You may be among those who dread tackling spring cleaning and household projects, or maybe you've been looking forward to using a brand new power tool since the first frost. A GFCI is a small, inexpensive device that can help prevent electrical mishaps inside and outside our home. Especially when saws, hedge clippers, lawn mowers and sprinklers are all being used on various home improvement projects. Ground faults occur when the electrical current in a product strays outside of the path where it should flow. If your body provides a path for the stray current to the ground, you may be injured.
Ground faults are often the result of damaged appliance cords or water getting into products.
If every home in the US used GFCIs, experts say that more than two-thirds of all residential electrocutions could be prevented. GFCIs provide protection against electric shock and electrocution from ground faults or contact with live parts by a grounded individual. They constantly monitor electricity flowing into a product. If the electricity flowing through the product differs even slightly from that returning, the GFCI will quickly shut off the current. The advantage of using GFCIs is that they detect even those amounts of electricity too small for a fuse or circuit breaker to activate and shut off the circuit.