GFCI Not Installed
No GFCI Installed
One of the most common issues that we find at almost every home inspection is missing GFCI protection where GFCI protection should be. A GFCI is a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter and what it does is track the amount of electricity going out of a circuit and returning back to that circuit. If there is less electricity returning than expected the GFCI will trip and turn the power off.
If you were drying your hair and a damaged section of the power cord touched the wet sink, you could be electrocuted, but with a GFCI installed, the GFCI will trip, shut off the power in less than 200ms, and you will be able to walk away from that experience with a minor injury from the small electrical shock, but at least you’re walking.
How a GFCI Works
GFCI outlets should be installed anywhere that water could be. Although the standards have changed greatly over the years, the only thing you have to remember is a GFCI must be installed if any liquid could be in the same area. Obvious examples include having GFCI protection near a sink, bathtub, laundry room, garage, or kitchen, but some examples such as a countertop that is all alone with no plumbing fixtures around it are less obvious. That doesn’t seem to make sense, why would a countertop need GFCI protection if there aren’t any sources of water? As it turns out you could bring a drink over to the counter, spill it on your charging electronic device and as you clean up the mess the A/C section of your charger contacts the liquid and… so do you… enough said about that outcome.
It almost seems as if you should have GFCI protection for every flat section in your house, could that be true? Although the current standards don’t currently require that level of safety, adding GFCI circuit breakers in the service panel could protect every outlet and light in your house. A GFCI outlet will cost you about $15 and a GFCI breaker might cost you around $40 which means it can easily and inexpensively be done, but should it? Well, If it is predictable it is preventable, so yeah… Install the safety device and keep you and your family safe.
AFCI and the Future
The new National Electrical Code standards are making Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI) a required electrical safety device for every circuit of a home, and some AFCI breakers also have GFCI protection. It isn’t too far of a stretch to think that all outlets in a home will not only need to be protected by AFCI Breakers, but eventually GFCI breakers. Why wait to adopt the future when you can adopt the future today!
There Is More To Know
Spending a little extra money to prevent a tragedy is worth every penny.
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