If you own a home or business, there’s a good chance it has GFCI outlets in the kitchen, basement, crawlspace, laundry room, garage, or bathroom. They’re the outlets with the small test and reset buttons on their faces. Have you ever wondered what those outlets are and why you have them? Here is a complete overview of GFCI outlets, including what they are, how they work, and where to install them.

What Is a GFCI Outlet?

GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter. It’s a complex term for a device that disconnects an electrical circuit when the current goes somewhere it shouldn’t. GFCIs protect people from electrical shocks and prevent electrical fires by cutting off electrical currents during abnormal operating conditions.

What Is a Ground Fault?

Specifically, a ground fault is a short circuit that happens when current finds an improper path to the ground. It’s helpful to think of your building’s wiring as a series of loops to understand what that means. Every outlet in your home or office receives incoming electrical current through a hot wire. Then, it returns that current through a neutral wire, completing the loop. When you plug something into the outlet, the current passes through the device and returns via the neutral wire. A ground fault happens when the current leaves the hot wire and never reaches the neutral wire. That can only happen if the electrical current finds an alternate path to the ground.

How Do GFCI Outlets Work?

The operating principle behind GFCI outlets is simple. Every GFCI outlet contains a component that allows it to measure incoming and outgoing currents. When everything’s operating correctly, those measurements should match. When they don’t, it indicates a ground fault. A GFCI outlet can typically detect current variances as small as .006 amperes. When that happens, it can stop the current in as little as one-tenth of a second.

Where Your Building Should Have GFCI Outlets

Depending on your home or office’s age, it may or may not have GFCI outlets in multiple places. The National Electrical Code (NEC) didn’t require them in new buildings until 1968. Even then, the code only mandated GFCI protection for underwater pool lighting. Since then, the NEC has seen numerous updates that have added to that mandate.

You’ll notice that most places the NEC calls for GFCI outlets share something. They’re all areas that have running water or may get wet. That’s because water is an excellent conductor and is the cause of most ground faults. It can happen when a leak enters an electrical box or an outlet gets wet through its face. When that happens, the water can provide a bridge through which current can leave its circuit and reach another conductor. Other common causes of ground faults include loose outlet terminals or damaged wire insulation.

It’s worth noting that your electrical appliances can also cause ground faults. A typical example is when a wire in an appliance wears out and makes contact with the appliance’s metal case. In that situation, the case would have current flowing through it. If you were to touch the case, the current could use your body as a path to the ground. A GFCI outlet could detect that and react before you receive a severe shock.

The NEC doesn’t specify that home and building owners must add GFCI outlets to existing buildings. However, installing them to bring your building up to modern standards is a good idea.

Adding GFCI Protection to Your Building

If your home or office lacks GFCI protection, adding it may be easier than you think. One primary reason is that you can use a single GFCI outlet to protect multiple ordinary outlets elsewhere. You can do this anywhere that you have outlets installed in a chain. That refers to multiple outlets receiving current from an upstream outlet. You’ll often find outlets wired that way in a single room or nearby spaces. It saves the cost and trouble of running multiple power lines from your main electrical panel.

If you want to use a GFCI outlet to protect multiple outlets, you’ll need an electrician’s help. They’ll identify the first outlet in the chain and replace it with a GFCI outlet. GFCI outlets feature two sets of terminals on their back. One is labeled line, and the other is labeled load. The line terminals connect to the wires from your main electrical panel. The load wires connect to the wires that send power to subsequent outlets.

You can also add GFCI protection by installing new circuit breakers. There are circuit breakers that feature GFCI circuitry. When you install those, every device and outlet on the circuit gains GFCI protection. The breakers offer a cost-effective way to extend GFCI protection to multiple parts of your building. They’re also more convenient than GFCI outlets. They provide a central location to check your GFCI protection status.

GFCI Outlet and Breaker Maintenance

If you have installed GFCI outlets or circuit breakers, they require periodic testing to ensure they work as intended. For outlets, the testing procedure is straightforward. You must plug a lamp or an outlet tester into the protected outlet. Then, press the button labeled test on the outlet’s face. The test was successful if you heard a click and the lamp or tester no longer received power. In that case, you may unplug the lamp or tester and press the reset button on the outlet. That will restore it to regular operation. You should test all of your GFCI outlets once per month.

GFCI circuit breakers are even easier to test. They will have a similar test button on their face. When you press the test button, the breaker should trip. To reset the breaker after a test, switch it back to the on position.

The only exception to the monthly testing rule is if you have GFCI outlets with built-in self-testing functionality. They’ll have a status indicator light on their face. Typically, a green light means the outlet has passed the most recent test. A solid or flashing red light indicates the outlet failed the most recent test. If you see no light, the outlet is tripped or lost power. In that case, press the rest button to see if the outlet returns to regular operation.

HR Phoenix Electricians Can Help by Installing GFCI Outlets in Your Property

If you want GFCI outlets or circuit breakers installed in your Richland Hills, TX, home or office, HR Phoenix can help. We’re a full-service, family-owned electrical company offering residential and commercial services. We also provide plumbing services, should you need them. We even offer free estimates so you know what you’ll pay before we commence work. And we’re BBB accredited with an A+ rating, so you should expect quality services from us. If you need GFCI protection installed in a building in Richland Hills, electrical panel upgrades, or rewiring, contact HR Phoenix immediately!

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