Installing GFCI Outlets

IF your garage or workshop electrical outlets are not protected with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) you should consider installing electrical outlets that are GFCI outlets to protect yourself and the equipment you are using from short circuits.  Installing GFCI outlets is quite easy for the DIY homeowner to install. So how does a GFCI circuit works to protect against short circuits? A basic 110 volt electrical circuit consists of three electric wires; a black wire called the hot or load (sometime it is a red wire), a white wire that is the neutral, and a ground wire that is either plain bare copper or green. If the hot wire were to accidentally touch the neutral wire for some reason an incredible amount of current will flow through the circuit and start heating it up like one of the coils in a toaster.   The GFCI monitors the amount of current flowing from hot to neutral, the black to white wire. If there is an imbalance, or difference between, them the GFCI outlet trips the circuit at the outlet. It is able to sense a mismatch as small as 4 - 5 milliamps, and it can react as quickly as 1/13 of a second.

For illustration purposes, say you are using a table saw and a piece of wood becomes jammed in the blade. Because the saw blade is jammed the motor heats up very fast causing an imbalance in the circuit between the hot wire and neutral. As soon as the GFCI senses the difference in voltage it will trip the outlets built in GFCI and cuts off the electricity. The GDCI will trip when there is a difference as small as 4 - 5 milliamps which will prevent damaging your saw motor. Once you have cleared the jammed wood from the saw simply press the reset button on the GFCI outlet and your good to go again.

There are two types of GFCI used in houses, a GFCI circuit breaker that is installed in the electrical panel and the GFCI outlet where the circuit interrupter is built into the outlet. GFCI outlets are used more often that GFCI circuit breakers because the outlets are much less expensive than the GFCI breakers.

How to change existing regular outlets to GFCI outlets

1. Turn off the power to the circuit at the electrical panel.

2. Remove the cover plate from the outlet.

3. Remove the outlet from the outlet box by removing the two screws, top and bottom.

4. Pull the outlet from the box and remove the wires from the outlet.

5. Attach the GFCI outlet by attaching the three wires to the appropriate screws as seen in illustration. Insure that the screws are tight.

6. Install outlet by pushing the outlet and wires into the box and install the two screws, top and bottom.

7. Replace the Cover.

8. Turn the power back on and test the interrupt by pressing the little test switch on the outlet. The GFCI should open when you press the test button. Press the reset button to reset the interrupt.

9. I recommend that you install GFCI outlets outside, in the garage, and the workshop for your own personal safety and to protect your equipment from electrical damage.

 GFCI Electrical Outlets