3 GFCI Outlet Wiring Tips

A GFCI outlet is a must in any household because of its safety features. GFCI outlets sense any spike in the electric current and shuts down when it senses a shock. This kind of outlet is used in parts of the house where electric hazards often occur like outdoors, bathrooms, kitchens and swimming pools. The up side of all this is that installing GFCI outlets require no particular skills.

Knowing the Line and Load Terminals

Your GFCI outlets have two terminals—the line and load. The load terminal is where the wires for the extended outlets are connected to. The line terminal is for the hot and neutral wires. To make everything simple, the line terminal is for incoming wires while the load terminal is for outgoing wires. To prevent any kind of wiring mishap from happening when you disconnect the GFCI outlets, make sure that you label all the wires.

Testing the GFCI Outlet

When it comes to the functionality of your GFCI outlets, the TEST and RESET buttons are your best tools. Although nothing beats using a GFCI tester, if you’re left with nothing the two buttons will suffice. To test, plug a lamp into your GFCI outlet. With the lamp turned on, press the TEST button. There are two scenarios that can arise from doing that: the RESET button will pop or it won’t pop. If the RESET button does not pop, that is an indication that the GFCI outlet is not properly wired. Check the installation to correct the problem. If the GFCI outlet does pop, then you have nothing to worry about. Simply press the RESET button to restore the power.

Choosing the Right GFCI

There are different kinds of GFCI outlets in the market that one has to be familiar with.

Receptacle type: This type of GFCI outlet can be made to substitute the standard duplex outlet that we commonly see in houses. The receptacle type GFCI outlet can fit in the standard outlet box so installing them would be more like installing a standard outlet. Because this GFCI outlet is installed, it has the ability to protect all the other outlets downstream in the circuit from most ground faults.

Circuit breaker type: The circuit breaker type GFCI outlet is installed in houses that utilize circuit breakers instead of the common fuse. Unlike the receptacle type where you install it in the standard outlet box, the circuit breaker type is installed in the panel box. This type of GFCI outlet is used to protect selected circuit breakers. Because of this feature, it has an added benefit that the receptacle type does not have. Not only does it shut off the system in the event of shocks but it also trips when any of the circuits become overloaded.

Portable type: The portable GFCI outlet gives you the ability to use GFCI outlets outdoors or in areas that do not have installed GFCI outlets. The design looks like that of the common extension cord and you can plug this portable outlet into any receptacle.