Understanding Your GFCI

DALY CITY — Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) can be found in most residential bathrooms and kitchens, but not everyone understands the significance of the small buttons and little green light on the electrical outlets in their homes. In fact, GFCI’s are a very important aspect of home safety.

“Ground fault” is a term for a disruption that can occur in the low-resistance grounding path from a tool or electrical system. In the event of a ground fault, the electrical current may take an alternate path to the ground through the user, resulting in electrical shock. A GFCI protects the user by sensing this disruption and shutting off the power before contact is made between the electrical current and the user. Since one potential cause of a ground fault is an electrical device coming into contact with water, GFCI’s are most often located in areas like kitchens, bathrooms and garages.

All GFCI’s have a green indicator light to show that the power is on and the outlet is protected. If a GFCI’s indicator light isn’t lit, it may have been tripped, which shuts off the power to that outlet. To restore power, press the “reset” button. You should test the GFCI’s in your home on a monthly basis by pressing the “test” button—this will trigger an artificial ground fault, which should shut off the power. After testing, press the reset button to restore power.