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Why Don’t I have a GFI Electrical Outlet in my Bathroom?

  
  
  

gfi electricalJust because you don’t see a physical GFI outlet in your bathroom, doesn’t mean you don’t have GFI protection. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI or GFI for short), detects a ground fault and can stop the flow of electricity in a fraction of a second. They truly can be lifesaving devices. You need GFI protection in wet locations, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoors.

If you don’t have a physical GFI outlet in that particular bathroom, it may be located in a nearby location, which will still give the bathroom protection. As long as the GFI outlet is wired in the correct position, it will protect outlets downstream of it, although many electricians use 5-7 outlets as a general rule.

The outlets may also be protected by a GFCI circuit breaker. You can look in the main panel for the breaker as it will be marked as such and will have a reset on it.

To test if you have GFI protection in a particular outlet, you can plug in a tester, push the button, and see if power stops to the outlet. If an outlet is protected by GFI, it should have a small sticker on it that says “GFI protected”, but this certainly doesn’t always happen. The stickers also fall off.

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Comments

Thanks a lot for your useful info. I am always afraid for the GFI electrical protection in my bathroom. I am very happy to know your info. I am grateful for your superb post. 
electrician
Posted @ Tuesday, August 14, 2012 4:33 AM by Nathan Smith
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