How Does A GFCI Outlet Work ?
If you are planning for new home wiring then for places where water is present in plenty, you need to install a GFCI electrical outlet. GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. This outlet has a built-in circuit breaker designed to protect you from electrical shocks and to prevent your home’s circuit breaker panel from shorting out.
Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, outdoor locations, wet bar locations, unfinished basements, garages and crawl spaces are some places where GFCI outlets are used. In short a prime location for a GFCI outlet is anywhere where water or dampness is an issue.
No doubt a fuse protects a house from electrical fire but a GFCI outlet provides a localized circuit breaker where the danger of electric shock is highest. One more important thing to note is that, when wired correctly, a GFCI outlet will protect all the other outlets in the circuit that follow it.
You should always avoid touching an electrical device with wet hand as electricity flows very fast through water. Kitchen and bathroom are two such places where you need both water and electricity. So a better solution to be safe is to use a GFCI outlet. It can easily sense a problem in current flow and in that case it stops the power supply to reduce the chance of any hazard.
A GFCI outlet has three holes, a round hole in the middle for ground prong, a small slit for the neutral and a large slit for the hot side. It functions very spontaneously. Its one of the main purpose is to protect people against electrical shocks.
A GFCI always keep an eye on electricity flow. If the flow is steady and there is no problem in it, GFCI outlet will work fine but in case it encounters a problem it will stop the at that very moment.
Installation of a GFCI electrical outlet is not very difficult. You just need to follow some safety precautions before installing a GFCI electrical outlet. Most important is to turn off the circuit you are working on. Secondly, use tools with insulated handles to avoid any shock. After that, follow all the installation steps for properly installing it.
So what are you thinking of? Replace your standard outlet with a safer GFCI outlet today only. Many contractors charge a lot of money for it because generally people are scared of this job. But it’s a simple and easy procedure. With the right tools and knowledge, installation of a GFCI outlet can be done yourself.
Scott Rodgers is an author with ample experience in electricians work all across the nation. His exemplary guidance has created business opportunities for a lot many Tunnel Hill Electricians and White Electricians .
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