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How do you install a GFCI so it is always on to a two way light switch that controls a vent and a light in a bathroom?
Your question sounds simple but it isn't. There are two ways of wiring a light to a switch. One is to bring the hot and neutral wire to the switch box and from there run wires from the switch to the light. If this is the case you can install a GFCI on the circuit. The other way is to bring the hot and neutral wire to the light and from there run two wires to the switch and switch the light that way. In this case you cannot install a GFCI to in the switch box. <<>> The way you want the circuit to work has to be laid out as follows. Method one, the circuit that now controls the bathroom devices can be changed to a GFCI breaker. This is probably the quickest and cheapest, unless the job is new construction. Method two, if new construction use this method, as tearing walls open to get to the wiring will become costly. Where a supply circuit comes from the service distribution panel the first device on that circuit has to be a GFCI receptacle. This device has secondary terminals on it, that if connected every device downstream from it will also be protected. So if you supply the two way light switch that controls the vent fan and a bathroom light from the secondary terminals from the GFCI receptacle they will be protected.
Why and when would you use a GFCI breaker within a older home with a groun?
You need a GFCI outlet at any location that is within 6' of a water source. You also need a GFCI outlet in a room with a concrete floor, any garage, and any location outside the home or under the home in the crawl space. A GFCI outlet protects you from electrical shock near water or moisture. You can protect more than one outlet with 1 GFCI outlet. Connect the incoming power to the LINE side of the GFCI outlet and all the other outlets getting power from that outlet to the LOAD side of the GFCI outlet. That way they will all be protected by 1 GFCI. A GFCI breaker is used to protect an entire circuit and not just individual receptacles. It is often cheaper to use GFCI receptacles than a breaker, especially if "piggy-backed" such as described above. It is also more convenient to reset a GFCI receptacle than to reset a breaker. But your question is "why." From this I suspect you may be misunderstanding the difference between a breaker and GFCI protection. To keep things simple let me say that a GFCI does not work on the same principles as a standard breaker. It provides a much safer protection than a standard breaker. Even with a ground you need GFCI protection as listed above.
Can you use a 240 volt 40 amp GFCI circuit breaker for a stove?
Yes you can but the electrical code does not require it. To use one where it is not requested to do so is just adding to the over all expense of the project.
Why is the GFCI buzzing when you turn on the Breaker?
There's a few small parts inside a GFCI and also a small coil of cable. Electricity in an AC circuit can be considered to vibrate in the cables, this produces unnoticeable harmonics (vibrations/noise). However when a coil (cablewrapped around and around) has AC Current flowing through it these harmonics are increased and become noticeable (canbe heard).The noise coming out of your device is not a safety issue, it is not indicative of a fault with your electricity, however it is annoying.I shall now give a couple of reasons why it may be unavoidable.Resonance depends on many things... Materials the board and GFCI are mounted to being one. the overall measurements and position of the GFCI in relation to the materials around it being another. It might be that the board itself is spreading the sound wave.It may even be the tiniest spec of dust inside the GFCI itself, or that the GFCI'smounting bracket is a tiny bit loose.You may find you can slide The GFCI to one side or another, space permitting, inside your board (youmay have to remove a black plate from the front panel), and by just moving it to one side it may stop the noise all together.A rather unorthodox method of stopping this noise (dueto dust and other internal causes), is to give the GFCI a sharp rap on the front with a solid Item not a heavy item example:Don't use a hammer, also try not to hit the switches). something like a spoon or the handle of a screw driver should do the trick.(Source: Qualified electrician)Otherwise, your looking at maybe calling out an electrician to see if he can find where the sound is specifically coming from, and to put a piece of dampening material into your board.If in doubt, get an electrician out.
Does a toaster use a neutral phase?
There is no such thing as a 'neutral phase'. 'Live' or 'hot' conductors are called 'lines', whereas the neutralconductor is at approximately earth (ground) potential.So, a toaster would be connected between a line and a neutral conductor.
Can you use a GFCI on an unswitched circuit line red that uses the same neutral white for a switched circuit coming from the other phase line black in a 240v breaker panel?
Yes. You are allowed to use a neutral for one circuit from each phase of your service. For example, in a residential service, you can use the same neutral for circuits 1 and 3. In a commercial (3 phase) service, you can use a neutral for circuits 1, 3, and 5. You will experience problems if you use a neutral for two 'black' circuits or two 'red' circuits, if the circuits originate from the same phase bus bar. Also, AFCI's are sensitive to sharing neutrals, but GFCI's are not.
Can you use a GFCI plug into a GFCI outlet?
