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Tip of The Week
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April 14, 2007
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This week’s
tip comes from our “Got a load on the line” file.
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A few weeks
back we had a caller talking to us about a problem he was having with a ground
fault receptacle. (GFI) A GFI receptacle
is one that must be installed in any wet location, for example, a garage,
kitchen or bathroom.
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As we were
troubleshooting the malfunction we discovered that he had the receptacle wired
incorrectly. The GFI must be wired correctly to provide the safety of ground
fault protection. The problem with an
improperly wired GFI is that it will still work, that is it will still provide
power to whatever is plugged into it. By
the way, if you are adding a circuit you should leave that to the electricians. The following advice is for anyone who needs
to replace a defective GFI that has already been installed.
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To make sure you are wiring the GFI correctly
check the back of the receptacle. You will note that two of the terminals are
marked “Line” and two are marked “Load”.
The terminals marked “Line” are where you attach the wires coming to the
receptacle from the power source. The
“Load” terminals are for the wires leading away from the receptacle to the next
outlet or device.
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If you are not sure which set of wires is coming
from the power source you can separate all four wires the two black wires and
the two white wires. They must not touch
or be close enough to arc. With the
wires separated you can turn the power back on and with a current tester or
voltmeter test each pair of wires. The
pair that shows current is the pair coming from the source. Turn the power off, label the wires and
finish the project.
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| As with any project that involves electricity
please turn the power off and use extreme caution. If you are not an electrician most electrical
jobs are out of scope for you.
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Thanks for visiting Ask John and Dave.com and we’ll see you
on the air,
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John and Dave
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If you would like to comment on this article or
have an idea for our Tip of the Week, contact us
at:
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questions@askjohnanddave.com
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