What is a GFCI outlet?Īnother type of plug you may have in your home is a GFCI outlet, or a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter outlet. If you have a home where you do not have grounded plugs or a grounded wire, you may want to talk to a qualified electrician to get a grounded wire put into your home’s electrical system. You need a grounding wire in your electrical set up to ensure that you’re safe. However, this will not protect your electrical outlet, walls, insulation or your appliances from electrical shocks. The plug plugs into your two-pronged outlet, but has three prongs. If you have a two-pronged outlet and you have three pronged appliances (as many people do), what do you do? Well, you could use what is called a “cheat” plug. Granted, the plug still wouldn’t be working, but it also wouldn’t be ruining your appliances… or you. If the same thing occurred with a three-pronged outlet and you plugged something (with three prongs) into the outlet, the ground wire would absorb the shock and take the current into the ground where it can be safely neutralized. The appliance you were trying to plug in could also get a large electric current, potentially ruining it. When you plugged something into a two-pronged outlet you would most likely get a shock. It also stabilizes voltage and protects people, properties, and equipment from electric shock.įor example, say something happened to the hot wire in the plug. This grounding wire neutralizes any dangerous electrical current into the ground.Ī grounding line is used to protect your appliances from surges or overvoltage problems. A grounding wire is connected separately to each outlet, and then is connected to the bottom of the breaker box. Because having a grounding wire and grounded (three-pronged) outlets adds an extra level of safety, newer houses and buildings are required to have three-pronged outlets with grounding wires. These outlets do not have a grounding wire within the electrical system. If you live in an older home, you may have outlets that don’t have a third or “grounded” hole. What is the difference between a two-pronged and three-pronged/grounded outlet? Another level of safety for your home’s electrical system is having a grounded wire and grounded outlets. It’s called a circuit breaker because it will “trip” or “break” a circuit (stop electric current from flowing) if the electric current is too high. When you unplug the lamp the circuit is broken and thus the lamp doesn’t work.Ī circuit breaker is one level of protection in a home. The circuit is completed when the current is brought back into the outlet through the neutral slot, and back into the circuit breaker. When you plug in a lamp and turn it on, the hot part of the outlet allows electricity to flow into the lamp, turning on the light bulb. The neutral hole is connected to the wire that brings the electrical current back to the breaker box. The hot hole is connected to the wire that supplies the electrical current. The second hole, or right hole, is called “hot”. The first hole, or left hole, is called “neutral”.
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