By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
When I bought my home, the inspector recommended GFI electric outlets for the kitchen, bathrooms, garage and patio, but not at the washing machine. He said they're needed wherever electricity is used near water. If this is so, then why is the laundry excluded? -- Don
Dear Don,
Ground fault interrupters (GFI's) are specifically designed to eliminate electric shock hazards where people use fixtures and appliances near water. Thus they are required near plumbing fixtures and in other areas that may be wet, such as outside, in garages, and near pools and spas.
GFI's consist of a sensing device and a circuit breaker. The breaker trips when the sensor determines that the amperage at the hot terminal is not equal to the amperage at the neutral terminal. Laundry appliances are exempt from this requirement because the motors in washers and dryers can fool a GFI. When an electric motor begins to operate, there is a momentary imbalance between the hot and neutral lines, and this can cause a GFI breaker to trip. To avoid the needless interruptions at the laundry, GFI outlets are not required at this location.
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