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Santa got Shocked by the Coffee Maker!
It's that time of year...the smell of cinnamon wafting through the air, festive lights adorning the house and a flurry of out of town guests. Every electrical outlet in the house seems to be in use. This is a great opportunity to take a few extra minutes and test your GFCI outlets.
GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) electrical outlets are typically found in kitchens, bathrooms, bars and outdoors...anywhere that water may be present. They are important because they can shut off the electrical power to the circuit in as little as 1/40th of a second if an imbalance in the power and neutral lines is detected. A puddle of water can pull an electrical current, creating not only an imbalance but a dangerous shock hazard. In that situation, a GFCI outlet would "trip", cutting off the power and preventing serious injury.
GFCI outlets should be checked periodically by first pressing the "test" button which should cut off the power, then the "reset" button which should return the outlet to proper operation. These buttons are typically found on the outlet themselves but may be located in the electrical breaker box.
So bake the cookies, hang up the lights, blow dry your hair and plug in the humidifier but test your GFCI outlets first. Wishing you a wonderful and safe holiday season! |
