DALY CITY — Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFIs) are commonly used in bathrooms, kitchens and other areas where the presence of water brings an increased risk of electric shock. However, not everyone knows that GFIs are also a good protective measure in homes that aren’t grounded.
You can tell if a home’s electricity is grounded simply by looking at its outlets. If they only have two prongs, they’re not grounded—that’s what the third prong in a three-pronged outlet is for. Two-pronged outlets are common in homes that have old knob-and-tube wiring, which is a predecessor to today’s modern wiring.
In a home with ungrounded outlets, GFIs can literally be lifesavers. If a person gets electrocuted from an outlet that isn’t grounded, they’ll be exposed to the full voltage coming out of it, which may be up to 20 or 30 amps of electricity. A GFI breaker protects against this by measuring the voltage coming to and from the outlet and sensing when the electrical current is taking an unintended path, which is known as a “ground fault.” When the GFI senses a ground fault, it immediately trips to protect the user (the recipient of the current’s unintended path) from electrocution.
If your home’s electrical system isn’t grounded, the ideal solution is to replace your old knob-and-tube wiring with wiring that conforms to modern standards. However, if you can’t afford a whole-home rewire, consider the more affordable option of outfitting your outlets with GFIs. Either way, don’t put off resolving this dangerous state of affairs—call an electrician and get it taken care of as soon as possible.

GFI Protection in Ungrounded Homes

Learn why GFI protection is crucial for ungrounded homes and how it enhances electrical safety, reducing the risk of shock and fire hazards.

GFI Protection in Ungrounded Homes by Sergey Ivanov

by Sergey Ivanov of {BR} Bit Electrical Inc.

Avoiding Dangerous Conditions with Electrical Fuses

Video: Avoiding Electrical Fuse Burnout

 If you find yourself using bigger and bigger fuses to fill your home's power needs, it's time to update your electrical system. To learn more, we're in Daly City with Brian Polly, a B.I. Electrical speaking on behalf of our Diamond Certified expert contributor, Sergey Ivanov. Yeah, an old house with fuse boxes. You know, we used to have like, you know, 10 or 15 20-amp fuse. When you put the 15-amp fuse, that would burn out. You put a 20-amp fuse, that would burn out. But a 30-amp fuse that burns out. Then you put a 40-amp fuse in, you burn your house down.

So, the best thing to do is that if you keep on having to put in larger and larger screw-in fuses, call an electrician out. Have them reevaluate the system so that maybe you can move some power different places, but to increase those fuses, you're just guaranteed to eventually overheat your wires and burn your house down.

To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified expert reports at experts.diamondcertified.org. 

Video: The Value of GFI Protection


When it comes to electrical safety in the home, GFI protection is a top priority. To learn more, we're in Daly City with Brian Poly, a Bit Electrical speaking on behalf of our Diamond Certified expert contributors, Sergey Ivanov.

"Yes, GFI breakers are really good in properties that are not grounded. What happens is that when it's not grounded, if you ever touch something that's not grounded, you're going to have a shock that's going to go all that the 20 or 30 amps. And what's going to happen is that you're going to get the full voltage through your body until 30 amps trips.

Okay, with a GFI breaker, the measurement measures power out and measures power back in. So when you touch something and that voltage changes and it measures it going out but not coming back in, it trips itself. So whenever you touch something that's hot that's not GFI protected, you get the full voltage. When you touch something that is GFI protected, you just get that measured distance between the two. Long story short, what happens is that trips.

To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified expert reports at experts.diamondcertified.org."


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