GFCI & AFCI Protection in Your Home

During my time as A Home I come across many homes that are not adequately protected by a.GFCIs.   A GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) this outlet is a device that adds a greater level of safety by reducing the risk of electric shock. It is my duty and responsibility a Professional home inspector to alert my client to this condition. Sometimes during the home inspection process I may find that a GFCI outlet is present but not working.

Most building codes now require that GFCI protection be provided in wet locations such as the following: all kitchen counter receptacles; all bathroom receptacles; all exterior receptacles; ext gfci receptacles in laundry and utility rooms; receptacles next to wet bar sinks; all garage and unfinished basement receptacles except receptacles that are not readily accessible or single receptacles for appliances that are not easily moved; receptacles near a pool, spa, or hot tub and; light fixtures near water. Downstream. it is possible that when the home was built that GFCI protection was not required in all of these areas. Sense home inspectors are not code inspectors and building codes are constantly changes, your home inspector may know if they required when the home was built. The should how ever not the lack of GFCI protection in these areas.

  A GFCI outlet may be wired in a branch circuit, which means other outlets and electrical devices may share the same circuit and breaker. When a properly wired GFCI trips, the other devices downstream from it will also, lose power. If you have an outlet that doesn’t work, and the breaker is not tripped, look for a GFCI outlet,  that may have tripped. The gfci_outletnon-working outlet may be downstream from a GFCI device. The “dead” outlets may not be located near the GFCI outlet; they may be several rooms away or even on a different floor. GFCI outlets should be tested periodically – at least once a year. All GFCI devices have test buttons.

AFCI. (arc fault circuit interrupter) are 15-amp and 20-amp 120-volt circuits. Microsoft Word - SAFETY ALERTS.docDining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, sunrooms, closets, hallways, or similar areas in today’s modern homes must be AFCI protected.

An arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) is a circuit breaker designed to prevent fires by detecting non-working electrical arcs and disconnect power before the arc starts a fire. The AFCI should distinguish between a working arc that may occur in the brushes of a vacuum sweeper, light switch, or other household devices and a non-working arc that can occur, for instance, in a lamp cord that has a broken conductor in the cord from overuse. Arc faults in a home are one of the leading causes for household fires. AFCIs resemble a GFCI (Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter) in that they both have a test button, though it is important to distinguish between the two. GFCIs are
designed to protect against electrical shock, while AFCIs are primarily designed to protect against fire.

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