It's a Short! It's a Surge! No, It's a Ground Fault

If you've never dropped a power tool into a puddle or cut (yes, I'm thinking of you, dear daughter) a live wire with pliers, you don't know how hard your fuses or breakers are working for you down there in the panel. Your house has not burned down, like too many others, because the practical and safe limits of your wiring are being enforced by protective devices.

Unless your house is a true antique, you probably have GFCI plugs in it somewhere. Funny rectangular duplex receptacles with buttons on the front that protect you from different threats than those dealt with by breakers. GFCI receptacles are wonderful devices that trip in the presence of "ground faults."

Don't worry about ground faults that take place inside boxes or in your panel. they usually don't hurt people, they just make work for guys like me. The ground faults you need to be protected from are the ones you create. You splash water on the counter while filling the coffee maker. You wash out the bread machine and don't let it dry enough. You reach for that old radio just after getting out of the shower. You wash the car, then set the vacuum on wet pavement to clean the inside. Here's a Youtube link to the classic James Bond scene with the radio in the bathtub. Shocking.

The Electrical code now requires new houses to feature GFCI receptacles in kitchen, baths, basement, garage and on porches. Here's a link to show how you test and reset them. We'll do another post on GFCIs and tell a bit of their history and workings.