GFCI and AFCI Protection, Explained

GFCI: ground-fault protection

A ground-fault circuit interrupter compares the current going out on the hot wire with the current coming back on the neutral. If some current is leaking, for example through a person touching a faulty appliance near water, it cuts power in a fraction of a second. The Electrical Safety Foundation International credits GFCIs with preventing many shock deaths (Electrical Safety Foundation International).

GFCI protection is typically required in bathrooms, kitchens, garages, laundry areas, outdoors, crawlspaces, unfinished basements and near pools, hot tubs and docks. It can come from a GFCI outlet, which also protects outlets downstream of it, or a GFCI breaker in the panel.

AFCI: arc-fault protection

An arc-fault circuit interrupter watches for the electrical signature of arcing, the sparking that happens across a damaged cord, a loose connection or a nail through a wire. Arcing can start fires inside walls. AFCI breakers cut power when they detect it. Current codes, which Florida adopts through its building code (Florida Building Commission), require AFCI protection in most living areas of new construction, and often when circuits are extended or modified.

Dual-function devices

Dual-function breakers and outlets provide both GFCI and AFCI protection, which is useful in kitchens and laundry rooms where both may be required.

Why they trip

• A real fault: a damaged cord, a wet outdoor outlet, a failing appliance.
• Moisture: outdoor and garage GFCIs trip in heavy rain if covers are poor or water gets in. Gulf Coast humidity makes this common.
• Shared neutrals or wiring errors that older breakers ignored.
• Some motors and older appliances can trip AFCIs.

A device that trips repeatedly is telling you something. Do not replace it with a standard breaker or outlet to make it stop.

Testing

Press the test button: power should cut off. Press reset to restore it. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends testing GFCIs regularly (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission). If test does nothing, replace the device.

Older homes

Many older Pensacola-area homes have little or no GFCI or AFCI protection. Adding it is one of the most cost-effective safety upgrades. See electrical repair and what shapes a repair scope.

Related pages: electrical repair & troubleshooting, home wiring & rewiring, electrical panel upgrades, and what shapes an estimate.

Sources: Electrical Safety Foundation International; U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; Florida Building Commission.