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An electric shock under a fault condition where you happen to be the ground conductor.

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Q: What does a GFCI protect you from?
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Could you show me an electrical drawing of a circuit with GFCI protecting a switch?

GFCI's are not used to protect a switch they are used to protect an outlet where something is plugged in.


Can a circuit with a GFCI be shared at the box?

Your question is a bit vague, but let's try a two part answer. If you have a GFCI breaker in an electric panel you should only have one connection at the breaker, but the breaker will protect all devices on the circuit. If you are talking about a GFCI outlet, they are equipped to extend the GFCI protection to other non-GFCI outlets by using the proper "output" connection on the GFCI.


Do you wire a gfci outlet differently?

No, except that you insert the wires into the holes on the back of the outlet. The power in connects to the LINE side of the outlet and power out connects to the LOAD side of the outlet. This is clearly marked on the back of the outlet. This will not only protect the outlet with the GFCI installed but all outlets receiving their power from that GFCI. If you do not want to protect the outlets receiving power from the outlet then connect that outgoing wire to the LINE side also. But know that only the outlet with the GFCI will be protected and all other outlets will not be GFCI protected.


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 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.


Where are gfci outlets required?

GFCI receptacle's must protect any outlet that is within 6 feet of a water source, outside the home, in a garage, on a deck, in a sunroom, in a bathroom, unfinished basements, kitchens, & crawl spaces.


Do you need a gfci outlet if you have a gfci breaker?

Not if the GFCI breaker is supplying the circuit you are wanting to put the GFCI receptacle into.


What appliances would you not plug into a gfci?

There really isn't anything you couldn't plug into a gfci, but are usually 110V small appliances, and they are most common in bathrooms or kitchens (places there are water) to protect the person using an appliance such as a hair dryer from electrical shock.


Can you use a GFCI plug into a GFCI outlet?

Yes you can. Lots of blow dryers have GFCI protection built in.


What happens when you plug a GFCI protected extension cord into an outlet that is GFCI protected?

In a word NO, that will not cause either GFCI to trip. The correct term is GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)


When there is a lot of rain the outside GFCI trips even though it is covered?

my gfci trips when my christmas lights r on and it rains is the gfci bad or is this normal of a perfectly working gfci


How do you determine if an outlet is after or before the gfci?

GFCI receptacle has the ability to protect all receptacles down stream from the device. One way to see what is on the circuit after the GFCI is to trip (test) the device. Every thing that is connected downstream will shut off and there will be no voltage present to test. Any outlets ahead or upstream of the device on the same circuit will not be effected. <<>> Trip the gici. If the outlet goes out it's after, if not, it's before.