![]() ![]() The tell-tale characteristics are the “test” and “reset” buttons that you see right on the front. The difference may seem a little subtle, but they’re both very important! (And the National Electrical Code explicitly requires GFCI outlets in all wet or damp locations such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens, basements, garages and workshops.) How do I identify a GFCI outlet in my home or on my property? The standard circuit breakers (or older home ‘fuses’) you find in electrical service panels are there to prevent larger scale short circuit overloads which can lead to fires. But GFIs are focused on human safety and very fast response. So, in that sense, it does interrupt/break the circuit. ![]() It surely stops the flow of electricity and does so very quickly when a ground fault is detected. Then isn’t a GFCI Outlet just a circuit breaker? If a non-balanced current flow is detected, this implies a ‘ground fault’ (electricity may be ‘leaking’ and possibly risking a person’s safety) – leading the GFCI to trip and quickly stop the flow of electricity. The GFI is designed to monitor the flow of electricity in two directions and ensure that it’s balanced. The photo below shows the GFCI outlet that I’ll be using for my repair (a Leviton 15Amp GFCI Outlet), and we’ll use this as a reference for the sections that follow right after… How does a GFCI outlet differ from a standard electrical receptacle?Ī “GFCI outlet” (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter), used interchangeably with “GFI outlet” or just “GFI,” provides additional safety protection – focused on minimizing risk of serious injury or even electrocution near wet or damp areas. GFCI outlets are a little different than standard electrical receptacles, and in some cases – a single GFCI outlet can be protecting and entire circuit where the other outlets are non-GFCIs, but are protected nonetheless this warrants a little bit of extra explanation. If you want to jump right to the repair – just skip ahead, of course. Let’s start by talking a bit about what a GFCI outlet is, how they work and how they’re used in various ways in a home. But even if you do contract-out a job like this, it’s still important to know what they’re going to be doing so you can have a good conversation and be confident that you’re having your job done right! Some GFCI Outlet Fundamentals This link will take you directly to our ‘ find a local contractor’ page it’s free, easy and very helpful if you don’t already have someone in mind. In the sections to follow, I’ll walk through my repair with lots of photos and show the tools that I used (with a decent multimeter pretty-much topping the list) – and even lay out the replacement parts, so you can see it all.īut as always, when it comes to electrical projects, if you’re not experienced or comfortable tackling this yourself – you surely want to hire a licensed reputable electrician. In my case, the most recent GFCI outlet that failed on me was outside by my pool equipment in a weatherproof covered outlet box. ![]() We’ve all seen GFIs in our homes – they’re the electrical receptacles with the ‘test’ and ‘reset’ buttons in the bathroom and kitchen (near the sinks), and they’re generally found in other places where there’s a risk of water presence… near a sump pump in a basement, for example. ![]()
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