New answers tagged gfci
5
High voltages may be present inside the TV, and eliminating ground does not make the electricity harmless in water.
When energized electrodes are applied to water, an electric field is created which extends far from the electrodes. Depending on the voltage, whether there's pulsing or AC, and current this can induce muscle contractions and make people and ...
4
How about bolting the TV set to the wall permanently (above the possible splashes) AND employing GFCI for all circuits that go somewhere near the pool? It is just a matter of time someone to bring a hair dryer.
21
It doesn't need to be a GFCI outlet. It needs to be GFCI protected. GFCI protection is conferred by having any particular outlet obtain power power from the LOAD side of a GFCI device somewhere. On most string-topology circuits, a single well-placed GFCI device will protect the whole circuit.
If you stick a GFCI tester in there, push the button and the ...
answered Jan 21 at 3:38
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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7
Yes, you can do that, using the LOAD side of the GFCI.
But not only can you do it, it is actually a very good idea. That is because GFCI includes sensitive electronics not in a regular receptacle. Keeping a GFCI clean and dry and temperature controlled will likely make it last much longer than it would outside.
answered Jan 19 at 3:46
manassehkatz-Reinstate Monica
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1
"And this is still the case even if the non-gfci is outdoors?"
Yes, anything that's downstream on that circuit will be GFCI protected regardless of whether its located indoors or outdoors. As long as you continue the circuit from the LOAD side, just like what the last person said.
3
Sure you can.
If the downstream outlet is fed from the GFCI receptacle's LINE terminals, it will not have GFCI protection.
If it's fed from the GFCI recep's LOAD terminals, it will have GFCI protection.
Intending to protect downline loads is the only valid purpose of the LOAD terminals. They should not be used for any other purpose.
answered Jan 19 at 0:54
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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13
Never do random things in electrical. You will stumble upon combinations that will work but will kill you.
Pause to learn what exactly it is you are doing. Only then proceed.
OK, so you had a GFCI that was previously installed and worked before, and now suddenly is tripping.
The most important point is that GFCI devices are capable of protecting ...
answered Jan 18 at 6:47
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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1
At the main service the grounding(bare wire) and grounded conductor (white wire/neutral) are together. ANY panel (aka sub panel) after the main panel is a sub panel and the grounded conductor (white wire/aka neutral) are not bonded and should be separated. Period!
You have a floating ground condition and someone could get hurt and also the GFCI may never ...
1
First problem is that you have multiple grounds, because your main panel is grounded and now you've bonded grounds in your subpanel. This is illegal and not safe. As for your GFI's as long as your box the device is in has continuity to ground, which is done through the bonding screw in the subpanel you should be fine. Someone mentioned grounding the panel ...
1
Since it's all conduit, you should be able to stuff a ground wire down it, by hook or by crook
Since we're feeding a 100A panel via conduit, getting a ground in there isn't as hard as it sounds. You only need about 75-80' of 8AWG bare stranded copper for this, and should be able to pull it through by turning off the feeder in the main panel, unhooking it ...
7
Panel issues
First, manasshkatz correctly spotted the alien breaker second from bottom on the right side. The lower left breaker is a Siemens QP. Those alien breakers have gotta go. You need "Westinghouse" (read: Cutler Hammer/Eaton) BR/C family, commonly known as BR.
The 30A Siemens is a mystery. There's almost no legitimate use for a 30A 1-pole breaker....
answered Jan 13 at 4:08
Harper - Reinstate Monica
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8
A GFCI breaker does not know or care what happens upstream (elsewhere in the subpanel or back at the main panel. All that matters is that neutral and hot are connected to it properly so that it can detect the difference between them. If there is a ground wire going to the protected device then that ground must be separate from neutral until sometime past the ...
answered Jan 13 at 2:12
manassehkatz-Reinstate Monica
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1
There should be a switch somewhere, possibly by the pumps and filters or by a door going out to the patio. Most pool lights are low voltage, 12 volt AC, and are fed from a transformer either in the control box for the pool or in a separate pedestal located at least 5 feet away from the pool's edge. You're going to have to find this first, then you can check ...
