3 Reasons Why You Should Have Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) Outlets In Your Home
A GFCI outlet is necessary when electrical outlets are positioned close to water. This means that GFCI outlets are an absolute must when you have outlets that are near your bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, outdoors, etc. In addition to being an important preventative measure for your home, having GFCI outlets installed throughout your home is actually required by law. According to the National Electric Code (NEC), all homes must be equipped with GFCI protection. While earlier GFCI outlets were only required when the outlet was near water, the requirement has been expanded in recent years to cover all single phase outlets of 125 volts. One of the reasons for this is because at least 300 people get electrocuted in their home ever year specifically because they don’t have these preventative measure in place.
GFCI is shorthand for ground fault circuit interrupter, and a typical GFCI outlet has three holes in it. Many homeowners are probably familiar with these particular outlets throughout their home, but they may not know that the third hold in the middle of these types of outlet serve as a ground wire, whereas the other two holes are for the neutral and hot wires. A GFCI monitors the current flow in the two wires, and if it experiences any change in the electrical flow, it immediately cuts the flow of electricity. When it comes down to it, there are three main advantages to having GFCI outlets installed by a San Diego Electrician throughout your home.
Shock Prevention
This is quite possibly the most obvious advantage of having GFCI outlets throughout your home, but it is also one of the most important. A GFCI outlet has a built in sensor that minors the inflow and outflow of electricity from an appliance, so normally if a live wire inside an appliance comes in contact with the metallic surface of the appliance, you will get a shock if you touch it. However, if the appliance is plugged into a GFCI outlet, it will notice the change in electrical flow occurring as a result of the loose wire, and it will immediately shut down the power. Although they are slightly more expensive than regular outlets, this massive advantage makes them well worth the cost.
Fire Prevention
The primary function of having a GFCI outlet installed is to detect ground faults. Since ground faults, which occur when the flow of the electrical current leaves a circuit, can cause electrical fires, it is safe to say that one of the main advantages of installing a GFCI outlet is to prevent fires from occurring. Although electrical fuses do offer basic protection when it comes to electrical fires, when they are combined with a GFCI outlet, the chances that you will ever have to worry about an electrical fire harming your home or business is practically zero.
Prevent Damage To Appliances
Sometimes, as the insulation breaks down and time passes, a certain amount of electric current begins to leak into household appliances or other electronic items. If the outer body of the equipment is not made of metal, you might not get a shock, but this constant leakage will eventually damage the equipment. In fact, this leakage of electricity is one of the most common reasons that computer hard drive disks fail. With a GFCI outlet, you don’t need to worry about this leakage happening. Because a GFCI circuit detects a leak immediately, it will shut down the circuit. This can save you from having to pay extensive replacement costs for your valuable electrical devices and appliances.
