Michael Thornton, a Home Inspector in Tennessee, gives sound advice on GFI outlets!
Please leave comments for Michael Thornton on his original post. Thank you.
Feeling Lucky?
As consumers, we trust that items placed in our homes will function properly. We trust that trades men are competent and will install items according to accepted trade practices. Don't push your luck! This is not always the case.
One of the most common items we have in our homes are GFI outlets. While the newer ones are pretty much idiot proof, the older styles were not. Apprentices, handymen, weekend warriors and even experienced journeymen were prone to reverse the wiring connections if they were not paying attention. The result? A potential for disaster. Your luck just ran out...
The only sure way to verify that these items are working properly is to test them.Hand-held testers can be purchased at any home improvement stores for around $10. Test the outlet at the master outlet and all down stream outlets on the circuit. If the outlet fails to trip on either test, call an electrician to resolve the issue. The outlet could be defective or wired incorrectly.
ALL manufacturers of GFI devices recommend monthly testing. Failure to do so is like betting your life on a roll of the dice. You may get lucky or you just may crap out...
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