Even if all circuits and receptacles in your house are properly
grounded, it is still possible for you to get a serious, even lethal,
shock if you are standing on wet ground or holding a grounded metal pipe
while you happen to touch an appliance whose metal housing is
"hot" or charged with current because of an internal short. It
is true that the fuse or circuit breaker may blow, but in the fraction
of a second it takes for this to happen enough current could flow
through your body (on its way to the ground) and give you a serious
shock. That is why ground fault circuit interrupters GFCI (usually called
GFIs) are now required in all exterior outlets, outlets located in
bathrooms, kitchens (when the outlet is within 6 feet of the sink),
garages, and swimming pool areas, and other places where a person could
be standing on a damp surface when using an electrical tool or appliance
A GFCI Electrical circuit should always be connected to pool and spa lights and to
pool and spa equipment if at all possible GFCI Electrical breakers are special
types of breakers which continuously monitor the amount of current
flowing in each conducting wire (both hot and neutral). Normally it
would be exactly the same, and the GFCI would do nothing. If however,
the slightest amount of current leaks out to ground, through the ground
wire, or through contact with a person, there will be more current
flowing in one wire than the other. When the GFCI circuit breaker senses this, even if
the difference is only a few thousandths of an ampere, and if it is not
defective, it should immediately shut off all current flow. It does this
in a tiny fraction of a second--much faster than would a fuse or circuit
breaker, and long before enough current can flow to ground to cause any
bodily harm There are actually several different types of ground fault
circuit 120 volt light conduit broken at junction box This condition
should be considered hazardous One type is a combination
circuit breaker and GFCI which is installed in the service panel in
place of a regular circuit breaker--it usually has a small white test
button on it. It protects that entire circuit, a safeguard that can be a
nuisance when installed in older buildings. It will shut off power to
that circuit even when very slight internal leakage occurs, as is
"normal" for many older houses that have not been rewired,
even though there is no real hazard Another type of GFCI is the
receptacle type which is installed in place of the conventional
receptacle outlet--it has a reset and a test button placed between the
two outlet ports. It protects anything plugged into that particular
outlet, and depending on the model, will protect all other outlets which
are "downstream" from it, but not those outlets which are
between it and the fuse box. This method is common in many modern
buildings. Often in single-family residences the "main" GFCI
outlet will be found in the garage or bathroom or on an exterior wall
Should you suddenly lose power to the GFCI outlets and the circuit
breakers seem to be in the "on" position, you may have tripped
the GFCI outlet which is first in line from the breaker. Try pressing
the reset button on all GFCI outlets in the building to restore power
Another type of GFCI is the portable type which merely plugs into an
existing three-prong outlet and converts that receptacle to a ground
fault protected outlet. Some models also come with extension cords for
use around the outside, or in damp locations GFCI protected outlets
should be installed even though the inspector may have indicated they
were not required when the building was originally wired, and of course,
this is merely the inspector's best guess Installation of this safety
device is an upgrade which is definitely worth having. GFCI outlets and
breakers can be purchased at any Hardware, Home Improvement Store,
Lumber Yard, or Electrical Supply Be sure electricity is turned off
before attempting any electrical repairs If you are unsure of how to
properly install a GFCI outlet, you are advised to contact an Electrical
Contractor. If you intend to make the conversions yourself you are
strongly advised to purchase and read one of the many handbooks on
simple electricity. There are cases where a GFCI system simply will not
work. If your building is not grounded--because of its age, etc.,--it is
likely you will have further conversions to deal with than merely
replacing outlets or breakers Contact the inspector for additional
information if you desire.
GFCI Electrical
The above information was provided by TWI Systems Copyright 1995-2005 1-800-553-5660
