Everything You Should Know About GFCI Outlet Installation?

Have you ever thought to install a GFCI outlet at home? A GFCI breaker is also known as the ground fault circuit breaker. You can install a GFCI outlet into your home’s electrical panel or breaker box to provide protection for the whole branch circuit it works for so You Should Know About GFCI Outlet installation.

The ground fault circuit breaker is sometimes installed to install GFCI receptacles in particular locations where the local electrical code needs them. GFCI outlet focuses on protecting people from accidental electric shock during a circuit failure.

Outlet Circuits:

When it comes to building codes in many areas, there must be additional protection against sparking for all-purpose use outlet circuits called AFCI protection. While GFCI is intended to prevent electric shock, AFCI protects against sparking and fire outbreak.

You can install both GFCI and AFCI protection in a circuit to protect against electrocution and sparking. There is a special multi-purpose GFCI/AFCI circuit breaker available, installed in the same way as a GFCI breaker.

Before Installation:

Various manufacturers create electric service panels and circuit breakers, which are not universally amicable. When you install a new circuit breaker, your breaker must complement the brand and quality of your electrical panel so You Should Know About GFCI Outlet installation.

You can consult the breaker and electrical panel manufacturer for recommendations. The new circuit breaker must carry proper amperage ratings and voltage for the circuit it will protect.

Most high-quality branch circuits have a rating of 120 volts and 15 to 20 amperages.

Make sure your new breaker is suitable for the circuit regarding the amperage size. Usually, 15 amps are appropriate for a circuit that is wired with a 14-gauge wire.

On the contrary, 20 amps are suitable for a circuit that is wired with a 12-gauge wire.

Safety Measures

When it comes to circuit breaker installation, you need to consider safety measures. When installing a new circuit breaker, you have to deal with working equipment that carries deadly voltage with chances of electrocution.

While installing the GFCI breaker, the main breaker circuit and the branch circuits in the electrical panel will be switched off.

While the incoming conductors and the terminals where the conductors connect to the electric panel have power all the time.

That’s why never touch the lugs or service lines while you are working in the service panel

GFCI Breakers versus Standard Breakers; What’s the difference?

Both the GFCI and standard breakers are single pole circuit breakers occupying one slot on the electrical panel. A single-pole circuit breaker is usually connected with one hot circuit wire and one neutral wire.

The most significant difference between the standard breaker so You Should Know About GFCI Outlet installation and the GFCI breaker is the neutral connection.

The neutral wire connects to the neutral bus bar on the electrical panel with the standard breaker, and it doesn’t connect to the circuit breaker.

On the contrary, in an AFCI/GFCI breaker, the neutral wire connects with the neutral terminal on the circuit breaker. The GFCI breaker also has a short, coiled, and white neutral wire preinstalled on the circuit breaker and connected with the neutral bus bar in the electrical panel.

Take Help from The Professionals

Although installing an AFCI/GFCI circuit breaker or GFCI breaker is simple, there is always a risk of electric shock. So, it is better to leave it to the professionals. A highly experienced professional electrician has years of expertise in installing the GFCI breaker in electrical panels.

They know how to install it safely without any risk of electric shock or sparking in the electrical panel. Professional help can save you from the electrocution or fire outbreak resulting from sparking in the wire misconnected. Installing a GFCI outlet is not a DIY project to show your electrical skills instead, it is a very hazardous task.

If you don’t have enough time and abilities to install a GFCI breaker. So, you can take help from a licensed electrician who takes less than an hour to complete the GFCI installation. Many companies provide the best home GFCI installation services at highly affordable rates.

How To Install the GFCI Breaker?

In this post, we will guide you on installing an AFCI/GFCI circuit breaker or GFCI breaker in an electrical panel. If the circuit cable is already routing into the electrical panel, you have to install the new GFCI breaker. But this process is not the same if you connect the GFCI or AFCI/GFCI circuit breaker instead of a standard circuit breaker.

• Turn Off the Power

First of all, open the electrical panel door and switch off the main breaker. Remove the electrical panel cover, a dead front cover, without touching any electrical wires.

Confirm that there is no power in the electrical panel with the help of a non-conduct voltage tester to test circuit breakers and several wires.

In a double pole breaker, check both terminals and make sure the circuit breaker is switching on.

• Knockout Plates

The next step is to remove the knockout plates on the electrical panel cover to open the new circuit breakers using the pliers.

• Connect AFCI/GFCI Breaker or GFCI breaker:

Then turn the new GFCI breaker to the off position. Connect the hot wire in the circuit to the load or hot screw terminal on the circuit breaker with a screwdriver. Then connect the neutral wire to the neutral screw terminal on the circuit breaker. Connect the white neutral wire with the neutral bus bar in the service panel. Don’t connect more than one electrical wire to a single terminal.

• Install the GFCI breaker

Then install the new GFCI breaker into the electrical panel as directed by the manufacturer. Most GFCI breakers have a foot or notch on the outermost end of the circuit breaker before installation You Should Know About GFCI Outlet installation. This notch fits into the mounting rail present on the outer side of the circuit breaker in the electrical panel. On the other hand, the inner end of the circuit breaker snaps into a clip or a tab on the hot bus bar in the electrical panel.

• Test New GFCI breaker

Then place the electrical panel’s door back in its place. Switch off all the branch circuits or any appliances connected to the new breaker. Then switch on the main breaker to restore power to the service panel. Close the electrical panel door.

Key Takeaways

You can install a GFCI breaker into your service panel to prevent yourself from electric shock and electrical fires. You can hire a licensed electrician for the GFCI breaker installation in your panel.