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Caution:
Please read our safety
information before attempting any testing or repairs.
A GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet
is a device that adds a greater level of safety by reducing the
risk of electric shock. Most building codes now require that a
GFCI outlet be used in wet locations such as bathrooms, kitchens,
laundry rooms and outdoors.
A GFCI outlet monitors for a current imbalance
between the hot and neutral wires and breaks the circuit if that
condition occurs. A circuit breaker usually will trip if you receive
a shock, but it may not act fast enough to protect you from harm.
A GFCI outlet is more sensitive and acts faster than a circuit
breaker or fuse and is thus an important safety feature.
A GFCI outlet may be wired in a branch circuit,
which means other outlets and electrical devices may share the
same circuit and breaker (or fuse). When a properly wired GFCI
trips, the other devices down the line from it will also
lose power. Note that devices on the circuit that come before
the GFCI are not protected and are not affected when the GFCI
is tripped. If the GFCI outlet is improperly wired, none the other
loads, upstream nor downstream are be protected.
If you have an outlet that doesn't work, and
the breaker is not tripped, look for a GFCI outlet which may have
tripped. The non-working outlet may be down line from a GFCI outlet.
Note that the affected outlets may not be located near the GFCI
outlet, they may be several rooms away or even on a different
floor.
A GFCI outlet has a "Test" and a "Reset"
button. Pressing the "Test" button will trip the outlet
and break the circuit. Pressing the "Reset" will restore
the circuit. If pressing the test button does not work, then replace
the GFCI outlet. If the outlet does pop when you press the "Test"
button, but the outlet still has power, the outlet is miswired.
A miswired outlet is dangerous and it should be fixed immediately.
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