User80930_3_t Jim Allhiser
Find Homes for Sale in your city:
Members: 120,713 - 1,077 Online Now  Login
 

Your hard working GFCIGround Fault Circuit Interrupters:  They are a wonderful safety item that has been required around water since the ‘70s and according to the CPSC could prevent over two-thirds of the approximately 300 electrocutions still occurring each year in and around the home. Installation of the device could also prevent thousands of burn and electric shock injuries each year.

GFCI's continually monitor what goes out through the hot side and what comes back through the neutral side.  Power always flows in a loop so these devices can tell when a ground fault happens.

Ground Fault:  Is where the loop of electricity, instead of properly running out the hot side (into the thing that's plugged in) and back in to the wall on the neutral side, gets shorted (the power jumps out of the loop = you might get shocked).

That jump/shock is very likely to happen when you are handling your mixer, weed trimmer, curling iron, ect.... and you reach for something that can allow a direct flow of electrons to go right in to the ground (faucet, water pipe)

So how and how often should you test my GFCI's?  If you look closely on the GFCI it will say, "Test Yeah seriously, "test monthly."Monthly."  To properly test you should plug something in that you can see is on, like a lamp.  Then press the test button.  The buttons should ‘pop' and the lamp should go off.  Then reset the button and the lamp should come back on.

 If the test doesn't happen like that it may be time to replace your hard working GFCI.

If that is still to much work I would be happy to come and inspect the function of your GFCI's.

 
Post is included in group: Addicted to Active Rain
Post is included in group: Home Inspectors across the country
Post is included in group: Home Inspector's Corner
Post is included in group: Independent Thinking Inspectors
Post is included in group: Tech Corner

7 Comments on Have you tested your GFCI's lately?..........uh...no.

Jim, I always enjoy reading home inspector posts. I always learn something I didn't know. ;-) Fortunately I am in a new home, so we're all up to code. Thanks for the info.

Pepper

09/06/2008 11:13 PM by Mesa, Arizona Real Estate *** Teri Ellis, Broker, ABR,CRS,GRI,ePRO,MRE (Homes Arizona Real Estate LLC)


Good job keeping the people informed and up to date>

09/07/2008 02:15 PM by Robert "Jacques" Mountain (Dream Home Inspections)


Teri:  How many months have you been in your new home?  and have you tested your GFCI's each of those months???  (probably not, me neither)

Robert:  Thanks, I am trying to not be too boring.

 

09/07/2008 04:09 PM by Jim Allhiser (Perfection Inspection, Inc.)


Hi,

 

Good post. I test mine but not monthly, probably annually. I found 1 bad one in 8 years.

09/07/2008 05:29 PM by John Wojtasiak (Exit Realty Professionals)


Great post!  Homeowners need to periodically their GFCI as well as their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

09/07/2008 06:05 PM by


I keep getting AR error messages and get logged out.  The above comment is mine.

09/07/2008 06:07 PM by Jon Wnoroski, Summit County Realtor (Geneva Chervenic Realty, Inc.)


We are all working hard to provide quality information.

Check out my lastest post: YOU KILLED MY DEAL MR. INSPECTOR

09/08/2008 08:00 AM by Robert "Jacques" Mountain (Dream Home Inspections)


Leave a response…

Name:
Notify me of new comments:
Comment:
What does the graphic say?
 
Inspector: Jim Allhiser (Perfection Inspection, Inc.)
Jim Allhiser
Salem, OR
More about me…
Perfection Inspection, Inc.

Cell Phone: (503) 508-4321
Email Me


Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog
ATOM 1.0 Feed for this blog

Find OR real estate agents and Salem real estate here on ActiveRain.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
© 2007 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved