Gfci ......

Doug · #1 08-05-2010, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

No problemo, I will play nicely in your sand box. HEHE...

Thanks for the advice on the AFCI, this looks like something you add beside the normal breaker in your breaker box? If so, again thanks, I will research this more.

They are code in some places for bathrooms and bedrooms. All mine are on them. They replace the standard breakers. I have posted pics of them a couple times now. Latest is here,

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...+storms&page=3

Cal_stir · #2 08-07-2010, 01:45 PM

RR37 is correct, gfci prevents electrocution via ground fault, the rececptacle has a HOT terminal and a COMMON or NEUTRAL terminal which is connected to ground at your breaker panel, a ground fault occurs when the electrical path bypasses the COMMON terminal. e.g. through a faulty heater, into your water then through your body to a cement floor, and the floor doesn't have to be wet to make a good connection to ground. if you touch both terminals at the receptacle, you will get electrocuted because that is not a ground fault. also, if the electricity is arcing across a wet or faulty appliance and the path is not a ground fault then the receptacle will not trip and a fire will possibly be the result.

StirCrazy · #3 08-07-2010, 03:50 PM

actualy if you stick your fingers on two of the tremanals it will go out as that is a ground fault. same as if it is submurged in water. theree is also a posibility it will go out by water being splashed on the power bar, now that I think about it. if enough water splashes the recepticle it will great a path to ground causing it to trip. if you didn't have a GFIC when this happened it would have to be enough water to cause a short circuit so your pannel breaker would trip.

Steve

Cal_stir · #4 08-07-2010, 05:57 PM

no, thats not correct, if you put one finger on the hot terminal and one finger on the common terminal, electricity will flow back and forth through your body just like it will through a light bulb, toaster, heater, pump, or anything else you plug into it. if you touch the hot terminal with one finger and a copper water pipe with the other finger then electricity will flow through your body to the water pipe bypassing the common terminal of the gfi, causing it to trip, preventing unintentional electrocution.

StirCrazy · #5 08-07-2010, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cal_stir

no, thats not correct, if you put one finger on the hot terminal and one finger on the common terminal, electricity will flow back and forth through your body just like it will through a light bulb, toaster, heater, pump, or anything else you plug into it. if you touch the hot terminal with one finger and a copper water pipe with the other finger then electricity will flow through your body to the water pipe bypassing the common terminal of the gfi, causing it to trip, preventing unintentional electrocution.

your putting up the absolutly worst case senario which in 99.99999% of the cases won't happen. some of that power will flow through you and be grounded so it isn't all going to go back to the common line. the gfic will detect a differance in flow and trip, preventing you from getting a shock. you don't need to touch a copper pipe. think back to when your a kid and you stuck a knife into an outlet and got a hell of a shock, I wasn't touching anything else except the carpet. if we were totaly isolated from ground then we wouldn't even get a shock.

Steve