Yes you can. Lots of blow dryers have GFCI protection built in.
Are gfci receptacles required in kitchens?
No, you could use a GFCI circuit breaker instead.
Can a GFCI receptacle be fed from a switch?
If this question is asking if, by using a GFCI, you can protect some equipment controlled by an existing switch, the answer is Yes. My first guess would be that you probably don't need to. A switch that is controlling lighting in an area with a GFCI, such as a bathroom, should - if it was installed correctly - already be controlling a proper lighting fixture. By this I mean if the fixture is above the shower it will be of a type that is safety-listed 'for use in wet locations'. That type of light fixture does not need to be protected by a GFCI since it is designed for use around water. How to feed a switch from a GFCI: Without GFCI protecting the switch: Connect a hot (usually black) wire from the "LINE" side of the GFCI (which will be marked) to one brass screw of the switch. (Assumption is single pole switch.) Connect another hot wire from the other brass screw of the switch to the light fixture or load's hot wire. Connect a neutral (white or gray) from the LINE side of the GFCI all the way to the load neutral without stopping anywhere. Connect all grounds. To GFCI protect the switch: The procedure is the same except you will use the hot and neutral from the "LOAD" side of the GFCI. This will cause the GFCI to interrupt power should a ground fault occur on the switched load. 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 JOBSAFELY AND COMPETENTLYREFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Where shouldn't you use a gfci?
Since GFCI's are more expensive, you wouldn't want to use them in any place where they are not required. In many old homes, GFCI's are sometimes used for outlets in bedrooms and living rooms where proper grounding is necessary (for computers, TV's, other electronics), but not available because of the age of the wiring. You would also want to avoid cramming a GFCI into a box that is too small to accommodate the bulkier GFCI outlet. You should first replace the box to a larger one.
How can you tell if a house has GFCI breakers?
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. -- SparkfighterAs 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 JOBSAFELY AND COMPETENTLYREFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
What can you do if your newly-installed GFCI keeps tripping unless you detach all the other outlets in the room but all outlets are wired correctly?
DISCUSSION: There is a discussion started about this question. Please click on the 'Discuss Question' button below to see it and add any of your own comments.Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.It is possible (if this new GFCI receptacle was replacing a regular receptacle) that the GFCI receptacle has been added into a three-wire circuit where the neutral is "shared" (before it splits to 2 two-wire circuits). A simple GFCI receptacle will only work on two-wire circuits: one "Hot" and one "Neutral". Also there may or may not be a "Ground" wire. If there is one, it is a protective wire and is not counted as a circuit wire.If you know that the GFCI is good, then a heater or other appliance that you are plugging in has a ground fault condition. This means that the bottom (ground) prong on the plug is carrying current, instead of the neutral. A GFCI measures the current coming in from the hot and compares it to the current going out on the neutral. If they differ from each other, the GFCI will trip. In your case the heater may have a fault to its frame and some of the current is going to the ground wire. Either find the fault by taking the heater apart, or buy a new one and toss the faulty one before it causes a serious problem.Assuming you have pressed the 'RESET' button but the GFCI always trips again immediately, there are several possible things that will have to be checked very carefully.The newly installed GFCI could be tripping because of a neutral-to-ground short circuit, called a "neutral-to-ground fault", somewhere in the circuit it is monitoring. Here are some possible reasons for such a fault:1) There is something plugged in to one of the outlets, such as an electric kettle, that has a neutral-to-ground fault. Any plugged-in appliance which has a neutral-to-ground fault will always cause the GFCI to trip even though the appliance's own "on-board" on-off switch may be off. So remove all appliances from the outlets and try to reset the GFCI. If all is well, plug in each appliance in turn until you find the one with the neutral-to-ground fault. (Old metal-bodied electric kettles are the worst offenders!)2) Even if you have replaced the socket outlets there could be a neutral wire touching a ground wire because there is a nick in the insulation. *** (See Note below.) This sometimes happens when the cover is screwed down because the wires are pressed hard against each other to get them into the wall box. The PVC insulation around the wires is very soft so you have to be careful this does not happen. If there was no GFCI protecting the circuit - as in the old days when GFCIs did not exist - it did not matter if a neutral wire touched a ground wire or the metal box itself. But when you have a GFCI protecting a circuit which has that type of fault - probably left over from the days before the house had any GFCIs put in - it will always trip immediately you put power onto the circuit! The reason for that type of neutral-to-ground fault with GFCI-protected circuits is not known to everyone, especially if they have not had to find and fix one before.Speaking from hard experience, neutral-to-ground faults in the supply wiring to the socket outlets can be a real pain to find!*** Note: Neutral wires are colored White in USA, Canada and other countries which use similar 60 Hz mains supplies. In Europe and other countries which use 50 Hz mains supplies, Neutral wires are colored Blue for all new work. (Older wiring circuits may still have Black wires for neutral wires.)There are other things that can trip the GFCI:1. Foreign matter in an outlet box (I found dead roaches in one case)2. A noise suppressor power strip or power line filter3. A guitar amp with a ground reverse switch4. A water leak in the wall dripping on wiring5. Older electronic devices made before GFCI became common6. Some older computers7. Devices that make sudden power surges8. Old tube type radios and entertainment electronicsAs 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 JOBSAFELY AND COMPETENTLYREFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
How do you wire one light and one GFCI and another light light and fan with two switches and one power line?
