1 00:00:00,099 --> 00:00:04,290 If you live in North America, you’re probably familiar with electrical outlets that have 2 00:00:04,290 --> 00:00:06,380 a test and reset button. 3 00:00:06,380 --> 00:00:10,680 Older ones would have red and black buttons, but newer ones are usually matched to the 4 00:00:10,690 --> 00:00:12,480 color of the receptacle. 5 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,090 If you’ve ever messed about with one of these and pressed the TEST button, you’ll 6 00:00:16,090 --> 00:00:19,580 have noticed it sort of POP with the RESET button sticking out a bit, 7 00:00:19,580 --> 00:00:22,210 and now the outlet is dead. 8 00:00:22,210 --> 00:00:24,360 To be fair, it told you to test it. 9 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:28,440 But now you have to exert quite of bit of force to shove that reset button back in place 10 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,660 before the outlet will work again. 11 00:00:30,660 --> 00:00:31,660 What is this for? 12 00:00:31,660 --> 00:00:34,809 Why are they usually only found in kitchens and bathrooms? 13 00:00:34,809 --> 00:00:36,719 Will I ask a fourth question? 14 00:00:36,719 --> 00:00:39,750 And how are they, as the title suggests, life-saving? 15 00:00:39,750 --> 00:00:45,800 Well, this is called (in Americaspeak) a ground-fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI. 16 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,580 Sometimes they’re just called Ground-Fault Interrupters, or GFIs. 17 00:00:49,589 --> 00:00:54,079 The rest of the world calls them Residual Current Devices, or RCDs, and usually they 18 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,910 aren’t found in the bathroom but in the service panel protecting the entire circuit 19 00:00:57,910 --> 00:00:59,980 (and sometimes the entire house). 20 00:00:59,980 --> 00:01:05,300 These simple devices use a fundamental principle of electricity to detect when an electric shock 21 00:01:05,300 --> 00:01:09,860 might be in progress, and can nearly instantly cut power to the circuit to stop 22 00:01:09,869 --> 00:01:11,740 said electric shock. 23 00:01:11,740 --> 00:01:15,520 The US electric code requires these outlets to be fitted when they are within a certain 24 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,159 distance of a water source. 25 00:01:17,159 --> 00:01:21,380 That’s why they’re usually found in the kitchen and bathrooms, though electrical outlets 26 00:01:21,380 --> 00:01:26,090 found in other potentially wet locations, such as exterior outlets or those in a laundry 27 00:01:26,090 --> 00:01:29,740 room or garage, will usually require protection as well. 28 00:01:29,740 --> 00:01:33,740 The theory is that you’re much more likely to experience an electric shock near water, 29 00:01:33,740 --> 00:01:37,710 ‘cause water tends to conduct electricity pretty well and thus if your hands are wet 30 00:01:37,710 --> 00:01:42,630 or a power cord is wet, you’re at a significantly higher risk of electric shock when touching 31 00:01:42,630 --> 00:01:44,290 anything remotely electrical. 32 00:01:44,290 --> 00:01:48,429 Anyway, how do these devices determine if a shock might be happening, and thus how do 33 00:01:48,429 --> 00:01:50,159 they know they need to break the circuit? 34 00:01:50,159 --> 00:01:52,700 Well, part of the answer is in the name. 35 00:01:52,700 --> 00:01:58,039 The Americaspeak version, ground-fault circuit interrupter, suggests it can detect some problem 36 00:01:58,039 --> 00:01:59,789 related to the ground. 37 00:01:59,789 --> 00:02:04,409 The most-other-places name, Residual Current Device, suggests current is going somewhere 38 00:02:04,409 --> 00:02:05,409 it shouldn’t. 39 00:02:05,409 --> 00:02:09,380 I’ve always felt that both of these names compliment the other and make the issue easier 40 00:02:09,380 --> 00:02:12,680 to understand, but on their own they’re somewhat inadequate. 41 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:17,220 Residual current is kinda the result of a ground fault, but what does that even mean? 42 00:02:17,540 --> 00:02:21,580 Well, in any ordinary circumstance, the current flowing out of one side of the outlet will 43 00:02:21,580 --> 00:02:24,830 exactly match the current flowing back into the other. 44 00:02:24,830 --> 00:02:27,340 There should always be a balance in an electric circuit 45 00:02:27,340 --> 00:02:30,220 between the hot supply and the neutral return. 46 00:02:30,220 --> 00:02:34,070 If you plug in a toaster, then for every unit of current flowing towards the toaster in 47 00:02:34,070 --> 00:02:38,450 this wire, there is an equal unit of current flowing away from it in the other. 48 00:02:38,450 --> 00:02:41,850 The same holds true for the reverse polarity of the A/C cycle. 