SO, Let me get this straight. I can hook my GFCI receptacle to only 2 wires (hot&Neutral) and still be ------?

Question

protected from getting shocked by a faulty appliance that is plugged into it? Why do I ask? well, This is what it says in the instruction booklet that came with my COOPER GFCI receptacle.DEFINITION OF A GROUND FAULT_ "Instead of following it's normal safe path, electricity passes through a persons body to reach the ground. For example, a defective appliance can cause a ground fault"------And the then it says the following right under that statement--> " A GFCI receptacle does NOT protect against circuit overloads, short circuits, or shocks. For example, you can still be shocked if you touch bare wires while standing on a non-conducting surface, such as a wood floor" WHAT???!!! (Doesn't protect you against shocks?) I thought that was the entire purpose of having a GFCI receptacle. If it doesn't protect you against shocks, then what did I buy one for? That was the whole idea in the first place.Now I'm throughly confused! If an appliance shorts out while I'm touching it,Do I get shocked?

Answer 1

A GFCI receptacle will work fine without a ground wire. An appliance, like a toaster, uses all the electricity it receives except for about 5 milliamps, which goes to ground through the neutral. If the frame of the appliance has become charged due to some malfucntion, line voltage will go to ground through the neutral and the GFCI will trip instantly, preventing you from getting shocked. Overloads and short circuits are a whole different thing. If you want to see for yourself, take an old extension cord, cut off the outlet end, plug it into a properly installed GFCI and then stick the cut end in a bowl of water. Off in a millisecond.

Answer 2

The GFCI receptacle is a anti shock device , you have to have a ground connected to it , either a green wire or a bare copper wire coming out of the insulated 3 wire 110 volts House hold wiring , unless is an old house that has not been rewired yet , if it has only a two wire system , your outlet won"t work. The GFCI receptacle is design to pop a little red button in the center when it detects a short or over load or grounding as a finger , it is a safety device used besides sinks and out side the house where it can get wet by the rain . Any way the two wire installation will work to supply power but it won't protect you if there is a short as you need the ground contact ,it is a must .

Answer 3

Leave the 4 prong plug on the dryer and replace the receptacle. Here's why. An older appliance with a 3 prong plug has a solid jumper on the appliance itself. When converting a 3 to a 4, you simply remove this jumper and the white [neutral] goes to the terminal bolt, and the isolated ground wire goes to the spot that was jumpered. On your dryer, since it came wired for a 4 prong cord, you would have to make up a jumper wire/ribbon , there won't be one on there. Replace the recepracle [outlet] instead. It will also be cheaper than buying a new range cord. wiring diagrams are on the box.

Answer 4

No. A GFGI requires that the 3rd wire (green) be grounded. A GFCI is made to trip in case there is a defective appliance plugged into it that could cause an unsafe condition, not necessarily to protect you from receiving an electrical shock.

Answer 5

A GFIC compares the current on the hot line and the current on the neutral line,, if they are the same,, everything is funky dory in La La land...... If you are grounded and touch the hot wire, it will trip due to the fact the current is going thru you too ground and not back the neutral wire,, there is an in-balance .... If you are not grounded and touch both the hot wire and the neutral wire you will get shocked because there is no imbalance of current between the hot and neutral,,, and it will not trip .. ground faults are really good to have around kitchens and bathrooms and anywhere else there is water,,, good luck,, I hope this helped..