What is a GFCI?

By Jessi Moyle

You are in the bathroom drying your hair. The curling iron is plugged in too. Everything's great until suddenly the lights go out, the hair dryer goes silent, and the curling iron starts to cool off. This is not a good time for your electrical circuit to play games with you when you are already running late for work. But what you don't realize is your house is taking care of you and itself.

On certain circuits in the house there is something present called a ground fault circuit interrupter or GFCI. The GFCI is often built right into the electrical outlet and you will see two little buttons labeled reset and test. One of the purposes of the GFCI is to prevent you from becoming a conduit for electricity. For example, if you are using a power tool outside and it gets wet, electricity can flow from the tool and through you. This is not a good plan.

The GFCI is a safety device that prevents electric shock. It's a circuit breaker that kicks in when it detects that the electrical current is not flowing the way it should. The electrical outlet has neutral, hot and ground wiring. When you plug something into the outlet, the electricity flows from hot to neutral. When the electrical flow does not follow the path is should, the GFCI detects the problem and quickly cuts off the power. It cuts it off so fast, you are not in danger of being shocked.

In fact, the GFCI can trip in one-fortieth of a second. That's fast. The GFCI is normally installed within 4 feet of any sink for obvious reasons. Just like the outdoor equipment example, if you get your hair dryer wet or drop any electrical appliance in water, you could get the shock of your life unless the electrical circuit is broken immediately. By the way, if you do get an appliance wet, just unplug it.

When the GFCI works, the test button will pop out. You can't get power back to that outlet until the reset button will stay pushed in. If it won't stay in then you need to find out if there is more of an electrical problem than just using too many electrical appliances at once. Sometimes, wiring problems first become known when you start blowing GFCIs.

The GFCI is included in the electrical code and is now required to be used. If you have an older home and it doesn't have GFCIs installed, you should have an electrician install them near sinks in the kitchen and bathrooms. They are inexpensive and worth the price because they protect you from electrical shock.

Sources:

1.How does a GFCI outlet work?. from HowStuffWorks Web site: http://home.howstuffworks.com/question117.htm

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