What is gfci protected outlet

You should question your local building authority for the latest, complete requirements. GFCI protection can be provided either at the outlet by the now familiar outlet with the test and reset buttons, or at the distribution panel by way of a GFCI circuit breaker, which protects all outlets on the circuit it controls. The fuse heats up faster than the wire and burns out before the wire can start a fire. Catastrophe averted.

Unlike a home's fuse, the GFCI is integrated in the outlet itself. When you plug in an appliance, such as a hair dryer, the GFCI outlet monitors the amount of power going to the device. If you accidentally drop the appliance into sink full of water, the GFCI detects the interruption in current and cuts the power So how do you know if you're looking at an outlet equipped with GFCI capabilities?

You'll see a Test and a Reset button and perhaps an indicator light built right into the outlet. When you view a normal volt outlet in the United States, there are two vertical slots and then a round hole centered below them. The left slot is slightly larger than the right. The left slot is called "neutral," the right slot is called "hot" and the hole below them is called "ground. A GFCI monitors the amount of current flowing from hot to neutral. If there is any imbalance, it trips the circuit.

The GFCI senses a mismatch as small as 4 or 5 milliamps, and it can react as quickly as one-thirtieth of a second. That's a key specification, because at around 10 milliamps, human muscles "freeze" from electrical overload, meaning that you're unable to let go of an object that's causing a shock; just two seconds at that level of current can cause death [source: ELCOSH ]. If you've ever experienced even a second of paralysis caused by electrical shock, it's not a feeling you'll ever forget.

In short, you were part of what's called a ground fault. There needs to be at least one at the front of your house, and one in the back, no higher than six feet, six inches off the ground, to accommodate your electrical needs. Furthermore, if you have a balcony, deck, patio, or other space designed for outdoor lounging, there must be at least one GFCI outlet in that area that's also accessible from the inside.

There are similar outlet requirements for kitchens and bathrooms. GFCI is only the beginning when it comes to outdoor lighting safety. You also need to ensure all your light bulbs and extension cords are specifically rated for outdoor use. Never use an indoor cord in an outdoor outlet, never plug two extension cords into one another, and never buy a bulb that exceeds an outlet's maximum wattage.

If they are, throw them out and get new ones. There are a lot of great things you can do with outdoor lighting - as long as you stay safe. For help installing GFCI outlets, or other electrical safety needs, contact us today. The information on this website is for informational purposes only; it is deemed accurate but not guaranteed. While the NEC is the leading authority on all things electrical, your local building authority has the final word on GFCI requirements and everything else in your house.

Check with your local building department for specific rules for installations in your area; in rare instances, local codes may differ from the requirements of the NEC. Article To shut off the power to the circuit supplying power to the receptacle you are replacing, flip its circuit breaker to the OFF position at the main service panel.

While ideally the circuits should be correctly labeled in the panel, this is not always the case, so make sure to test the outlet with a non-contact circuit tester to make sure the power has been turned off. Remove the cover plate on the receptacle, then loosen the mounting screws that hold the receptacle to the electrical box. Gently pull the receptacle out of the box and examine the circuit wires attached to it. Wiring for a GFCI receptacle is a little different than for a standard receptacle, so it's important that you differentiate between the circuit wires that arrive in the box from "upstream" from the power source from the "downstream" wires that continue on to other fixtures on the circuit.

Then, disconnect the old receptacle from all circuit wires and remove it. The method for connecting a GFCI receptacle will vary, depending on whether your goal is single-location protection that protects only a single outlet location, or multi-location protection that also protects devices downstream from the GFCI receptacle.

Read the receptacle instructions carefully to determine the correct method of installation. When both upstream and downstream circuit wires pass are present in the box, the proper connection method for single-location protection is to join the GFCI receptacle to the circuit wires by means of white and black pigtail wires, which ensures that uninterrupted power continues downstream to other fixtures.

For multi-location protection , the LOAD screw terminals on the receptacle come into play. Here, the downstream black and white circuit wires are connected to the LOAD screw terminals.

Now, the GFCI also protects all devices downstream from the receptacle. In either scenario, the green grounding screw on the receptacle should be joined to the bare copper circuit grounding wires, either directly to the receptacle's grounding screw or using a pigtail wire if two grounding wires are present in the box.

The project concludes by tucking the new GFCI receptacle back into the wall box, replacing the cover plate, and turning the circuit breaker on. Because a GFCI receptacle has a much larger body than a standard receptacle, you may occasionally find that the electrical box isn't big enough to handle the larger device.