Darkassassin07 comments on Gemini : How to wire a plug

[–] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 9 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Not very common in North America.

We're required to have them (called GFCI here) near water; bathrooms, kitchens, that sort of thing, but I haven't seen many installed in panels protecting entire homes/shops or protecting banks of several circuits. I don't think I've ever seen one on larger wattage items like clothes dryers or large shop tools either.

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[–] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (3 children)

It's actually required by code in almost every place in homes now for new construction.

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[–] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 1 point 11 months ago (2 children)

Unless that changed within the last 5ish years; not they aren't. But this is nuance that varies region to region; North America doesn't have one single unified electrical code, though most of it is more or less the same.

I'm in a new (rental) home, built roughly 6years ago; the only places I have GFCI is bathrooms and kitchen. (and I believe the outdoor outlet too, but not certain without checking)

Bedrooms and the living room have AFCI breakers, but that's not for protection against shocks. (and no, they're not dual purpose breakers).

https://www.legrand.us/ideas/blogs/gfci-outlet-requirements

Tldr:

Where are GFCI Outlets Required? Generally installed in areas near water or potential moisture, GFCI outlets are commonly used in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, garages, unfinished basements, or outdoor spaces, as required by the NEC.

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[–] chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world 1 point 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 child)

CAFI breakers are required for new builds, which replaced the function of GFCI outlets and also adds arc fault protection.

Not all districts are using the latest version of the NEC, so some regions may not require it yet.

The NEC ground fault protection covers basically every outlet and appliance now except living rooms and bedrooms. Garages, kitchens, bathrooms, exterior outlets, AC units, crawl spaces, accessory buildings.....you name it. Pretty much 70% of your home's electrical has to be ground fault protected now in new builds.

All outlets pretty much everywhere require arc fault protection now, including bedrooms, living rooms, and everywhere ground fault is required.

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[–] Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca 1 point 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

CAFI breakers combine series and parallel arc fault detection (AFCI only detect parallel arcs). They DO NOT provide GFCI protection.

https://homeinspectioninsider.com/cafci/

Initially, AFCI devices were primarily required in bedrooms, as these areas were most prone to undetected arcing that could result in fires. However, as the need for increased protection became more evident, the requirement for AFCI or CAFCI devices expanded to all parts of your home.

The only exception is moisture-prone areas, such as bathrooms, kitchens, outdoor circuits, and laundry rooms. You might install a GFCI device instead of a CAFCI one in these areas. But as CAFCI technology advances, the goal is for them to replace GFCI devices eventually.

Ground Fault protection is still only required near water as far as I can find. Combination AFCI+GFCI breakers do exist, but they aren't actually required anywhere afaik. (and I've never seen one in person)

Got a reference handy?

Bored. For shits and giggles, I just tested one of the Combo AFCI breakers in my home. It does not trip when presented with a ground fault.

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