How do you hook up a gfci outlet

How to Install a GFCI Outlet

Timothy Thiele has an associate degree in electronics and is an IBEW Local Union Electrician with over 30 years of experience in residential, commercial, and industrial wiring. When it comes to ground-fault circuit-interrupter , or GFCI, outlets, there is always a question as to how to connect the wires. This is because GFCIs have two different sets of terminals: the line terminals and the load terminals. When you connect only to the line terminals, the outlet provides GFCI protection only for itself. When you connect to both the line and the load terminals, the outlet protects itself and any additional outlets farther down on the same electrical circuit. Line and load connections refer to the wires that deliver power from the electrical source. The line refers to the device that carries power, while the load is the circuit where the power gets delivered to. The line connection is used for all GFCI outlet installations. The circuit's hot wire typically colored black or red connects to the black or brass-colored screw terminal marked LINE.

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Turn off Power to the receptacle you are going to be working on. Avoid shocks and burns and make sure that no power is going to the unit. The easiest way to do this is to plug a radio or lamp into the unit and then turn it on. Next go to the Service panel or breaker box. This should turn the lamp or radio off. Unplug the lamp and plug it into the other receptacle to make sure the power is off to both outlets.

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Many older homes have electrical outlets, or receptacles with only two slots for a two-prong plug, and lack a third slot for the grounding prong found on most modern appliances. Those two-slot outlets indicate that the home's electrical system does not have ground wires, and while they are perfectly legal and generally safe , you need more protection than a ground wire in wet locations, like a bathroom. That's where a ground-fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI, can shut off power to the outlet in the event of a ground fault.

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How do I Install a GFCI Receptacle?

These devices precisely monitor the balance of electrical current moving through a circuit and immediately cut off the electricity when a short occurs. Note that these differ from Arc Fault Circuit Breakers , which work for slower losses of energy that tend to heat up wiring inside a home over time. Wiring a GFCI outlet may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer, but for the most part, they follow the same general principles.

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