Those of you who regularly read my blithering s know that my best friend for some 42 years is Mike Hennecy, better known to family and friends as ‘Crash and Burn”. Know he did not get this nick name from being a race car driver, although if you ride with him you might certainly think that’s where he learned to drive, nor did he come by it from a major number of car crashes. Instead he earned the title by being the most frequent victim of DIY electrical shock accidents and for having been struck by lightning twice, once where the lightning chased him into his garage. With this in mind ,if you have even a close resemblance to his history. just stop reading this now and call and electrician. If instead you have had pretty good luck say changing light bulbs then you may have a reasonable chance of pulling off today’s project…INSTALL A GFCI RECEPTACLE.
Have you ever experienced an electric shock? If you did, the shock probably happened because your hand or some other part of your body contacted a source of electrical current and your body provided a path for the electrical current to go to the ground, so that you received a shock.
A "GFCI" is a ground fault circuit interrupter. A ground fault circuit interrrupter is an inexpensive electrical device that, if installed in household branch circuits, could prevent over two-thirds of the approximately 300 electrocutions still occurring each year in and around the home. Installation of the device could also prevent thousands of burn and electric shock injuries each year. By most codes, today, any electrical receptacle (plug) within and arms reach of a water faucet, sink, tub, shower or that can be found on the outside of your home should be a GFCI. You will recognize it by the usual black and red buttons in the middle labeled “TEST” and or “RESET”. In the home's wiring system, the GFCI constantly monitors electricity flowing in a circuit, to sense any loss of current. If the current flowing through the circuit differs by a small amount from that returning, the GFCI quickly switches off power to that circuit. The GFCI interrupts power faster than a blink of an eye to prevent a lethal dose of electricity. You may receive a painful shock, but you should not be electrocuted or receive a serious shock injury.
Here's how it may work in your house. Suppose a bare wire inside an appliance touches the metal case. The case is then charged with electricity. If you touch the appliance with one hand while the other hand is touching a grounded metal object, like a water faucet, you will receive a shock. If the appliance is plugged into an outlet protected by a GFCI, the power will be shut off before a fatal shock would occur.
If your home is older and you don’t have these GFCI receptacles in the necessary places no need for a panic thay are inexpensive to purchase and simple to install.
Here are the simple steps to change out a regular outlet to a GFCI:
1. Acquire a new GFCI outlet. They are available at any hardware or big box store.
2. When you're ready to install, first shut off power to the outlet.
3. Use a voltage detector to confirm that the power is off. This is where Mike would test it by grabbing the black and white wires with his bare hands…DON’T DO THAT.
4. Remove the old face plate
5. Remove the retaining screws holding the receptacle in the outlet box and pull it out so that you can access the wiring
6. Remove the wires off of the old unit. There should simply be a black (hot), a white (the neutral) and a green (the ground)
7. Now you are ready to install the new GFCI receptacle. Attach the correct wires to the correct locations. Usually the black wire will attach to a brass screw, the white to a silver screw and the green will attach to a blue screw. If you do not find the attachment points to be of this configuration then consult your instructions. I know this goes against all that is in the “Man’s Handbook” but do it just this time. Some newer style receptacles don’t even have screw connections but instead will have quick connect holes that just grab the wires and hold them in place just by you inserting the bare wire into the hole.
8. Once you have the wires connected wrap electrical tape around the receptacle so that it covers all the screw heads on both sides. This will make it easier and safer to deal with in the future if you have to open the receptacle and it holds the wires in place while you are now finished and ready to reinstall the outlet back into the junction box.
9. Insert the receptacle into the outlet box, folding the wires carefully as you insert
10. Tighten the mounting screws
11. Install the mounting plate
12. Turn the power back on, and test the receptacle with a voltage tester.
13. The installation is complete. You are now ready to enjoy new (and safe) GFCI outlet.
All GFCIs should be tested once a month to make sure they are working properly and are protecting you from fatal shock. GFCIs should be tested after installation to make sure they are working properly and protecting the circuit.
To test the receptacle GFCI, first plug a nightlight or lamp into the outlet. The light should be on Then, press the "TEST" button on the GFCI. The GFCI's "RESET" button should pop out, and the light should go out.If the "RESET" button pops out but the light does not go out, the GFCI has been improperly wired. Review your wiring steps one by one and if the GFCI still doesn’t work properly contact an electrician to correct the wiring errors.
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