what is a GFCI ? outlet? Thanks?

Question

I'm trying to firgure out how to fix my outdoor outlet that suddenly has gone out we had alot of rain, now Christmas lights no longer work:( Lights work when plugged into garage outlet! I keep reading checkmy GFCI theres no reset button on my box checked all breakers! Theres a reset button in my bathroom on the outlet red/black is that wht I supposed to reset for the outdoor outlet?Thanks Merry Christmas.

Melissa

I do have one in kitchen garage, bathroom laundry room. This is the first time I have used these outlets for this long of a period would the lights cause it to stop working or is it prob water? Maybe I have to many lights on it? is this really a hazard? even it's not working?

It did not trip a circut breaker,

Answer 1

I have verified that the National Electrical Code now requires, Ground Fault Protections on outlets in the following areas:
1) Bathrooms
2) Basements
3) Garages
4) Outdoor Outlets
5) Kitchen Outlets
6) Laundry Rooms
7) Outlets within 6 feel of Bars/Sinks

Since 2002 apparently they now require afci's to protect bedroom outlets. I had never heard of an afci until I went out looking for GFIC's, but it stands for arc fault current interuptor and is meant to prevent fires. GFIC's are meant to protect against electricution.

In my house, a single ground fault protector provides protection for all three bathrooms, and two outside outlets. We also had a single GFIC in the Kitchen that protected all outlets in the kitchen. When my house was built in 1986 the requirement for Garages and Basements was not yet in place.

I have added ground fault protectors in those locations.

The logic for GFIC's in those areas is each one of them provides potentially a rather good path to ground creating the potential of electrocution.

Apparently there are some exceptions to the requirements for GFIC's, but the code experts expect those exceptions to be removed from the NEC in 2008.

It's possible for the GFIC that tripped the Christmas Lights to be in any of the locations mentioned above, kitchen, laundry, basement, etc. Good Luck

Answer 2

A CFCI means ground fault circuit interurpter. I think that is what the last word is, but what it really means is that any amount of grounding the receptical recieves, no matter how small, will kick it of.
They invented them because so many people were getting killed in the bath tub, around the kitchen sink, outdoors, etc.
Your lights will work because they are designed to work under wet conditions but no one told the CFCI that and it doesn't know.
It is doing it's job the way it was designed to do.
If you take another light such as a lamp out there and plug it into it, does it work??
If not, it has probably been tripped. There is a reset button between the two plug in on the receptical if it is indeed a GFCI.
If not, it is wired from a GFCI receptical somewhere between it and the breaker box. You can run a line to one GFCI and then on to 3 others so there may be another receptical that you haven't checked that has tripped and this one is wired from it.
There also may be a GFCI breaker in your breaker box. Thay make them a@# H@#$s also.
The last thing to check, is if it is a GFCI, it may have went bad. I hate them things for that.
I wired one home and there were 4 out of 7 that were bad as soon as the juice was cut on. Replaced them and 2 of them were bad. Trust me, I had a bad hair day that day, LOL
Good luck. If you can't get it fixed, e-mail me and I will give you my home phone number.
God Bless
Dennis

Answer 3

Ground Fault Cuircut Interupt is required by code on all recepticals which are within 6 feet of any water source and any ourside recepticles. This is so you do not get killed by electric shock. If your outside outlet does not obviously have a GFCI outlet, it may be piggybacked. What I mean by that is it may be linked to anouther GFCI. In my house, I have one outlet which goes from the Circut Breaker to a GRCI on the outside and then to a NON GFCI outlet ALSO on the outside. In this way the previous owners were able to put in the required two outside outlets without having to buy two GFCI boxes and yet have both protected by GFCI. I do not recomend this, but that is what my house has. What I had to do when the NON GFCI outlet tripped was : First, let the outlet dry out. Second manually turn off the breaker and then turn it back on. Third, reset the GFCI which the outlet piggybacked. Then I was able to use the outlet. Now, as far as how much you have on the circut is concerned, tooo much on any circuit is a big no no. No matter how many safety devices you have on an outlet, the biggest safety device is common sence. If you think it is too much on the outlet, then it probably is. If you are going to err on either side, err on the side of safety when it comes to electricity --- it may save your house , your life and the lives of those who live in your house.

Answer 4

It is possible. The GFCI outlet is a grounding outlet which will switch off electrical current to all the outlets in it's particular circuit in the event of a short circuit. If your outdoor lights share the same circuit as your bathroom outlet, resetting this may help.

Be sure that your Christmas lights and all the other cords are rated for outdoor use and are in good condition, otherwise, this may happen again, or worse, you may get shocked.

Look for another GFCI in your kitchen or in the garage as well.

Good luck!

Answer 5

GFCI is Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. It is a breaker located at the outlet, that protects you from being shocked, should you become a better ground than the circuit wiring. It sounds like your out-door outlet may have a burned wire inside. You should have a PROFESSIONAL electrician look at it, for your safety, and that of your home, as this might also be a fire hazard.

Answer 6

GFI stands for ground fault interuption circuit. It cuts power off at the outlet instead of at the fuse box. that why they are required in bathrooms, kitchens or any area that shock could be present.They have a test button to make sure they are working correctly.YOu must reset it after you test it. IT only work on that outlet.You should have it installed outside for safety. You either overloaded the circuit or got the outlet wet. This should blow a circuitbreaker,which should be easy to locate in your fusebox.If breaker keeps tripping ,you have to find the cause. BE CAREFULl

Answer 7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GFCI

A residual current device (RCD), or residual current circuit breaker (RCCB), is an electrical wiring device that disconnects a circuit whenever it detects that the flow of current is not balanced between the phase ("hot") conductor and the neutral conductor. The presumption is that such an imbalance may represent current leakage through the body of a person who is grounded and accidentally touching the energized part of the circuit. A shock, possibly lethal, is likely to result from these conditions; RCDs are designed to disconnect quickly enough to prevent such shocks.

In the United States and Canada, a residual current device is also known as a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) or an Appliance Leakage Current Interrupter (ALCI).

Answer 8

GFI is ground fault interruptor. I would first check the breaker to see if it has flipped. If not get a new outlet and get the kind for outdoors which is exposed to wet and cold weather.
Go to someplace like Lowes or Home Depot and they can help you in the electrical department.
You can never be too safe when it involves electricity and our homes.

Answer 9

GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt - It's used for all circuits possibly exposed to moisture. Your outside outlet needs to be either wired for GFCI or covered.

Answer 10

Locate your main breaker box with all the fuses. See if any of the switches have been tripped to the OFF position. If you see one is in the OFF position then push it to the ON position.
Otherwise, call an electrician and don't try to fix it yourself. It is too dangerous dealing with electricity. There is risk of electrocution. Be careful!