Author Topic: GFCI Fail  (Read 7944 times)

never_retreat

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Re: GFCI Fail
« Reply #25 on: November 16, 2011, 09:08:37 PM »
Like Brad said,

Spend the cash and replace that circuit's breaker with an arc fault, you'll protect all the outlets on the circuit without having to worry which are wired properly.

That sounds so cheap and easy when all you have to do is type it.  =D
Arc faults can be a big nuisance. They will usually trip when you plug anything in that has a spark inside. That would be any universal style motor. (anything with motor brushes) Vacuums, drills, saws, etc.

An arc fault breaker does not serve the same purpose as a gfci.

Also you can not put gfci breakers in the panel if the circuit is served by a 3 conductor cable. (one circuit on the black wire and one circuit on the red wire sharing a neutral. They will nuisance trip all the time or might not turn on at all.

Also if you fiddling around in the panel those types of circuits need to be on opposite phases. If not you expose that shared neutrual to the combined amperage of both circuits. 20+20=40. You will melt down the neutral and never trip the breaker.
Seen many of failures caused by this. Homeowner needs extra space for something, Rearranges breakers or puts in a tandem to make space. The neutral will usually burn off at the buss. (thin spot in the wire from being crushed to death under the screw)

« Last Edit: November 16, 2011, 09:36:10 PM by never_retreat »
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Matthew Carberry

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Re: GFCI Fail
« Reply #26 on: November 16, 2011, 09:23:46 PM »
I was writing an off the cuff post, not a tech manual.

Thanks for the detailing and correction.
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never_retreat

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Re: GFCI Fail
« Reply #27 on: November 16, 2011, 09:38:29 PM »
I was writing an off the cuff post, not a tech manual.

Thanks for the detailing and correction.

I wasn't picking.

Also I forgot to note GFCI's do not work if you don't have a good ground.
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zxcvbob

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Re: GFCI Fail
« Reply #28 on: November 16, 2011, 10:10:03 PM »
Also I forgot to note GFCI's do not work if you don't have a good ground.

They work just fine w/o a ground.  You just have to put a little sticker on the faceplate that says "No Equipment Ground".
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K Frame

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Re: GFCI Fail
« Reply #29 on: November 19, 2011, 07:41:51 AM »
Doesn't EVERYONE put a (battery powered) smoke detector in their closet?   ???

After I did that, I thought, "Why don't I put one in the physical closet, too?" where my gas water heater and gas furnace reside.  I also put them one in the garage.  

[Yeah, with one of those Fed Pacs in the house, a lack of a GFCI on a circuit just doesn't seem like a big whoop.]

Don't mean to scare the piss out of you, or anyone else, but...

http://ismypanelsafe.com/fpe.aspx

Some pretty nasty things in there caused by Federal Pacific equipment.

All I can say is... thank God mine's a GE.
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roo_ster

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Re: GFCI Fail
« Reply #30 on: November 19, 2011, 10:19:26 AM »
Don't mean to scare the piss out of you, or anyone else, but...

http://ismypanelsafe.com/fpe.aspx

Some pretty nasty things in there caused by Federal Pacific equipment.

All I can say is... thank God mine's a GE.

Yeah, I am aware of the issue.  Thus, the fire detector.

They are also the most common panel in my area.  If my PhD EE neighbor were still at 100%, I'd have swapped it out with his help, but that is not a task I will tackle by my lonesome.  The lowest bid I got was $2000 from a real electrician...and Mr. Lowest Bid did not inspire confidence.

My grandparents' houses still run off the old fuse boxes...
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InfidelSerf

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Re: GFCI Fail
« Reply #31 on: November 19, 2011, 02:59:43 PM »
Our house was built this year.  It has Arc fault protectors on bedroom circuits.  They sometimes pop without a load on them.
From what I've heard, code changed and now all circuits are required not just bedrooms.

After our warranty is up on the house I plan on changing out the AFCI in the bedroom that is my office.
I'll be having multiple computers running in there and I don't want it to pop for no good reason.

I just need to find out how to have that bedroom reclassified.  Since I don't want our insurance to deny payment should the odds fall against me and a fire begins in there.
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