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GFCI breakers are required by electrical code for all new and modified residences post 1984.
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters detect extremely small current fluctuations on the return side Neutral / Ground and cause the circuit to trip. Highly important in moist environments.
To answer the question: GFCI breakers are required in all bathroom, garage and external outlets. To determine if it is a GFCI there will be a switch in the center typically of the outlet that says set/reset. Multiple outlets in a garage or outside may be wired in parallel and controlled by a GFCI breaker located in the main power panel. Remember use of a non-GFCI outlet in a moist environment is courting trouble and you or someone else may be the recipient.
Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.
GFCI breakers are not required. GFCI protection is required and you may choose whether to install GFCI breakers or GFCI receptacles. GFCI breakers, just like GFCI receptacles, will have a Test button. The breaker also will have the neutral attached to it on an appropriate terminal and an additional wire carrying the neutral current to the neutral bar.
GFCI protection is required in all bathrooms, garages and other unfinished portions of a house including crawl spaces, unfinished basements, outside, and anywhere within 6 ft of the outside edge of a sink. -- Sparkfighter
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
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When the test button is pressed on a gfci outlet it sparks and trips two breakers in the main panel What could be the problem?
The test button should only trip the GFCI. The fact that it is tripping two breakers indicates that somehow both breakers are feeding your GFCI circuit. I have seen this when there was a wiring error and two circuits were joined in an outlet that was connected to a breaker and through the GFCI outlet. To troubleshoot determine which outlets are effected when both breakers are off. Pull outlet from box and if there are two feeds remove one from outlet and run a toner on wire left on outlet to panel and one off outlet to panel. The GFCI could block the toner so if one side of the outlet does not tone back to panel check at GFCI. There must be two paths to your electric panel for the two breakers to trip and the GFCI may be faulty as well. Another way to check is to have the GFCI reset and both breakers on. Check each outlet that you have identified as being on GFCI noting that they can be in different rooms. With all outlets working turn off one of the tripped breakers. See if any outlets so off. If not turn off the other breaker and turn on the first breaker. If power is still present then the outlets are being fed by both breakers.
Are there 220 volt gfci circuit breakers?
Yes, Electrical supply stores usually carry them
Are Ground fault circuit interrupter GFCI devices available for use on 240 volt 480 volt and 600 volt circuits?
Yes, in the form of GFCI circuit breakers, not as a receptacle.
Gfci outlet feels warm to the touch?
It is normal for GFCI breakers and receptacles to feel warm to the touch while under load. They should not feel "hot". GFCI receptacles often protect other receptacles further down the line, so the load does not necessarily need to be plugged into the GFCI receptacle itself. AFCI breakers will also feel warm to the touch. Again the receptacles should not feel "hot". If they are hot or heat discolored, you should discontinue use and call a licensed electrician. C. P., Master Electrician
Why are the GFCI breakers nuisance tripping in your 100 amp sub panel- is it because neutral bonded to ground?
It may be the GFCI breaker is defective. Make sure it is wired correctly. Neutral to neutral bar and ground to ground bar.
Do pushmatic breakers come in gfci 20A?
yes
When the test button is pressed on a gfci outlet it sparks and trips two breakers in the main panel What could be the problem?
The test button should only trip the GFCI. The fact that it is tripping two breakers indicates that somehow both breakers are feeding your GFCI circuit. I have seen this when there was a wiring error and two circuits were joined in an outlet that was connected to a breaker and through the GFCI outlet. To troubleshoot determine which outlets are effected when both breakers are off. Pull outlet from box and if there are two feeds remove one from outlet and run a toner on wire left on outlet to panel and one off outlet to panel. The GFCI could block the toner so if one side of the outlet does not tone back to panel check at GFCI. There must be two paths to your electric panel for the two breakers to trip and the GFCI may be faulty as well. Another way to check is to have the GFCI reset and both breakers on. Check each outlet that you have identified as being on GFCI noting that they can be in different rooms. With all outlets working turn off one of the tripped breakers. See if any outlets so off. If not turn off the other breaker and turn on the first breaker. If power is still present then the outlets are being fed by both breakers.
Are there 220 volt gfci circuit breakers?
Yes, Electrical supply stores usually carry them
Are Ground fault circuit interrupter GFCI devices available for use on 240 volt 480 volt and 600 volt circuits?
Yes, in the form of GFCI circuit breakers, not as a receptacle.
How do you test the ground fault circuit interupter GFCI breakers of the secondary distribution center?
press the red test button
How many ground fault interrupter GFCI circuit breakers are there in the circuit breaker panel of the secondary distribution center?
2
How many ground fault circuit GFCI circuit breakers are there in the circuit breaker panel of the secondary distribution center?
2
Gfci outlet feels warm to the touch?
It is normal for GFCI breakers and receptacles to feel warm to the touch while under load. They should not feel "hot". GFCI receptacles often protect other receptacles further down the line, so the load does not necessarily need to be plugged into the GFCI receptacle itself. AFCI breakers will also feel warm to the touch. Again the receptacles should not feel "hot". If they are hot or heat discolored, you should discontinue use and call a licensed electrician. C. P., Master Electrician
When would it be a better idea in a residence to install a GFCI breaker instead of an GFCI outlet?
GFCI Breakers are quite a bit more expensive than a GFCI outlet. More often than not a typical residence will need only a handful of GFCI outlets that combined together will be cheaper than a GFCI breaker. If you need to protect a series of outlets with GFCI protection you can simply connect the rest of the outlets on that same circuit downstream from the first outlet on the line and make that the GFCI. All you have to do is connect all the other outlets to the LOAD side of the GFCI outlet. If a GFCI fault occurs in any of the outlets down stream they will trip that very first GFCI plug you placed and keep you safe.
Why are the GFCI breakers nuisance tripping in your 100 amp sub panel- is it because neutral bonded to ground?
It may be the GFCI breaker is defective. Make sure it is wired correctly. Neutral to neutral bar and ground to ground bar.
Can a gfci get weak and trip from over load?
First, lets say this: GFCI stands for Ground-Fault Circuit Interupter. This is NOT an over-current device, and NOT an over-load device. This device stop the flow at 6mA (6/1000 of an amp) of leakage current - current leaking to ground from either the hot or neutral wire. Do you mean a GFCI breaker or a GFCI receptacle?? GFCI receptacles do not "trip on overload". Period. The only over-current protection on a receptacle is provided by the circuit breaker protecting that branch circuit. GFCI breakers are ALSO over-current devices just like normal breakers. And yes, they DO get weak, just like standard breakers do from repeated tripping. They basically have a metal strip inside that gets bent and straightened each time you trip & reset the breaker. All metal gets weak when it gets bent & straightened repeatedly. It is called "metal fatigue".
Do gcfi breakers operate with only hot and neutral ?
yes. A GFCI monitors the amount of current flowing from hot to neutral. If there is any imbalance, it trips the circuit.
