GFCIs in Your Home

Do you have GFCIs in your home? If it was built after 1975, chances are pretty good that you do, since that was the year they were added to the National Electric Code. These little devices can be lifesavers – in fact, since 1971, they’ve helped to reduce electrocutions from consumer electronics by about 95%!

If you’re scratching your head trying to figure out what GFCIs are, maybe we can help. The letters GFCI stand for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. They’re most commonly identified by the little “TEST” and “RESET” buttons on the face of an outlet. They constantly monitor the electrical flow to the outlet, and immediately cut the flow when an imbalance is detected. If you don’t have GFCIs in your house on outlets within six feet of a water source, you should have them professionally installed. If you do have them, make sure you test them from time to time.