0
The right duplex outlet has the brass tab removed and the two brass hot screws are NOT connected together when the tab is removed. Only the bottom outlet 'half' is switched. The top half is a normal outlet that is not switched.
Forget all those three wires to the left of the switch. They are not needed.
That red wire supply wire is bogus and is not ...
1
An AFCI detects arcs, even when they are not to ground. An arc has a certain "signature" of rapidly changing current, and the breaker/outlet (somehow) detects that. Generally it also incorporates a GFCI, and the arc fault detection logic shorts hot to ground, triggering the GFCI (and resulting "disconnect"), when an arc fault is detected.
Arc faults can ...
0
The code is a bit nit-picky on this, with a likely unintended consequence. First a little clarification of definitions in the NEC, a Receptacle means a receptacle, an Outlet is any point of connection of utilization equipment (fans, wall heaters, towel warmers).
NEC 210.11(C)(3)Bathroom Branch Circuits...at least one 120-volt 20-ampere branch circuit shall ...
3
What's probably confusing you is where they are used
GFCIs are most commonly found in receptacles. This is because you generally want to be able to reset a ground trip easily, and the GFCI is typically required where you are most likely to have them (bathrooms, kitches, outside, etc.) Ground faults typically don't happen because of wiring problems.
AFCIs ...
9
GFCI and AFCI are as different as a seat belt, vs. the barrels on the highway that absorb impact energy if you would otherwise smash into a concrete bridge abutment. They are both vaguely about safety, but do totally different things.
ThreePhaseEel discusses how some AFCIs include a limited GFPE capability, since it's a cheap way to detect some arc ...
2
Electronic timer not required
They also make clockwork timers which are simpler to wire. The difference being your wrist powers the clockwork, whereas a neutral wire powers the electronic job.
Regardless, the timer will need to be placed on the LOAD side of the GFCI. That means you need to get hot and neutral correct.
I don't see a problem with the ...
14
What can happen...
If you look closely at the way many AFCIs behave, they will trip on a gross ground fault. This is no accident; instead, they rely on this behavior to catch arcs-to-ground specifically (it's the same reason IEC systems use RCD protection panelwide). The converse of that is that an arc-to-ground will trip a GFCI as well. This is one reason ...
2
Your #1 and #2 have a deep relationship so let's answer those together. Your GFCI has a LINE and a LOAD side. The LOAD side is protected by the GFCI. As long as your electrical device is not in an area it would directly come into contact with water (i.e. inside the shower/tub), and is attached to the LOAD side of the GFCI, it is compliant. In other words, it ...
1
To answer your direct question, no, there is no way to differentiate the reason for the trip on a basic GFCI circuit breaker (regardless of the make). There is one trip mechanism and indicator, the only thing added to a GFCI breaker is an additional sensor system operating that trip mechanism.
1
If your refrigerator is on a dedicated circuit, then a GFCI is not required.
GFCI protection is also not required for receptacles that are not readily accessible [whatever that means].
When I wired my laundry room which included provisions for a refrigerator, I mounted the receptacle up high (so I could reach it above the refrig, which in located in a ...
1
Only do the following if you are familiar with electric wiring and the necessary safety precautions.
Switch off the circuit breaker that controls the outlet with the GFCI.
Open the outlet and remove the GFCI.
Check the wiring.
There should be two wires (black and white) going to the terminals marked LINE. There should also be two wires (should be black ...
0
Take the tabs (two each end, one on each side of the blue circle) off. They are scored, so you can use pliers to grab them, and then bend back and forth until they snap off.
Then you can use the same pliers to gently bend the blue-circled part back 90° so it clears the inside of the cover. Use the bolts and nuts supplied with cover to attach the outlet ...
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