Home Repair forum

Author

GFI's

John H.

2006-04-19, 7:21 pm

My brother was telling me that if you replace a regular outlet with a GFI,
the whole circuit is protected?

I've added a couple of aquariums to my home since moving in and its pretty
hard to move them after they
been filled with water to replace the outlets (should have done it before).

Can I just find another outlet on that circuit and replace it with a GFI?
Sounds too easy.

TIA
John

Joseph Meehan

2006-04-19, 7:21 pm

John H. wrote:
> My brother was telling me that if you replace a regular outlet with a
> GFI, the whole circuit is protected?
>
> I've added a couple of aquariums to my home since moving in and its
> pretty hard to move them after they
> been filled with water to replace the outlets (should have done it
> before).
> Can I just find another outlet on that circuit and replace it with a
> GFI? Sounds too easy.
>
> TIA
> John

I believe it depends. All the circuits downstream from the GFI are
protected IF you wire them though the GFI. This is usually done that way so
often one bath may be protected by a GFI in another or in the basement. If
it not passed through the GFI then no other circuits are protected. Note:
some GFI's are put in the breaker box and that entire circuit will be
protected.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

PipeDown

2006-04-19, 8:21 pm

"John H." <john@wontwork.com> wrote in message
news:e56dneDAiKC9KdvZnZ2dnUVZ_sKdnZ2d@comcast.com...
> My brother was telling me that if you replace a regular outlet with a GFI,
> the whole circuit is protected?
>
> I've added a couple of aquariums to my home since moving in and its pretty
> hard to move them after they
> been filled with water to replace the outlets (should have done it
> before).
>
> Can I just find another outlet on that circuit and replace it with a GFI?
> Sounds too easy.
>
> TIA
> John
>

Well, it depends on where in the branch curcuit the GFCI is installed. the
outlets downstream (connected to the GFCI load terminals) will be protected
same as the GFCI but ones upstrream (closer to the breaker box) or ones
wired in parallel to the GFCI (to the line terminals) will not be protected.

So find another outlet on that circuit upstream from the aquarium. If you
have done it correctly, when you test the GFCI, the aquarium will turn off
also.

2006-04-20, 1:21 am

On Wed, 19 Apr 2006 22:11:35 GMT, "Joseph Meehan"
<sligojoe_Spamno@hotmail.com> wrote:

>John H. wrote:
>
> I believe it depends. All the circuits downstream from the GFI are
>protected IF you wire them though the GFI. This is usually done that way so
>often one bath may be protected by a GFI in another or in the basement. If
>it not passed through the GFI then no other circuits are protected. \\

> Note:
>some GFI's are put in the breaker box and that entire circuit will be
>protected.

Good point. Those are GFI breakers, not GFI outlets,

and
everything connected to that breaker is protected. Mine protects
things all over the house, all of them near water. But since no one
planned for the aquariums, you could put a GFI breaker in an added
circuit that the aquarium uses.

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