may be the very thing that keeps your family safe in the event of a tragic electrical mishap.Ī ground fault represents any electric path between a source of current and a grounded surface. Water and electricity do not mix, and there are many places in the home and outside where the two exist in close proximity.Īll switches, sockets, breakers, and circuits for those rooms and areas of the home should be GFCI-protected for your family’s safety. ![]() In and near the home, ground faults most commonly occur around water or moisture. These track down and disable slow electrical “leaks” like those incurred from puncturing a wire in a bedroom wall. This is very different from arc fault circuit breakers or outlets like the Leviton AFCI receptacles. If the power goes where it shouldn’t, like in a short, the GFCI immediately cuts off the electricity.Ī GFCI prevents fatal electrical shocks through the elimination of sustained current draw when a short occurs. A GFCI precisely monitors the balance of electrical current moving through a circuit. These are also referred to as GFIs, or Ground Fault Interrupters. ![]() GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. Let’s Start With What is a GFCI Outlet?.
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