{"id":6928,"date":"2022-04-20T07:23:36","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T07:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rgelectric.net\/?p=6928"},"modified":"2022-04-20T07:23:37","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T07:23:37","slug":"where-are-gfci-outlets-required","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rgelectric.net\/blog\/where-are-gfci-outlets-required\/","title":{"rendered":"Where are GFCI Outlets Required?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Where are GFCI Outlets Required?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Electricity is a blessing of our age, but it can be very dangerous when people ignore safety requirements. One of these requirements is the presence of ground fault circuit interrupter receptacles or GFCI outlets in our homes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While new homes are equipped with safer outlets, the problem persists with older houses. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation (ESFI), over 40 million American homes don\u2019t have GFCI outlets in rooms with proximity to water. It means that many people are at risk of potential electrocution. While GFCIs are not mandatory for older homes built in the 1970s, we highly recommend installing them in \u201cwet\u201d areas.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is RG Electric\u2019s<\/a> guide on the important information about GFCI outlets.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a grounding?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You probably know that electricity flows through a hot and grounding wire. When you plug in a device, electricity circulates from the source to the device. Another grounding wire connects the device to the earth through a grounding rod to protect people from potential shock if a ground fault occurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a ground fault?
A ground fault occurs when electricity takes an unplanned route to the ground. This route doesn\u2019t provide for any resistance; as a result, the flow of charge rises drastically. Instead of running through a ground cord, it may come across a different conductor, a human or animal, and cause life-threatening shock. The risk of electrocution even increases in \u201cwet\u201d rooms, such as bathrooms or kitchens, because water is a great conductor of electricity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ground fault key takeaways: <\/p>\n\n\n\n