If your electrical system isn’t correctly protected against overheating, it exposes your home to fire risk. The best way to protect your electrical wiring against overheating and fire are by installing a GFCI outlet. Read on to find out.
What’s a GFCI Outlet?
A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) Outlet is the protective gadget incorporated into your electrical system to break the circuit when there’s a current instability. This device protects your electrical system against overheating, thus reducing the threat of electric shocks and possible fires in your house.
A GFCI outlet detects possible ground faults and unsettles current flow when the incoming and outgoing currents don’t balance; you should never replace your fuse with a GFCI outlet because it doesn’t prevent short circuits and power overloads. This outlet should be incorporated into your home’s electrical outlet to track the current flow in the circuit continuously.
A GFCI outlet comes with three central holes. Two of these holes carry the neutral and hot cables, respectively, while the third one, in the middle, has the ground wire. The outlet cuts off the flow of electricity when there’s a change in the flow of the circuit.
Why Is a GFCI Outlet Important?
Aside from knowing that your home is fully protected against fires, this outlet also protects your family against electrocution and electric shocks. This is particularly important if you have kids and pets that might accidentally touch electronic devices and get electrocuted. Since a GFCI outlet has an integrated sensor, it will monitor inflows and outflows from all appliances.
It will keep your appliances and electronics safe by averting short circuits. Insulation of your devices will wear off, allowing electric current to seep into them. If the appliance has a metallic body, it’ll shock you when touching it. If this problem isn’t fixed immediately, it’ll eventually damage your devices.
This problem can easily be prevented through the installation of a GFCI outlet. The outlet will sense the leaks in real-time and cut off the circuit to avoid shocks and damage to your expensive appliances.
