In locations where water might cause a problem like in your bathroom or kitchen it is important to use a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt) Outlet or have GFCI protection in your Circuit Breaker Box.
Electrical Codes should mandate their use in new construction but if you are living in or buying an older home you can do the upgrade or hire someone to do it for not a lot of money.
How does a GFCI Outlet work?
Three Prong Outlets have Hot (right), Neutral (left) and Ground (round bottom) openings.
In normal situations the electric comes out of the small right side into the device being powered and returns through the larger left neutral prong.
When the circuit is broken the electricity coming out of the right side will find another ground (maybe your hand) and not return to the left side neutral prong on the outlet.
The GFCI circutry monitors the flow of electricity between the hot and nutral poles and when there is an interuption it turns off the flow of electricity to the outlet.
Installing a GFCI outlet is the same as installing regular outlets but you should follow the directions that come with the outlet and test it after it is installed. See our other HowTos For installing Outlets.
A small circuit breaker button will allow you to reset that outlet AFTER you have cured the problem. Although the flow is cut off from the outlet the wires to the outlet are probably still hot so go to your circuit breaker and turn off that branch circuit before you begin work (don’t reach into the bathtub for the radio).
Some electricians will place a GFCI on a circuit and cover all the outlets on that branch. This often happens when a kitchen or bathroom circuit also serves an outside outlet. You should keep this in mind if your outside outlet goes dead and no circuit breakers are thrown in your breaker box. Go to the bathroom or kitchen outlet and see if the GFCI breaker has been thrown.
You can also protect a full circuit with a GFCI Circuit Breaker. This means you just change the breaker in your breaker box and use regular outlets in your home. This is a good way to retrofit a home quickly if you know how to change out a circuit breaker and you know how to test the line after.
GFCI Circuit breakers are also a good idea if you run electricity outside for lights, outlets or for things like pumps for water wells or cisterns. Dedicated outside devices can not be protected individually so replacing the breaker is a good way to make sure you are safe if you need to go out and check your well or sprinkler system.
The YouRepair Store Carries a Full Line of Outlets, Circuit Breakers and other devices to make your home safe.
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