Connect the incoming power to the line side of the GFCi outlet. Now run another wire connected to the line side of the GFCI outlet from the GFCI outlet to the switches. Power one of the switches and use that switch to turn on the 2 lights. Run power from that switch to another switch and use that switch to send power to the fan. Mount both switches in a double pole switch box. If the light above the sink has an outlet on it then you will have to connect power going to that light on the load side of the GFCI outlet. If not then just connect it to the line side.
How do you install a GFCI so it is always on to a two way light switch that controls a vent and a light in a bathroom?
Your question sounds simple but it isn't. There are two ways of wiring a light to a switch. One is to bring the hot and neutral wire to the switch box and from there run wires from the switch to the light. If this is the case you can install a GFCI on the circuit. The other way is to bring the hot and neutral wire to the light and from there run two wires to the switch and switch the light that way. In this case you cannot install a GFCI to in the switch box. <<>> The way you want the circuit to work has to be laid out as follows. Method one, the circuit that now controls the bathroom devices can be changed to a GFCI breaker. This is probably the quickest and cheapest, unless the job is new construction. Method two, if new construction use this method, as tearing walls open to get to the wiring will become costly. Where a supply circuit comes from the service distribution panel the first device on that circuit has to be a GFCI receptacle. This device has secondary terminals on it, that if connected every device downstream from it will also be protected. So if you supply the two way light switch that controls the vent fan and a bathroom light from the secondary terminals from the GFCI receptacle they will be protected.
Why and when would you use a GFCI breaker within a older home with a groun?
You need a GFCI outlet at any location that is within 6' of a water source. You also need a GFCI outlet in a room with a concrete floor, any garage, and any location outside the home or under the home in the crawl space. A GFCI outlet protects you from electrical shock near water or moisture. You can protect more than one outlet with 1 GFCI outlet. Connect the incoming power to the LINE side of the GFCI outlet and all the other outlets getting power from that outlet to the LOAD side of the GFCI outlet. That way they will all be protected by 1 GFCI. A GFCI breaker is used to protect an entire circuit and not just individual receptacles. It is often cheaper to use GFCI receptacles than a breaker, especially if "piggy-backed" such as described above. It is also more convenient to reset a GFCI receptacle than to reset a breaker. But your question is "why." From this I suspect you may be misunderstanding the difference between a breaker and GFCI protection. To keep things simple let me say that a GFCI does not work on the same principles as a standard breaker. It provides a much safer protection than a standard breaker. Even with a ground you need GFCI protection as listed above.
Is a GFCI breaker required for an electric pool heater?
I'm not positive but, as far as I know, one is required on a 120V heater but not on a 220V heater. Even if a GFCI isn't required I would install one anyway for the safety of your family and friends. These devices do work and are well worth the cost. Call a Professional... Either a GFCI outlet or a GFCI breaker, and I think I'd use the GFCI outlet because the reset on an outlet is closer to the pool than the breaker would be. But put it far enough away from the pool that you've got to get out to reset it. I think that's code; if it's not it should be.
If plugging an electric heater into a gfci outlet caused the gfci and several outlets upstairs to blow what do you do next?
If you know that the GFCI is good, then the heater that you are plugging could have a "hot to frame" ground fault condition. This means that the ground prong on the plug is carrying some current as well as (or instead of) the neutral. A GFCI measures the current coming in from the hot and compares it to the current going out on the neutral. If they differ from each other, the GFCI will trip.In your case the heater could probably have a "hot to frame" short - also known as a ground fault - and some of the current is going onto the ground wire. Either find the fault by taking the heater apart, or buy a new one and toss the faulty one before it causes a serious problem.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 THISWORK SAFELY AND COMPETENTLYREFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
