| Be Very Careful When Using Outdoor Outlet |
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By Dwight Barnett
Scripps Howard News Service Spring is here, and with spring comes a lot more activity around the home: painting, caulking, cleaning, raking, landscaping, mowing and trimming. And many of these outdoor activities require the use of a cord-and-plug appliance such as a weed trimmer, drill or blower. Any time you use an outdoor outlet you are taking a chance on accidental shock or electrocution. Even when you use a properly insulated tool and a properly insulated extension cord, there is the chance for a shock. Electricity consists of a positive side and a negative side. Simply stated, electricity travels through the cord on the positive side (black or red wire), operates the device or motor and returns to the power station on the negative side (white wire). The negative side of electricity is also the ground or earth side of the system. Electricity will try to find the easiest path to the ground. Unfortunately, this path may not always be through the protective wiring. For instance, let's say you're using a weed trimmer and you have one or more 50-foot extension cords in use to reach the outer areas of your yard. Every foot of the extension cord exerts resistance on the flow of the electricity through the cord. If you're using a cheap, lightweight cord, the resistance can be enough to overheat it. Or let's say youB9re using a high-quality outdoor extension cord, but the ground is wet (electricity travels more easily through a wet or damp object) and youB9re hot and your hands are sweaty. It is very possible that once the positive charge has reached the weed trimmer, the negative charge will find an easier path to ground through you rather than the long cord. How can you prevent this? A simple device called a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI), which can be installed at the outlet or in the breaker panel, will prevent shock or electrocution. The GFCI has an internal printed circuit that reads the flow of the current through the wiring. If the current varies by 5 mili-amps (five-thousandths of an amp) the GFCI will trip to "off," saving your life. All this happens in about 1/40th of a second, faster than the blink of an eye. GFCI outlets are available at home centers everywhere. But there is one problem that I keep finding: homeowners do not always read the directions for installation. A GFCI will not protect the circuit properly if it is wired incorrectly. Each GFCI outlet is marked on the back side "LINE" and "LOAD." You have to determine which is which. "LINE" is the wire coming from the fuse or breaker panel. This is the wire that feeds current to the outlet. "LOAD" is any other light, switch or outlet connected to the GFCI. Devices on the "LOAD" side will also be protected by the GFCI. But when wired incorrectly, the GFCI will trip off and any device on the "LOAD" side will be off, but the GFCI will remain active -- and this is unsafe. GFCI outlets are easy to install and cost around $5. Read and follow all directions included with each outlet or breaker. Shut off the main electrical switch before attempting replacement of an outlet, and when in doubt contact a licensed professional electrician. GFCI protection should be installed at outlets located outdoors; near pools, spas or fountains; in the garage; in all bathrooms, including shower lighting; in kitchens within 6 feet of the sink; at wet bars; near laundry sinks; in unfinished basements; and in crawl spaces accessed for servicing appliances. Pools, hot tubs and whirlpool tubs need GFCI protection for the pump motors. You do not want GFCI outlets for your freezer or refrigerator because the circuit is so easily tripped that you could lose all the perishable contents. Fluorescent lighting uses a transformer that has a tendency to trip the GFCI circuit. Use a standard breaker or fuse for fluorescent lighting. After the GFCI is installed, you need to trip and reset the device once a month to ensure that the internal mechanism is working properly. ( C. Dwight Barnett is a master inspector certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors. Questions may be addressed to him at P.O. Box 14091, Evansville, IN 47728, or e-mail him a dbarnett@evansville.net.)
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