Randy Hadley HI # 1426

I would like to talk about one of the typical write up items I get during an inspection on older homes, and possible repairs.

The two prong outlet:

People with very old or very badly wired houses with ungrounded circuits had three choices. First and best, they could have an electrician replace their cables or add ground wires, which takes considerable time and money. Second, they could make do with two-prong appliances exclusively. Third, they could take their lives in their hands: breaking off third prongs, using three prong adapters, using two wire extension cords, or simply installing three prong receptacles. None of these tricks provides a jot of safety if the system is not grounded. With a GFCI, this can all be made pretty safe.

Safety-minded people do add GFCI protection to additional circuits. For example, a GFCI offers far better protection than do most childproofing designs. The only way an infant can be killed by a correctly functioning GFCI receptacle is by simultaneously sticking objects in two parallel slots.

Installation Options

If you are adding a GFCI, should it be a receptacle or a circuit breaker? They offer similar protection, and either one can protect multiple outlets. Generally, the circuit breaker is preferable for protecting multiple outlets, where a circuit breaker GFCI can be used. Whatever receptacle goes dead, you still will be able to go to the panel and check breakers. With receptacle GFCIs, if for example your bathroom receptacle goes dead you may forget that it is protected by the GFCI receptacle on the outside of the house. A possibility intermediate between the two basic options is to install a receptacle GFCI in your basement adjacent to your panel, and run power from there up to other outlets. This can solve the problem of how to install GFCI protection when you have a fuse box rather than circuit breakers. (Note that this option is not legal for a kitchen receptacle circuit, because it may not have outlets anywhere but in the kitchen and related food preparation areas.)

Bathrooms

Perhaps half the time, a receptacle outlet can be added at the bathroom wall switch location, with little damage to the wall. This depends on the wiring layout. If the vanity fixture contains a receptacle, that must have GFCI protection or be disabled. In some wiring layouts, a GFCI switch will protect the vanity outlet, eliminating your need to install a separate GFCI receptacle. When suitable power is not available at the switch, it sometimes is easiest to run power for a GFCI from outside the bathroom -- whether from the basement GFCI or just from a normal outlet on the other side of the wall. The switch or the circuit breaker option allows you to avoid chopping tile, as might be necessary to install a separate GFCI receptacle. A separate issue is that bathroom receptacles are now supposed to be independent of circuits serving other areas. This may, however, only be deemed to apply to new construction. Consult with your local inspector.

There are three arguments against installing a GFCI circuit breaker. First, it is considerably more expensive than a GFCI receptacle. Second, there is the danger of nuisance tripping. If you replace a regular circuit breaker that serves many outlets with a GFCI breaker, a leakage problem at any of the outlets will kill power to all of them. It may not be advisable, for example, to have your refrigerator on such a circuit, home inspectors with whom I've discussed this vehemently objects to installing them on circuits serving gas stoves with electronic ignition. While the oven will not release gas if you turn it on after power is cut off, the range top may. Some very old fluorescent fixtures, and some power supplies for outdated electronic equipment will in normal operation trip GFCIs. The third problem with GFCI circuit breakers is that one particular wiring design called the multiwire circuit fools a single GFCI into thinking there has been leakage. An electrician can determine whether any particular circuit is part of a multiwire circuit, at least a legally-installed one. (Sometimes ignorant work can create an illegal multiwire circuit, which can be both dangerous and hard to identify or correct.). With some multiwire circuits, your best bet is to put in receptacle GFCIs; with others, you can use special two-pole GFCI circuit breakers. Some prefer to avoid GFCIs for computer circuits, preferring the risk of electric shock to the risk of disk crashes.

Afterthoughts

Being complicated devices, GFCIs have a slightly higher defect rate than, say, switches. Test them, at least initially if not monthly as instructed. Both kinds of GFCIs can also be installed wrong, and consequently not protect anything; this usually will trip them, though.

Have a great January!

Randy

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