Electrical safety ground-fault circuit interrupters

AFCIs are electrical safety devices designed to automatically stop the flow of electricity in an electrical circuit when the arc fault is detected within the circuit, to prevent fires from developing. Arc faults are considered one of the major causes of residential electrical fires that occur each year in the United States. Since 2008, new homes built in the United States are required to be provided with AFCIs. See also Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) Grounding. 

Ground fault circuit interrupters.Electrical Safety —Accident Prevention... 

What type of test equipment will the consultant use Each professional will usually bring several items to the survey. You should expect the safety professional to bring a tape measure a ground loop circuit tester to test electrical circuits a multimeter (for 220 and/or 440 volts only) a tic tracer (or similar equipment) to check wires or electrical equipment to see if they are energized and a ground fault circuit interrupter tester [2],... 

Using voltage-rated rubber gloves or jumpers when removing the water meter or repairing a water service within an excavation Electrical protective devices, including fuses, circuit breakers, and ground-fault circuit interrupters are critically important to electrical safety. Ensure all such devices are... 

The first section Installation of Electrical Systems, 1910.302 to. 308, for the most part, covers installation of electrical equipment. Its use is very similar to the National Electrical Code electrical equipment installation. However, there are some sections of the installation requirements that do cover electrical safety. The primary example is providing appropriate working space for equipment likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized. That working space is generally built-in when electrical equipment is installed. The requirements for ground-fault circuit interrupters are another example. 

There are two basic types of electrical circuit protection devices fuses and circuit breakers, and ground fault interrupt (GFI) devices. A circuit breaker is more or less like a reusable fuse. Many people are unfamiliar with how electrical safety devices work, even though these devices are found in all homes. We assume that circuit breakers and GFI devices are... 

The ground fault interrupt device, on the other hand, is designed for personal protection however, it is not infallible and cannot be depended upon for total personal safety. Also, it is used in conjunction with a circuit breaker and only for a specific type of electrical hazard, which we will see below. To understand the problem, let s examine how circuit breakers and GFI devices work. 

If you are not familiar with standard wiring practice, don t attempt this part of the project yourself. Consult a professional electrician. Insure that all wiring conforms to your local code. In this project, the white wire is neutral, the black wire is the hot wire and the bare copper wire is ground. For safety reasons, it is very important that the entire machine be grounded. The machine operates on a 20 amp circuit and as a safety precaution, I suggest plugging the machine into a GFI outlet. GFl stands for Ground Fault Interrupter. This type of outlet is very sensitive to electrical shorts and will immediately shut the circuit down if one occurs. 

---