49 00:02:41,850 --> 00:02:45,910 But if I were to get an electric shock from the toaster, perhaps by being a complete fool 50 00:02:45,910 --> 00:02:51,030 and sticking a knife down there like you should never ever do, kids, then some of the current 51 00:02:51,030 --> 00:02:54,440 coming from the outlet gets diverted through my body. 52 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:58,000 Now, the current leaving the outlet is greater than the current returning, 53 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,520 because some of it doesn’t actually return. 54 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,870 There is now an imbalance between the current flowing out of the hot wire and back through 55 00:03:04,870 --> 00:03:06,400 the neutral wire. 56 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,880 This fault condition is, from the outlet’s perspective, a ground fault. 57 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,560 Some of the current is not returning to ground, or the neutral side. 58 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,520 Somewhere outside the circuit, there is residual current. 59 00:03:17,530 --> 00:03:21,050 See, both names work, but they describe the problem differently. 60 00:03:21,050 --> 00:03:22,680 With a ground-fault detected, 61 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:24,440 With residual current detected, 62 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:25,500 the device needs to 63 00:03:25,500 --> 00:03:27,170 interrupt the circuit. 64 00:03:27,170 --> 00:03:29,670 So it’s a ground fault circuit interrupter. 65 00:03:29,670 --> 00:03:31,740 So it’s a residual current device. 66 00:03:31,740 --> 00:03:36,030 As a side note, I like the term ground-fault circuit interrupter better because it describes 67 00:03:36,030 --> 00:03:39,070 both what it detects and what it does. 68 00:03:39,070 --> 00:03:45,420 Even the 25% discount term, Ground Fault Interrupter, describes both the problem and the action. 69 00:03:45,420 --> 00:03:49,620 Residual current device is a little incomplete in describing its mission, but I will grant 70 00:03:49,620 --> 00:03:54,210 that residual current seems like a less-technical description than ground-fault. 71 00:03:54,210 --> 00:03:55,080 But whatever. 72 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,340 Now, I’ve always found the best way to show how devices do what they do is to tear one apart. 73 00:03:59,340 --> 00:04:01,080 Off to the hardware store! 74 00:04:01,090 --> 00:04:02,310 I’m back! 75 00:04:02,310 --> 00:04:04,310 So let’s take a look at this thing. 76 00:04:04,310 --> 00:04:08,560 Like any electrical outlet, is has terminals for incoming hot and neutral, as well as a 77 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:09,940 separate ground. 78 00:04:09,940 --> 00:04:11,900 But these ones here are a little interesting. 79 00:04:11,900 --> 00:04:15,990 See, most standard outlets have two pairs of terminals as well, but they’re connected 80 00:04:15,990 --> 00:04:17,700 by this little tab. 81 00:04:17,700 --> 00:04:22,420 This electrically joins the two halves together, so connecting just one pair of wires powers 82 00:04:22,420 --> 00:04:27,150 both sides of the outlet, and you easily can daisy-chain outlets together within a circuit. 83 00:04:27,150 --> 00:04:32,370 However, if you break the tabs off, now each outlet is wired separately. 84 00:04:32,370 --> 00:04:37,190 This is often done so that one pair of plugs can have two functions, with one side on a 85 00:04:37,190 --> 00:04:40,420 light switch for a lamp, and the other on all the time. 86 00:04:40,420 --> 00:04:44,870 But the second set of terminals on a GFCI is protected by its internal circuitry. 87 00:04:44,870 --> 00:04:47,800 That’s why they are labeled LINE and LOAD. 88 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,051 Incoming power goes into the LINE terminals, and any outlets farther down the circuit that 89 00:04:52,051 --> 00:04:56,910 are attached to the LOAD terminals will also become ground-fault protected. 90 00:04:56,910 --> 00:05:00,960 The practical upshot of this is that in a chain of outlets on one circuit, only the 91 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:03,790 first needs to be a GFCI receptacle. 92 00:05:03,790 --> 00:05:08,180 The rest downstream will all get protection, though there is a limit to how many you can 93 00:05:08,180 --> 00:05:12,150 string along depending on national and local electric codes. 94 00:05:12,150 --> 00:05:16,910 One little curiosity is that most outlets of this type can interrupt 20 amps, so although 95 00:05:16,910 --> 00:05:22,210 this is only a 15 amp receptacle, it can be placed in a 20 amp circuit and provide protection 96 00:05:22,210 --> 00:05:24,090 for other 20 amp receptacles. 97 00:05:24,090 --> 00:05:25,600 So, let’s open it up. 98 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,610 With everything removed we find the four screw terminals mounted to a circuit board. 99 00:05:29,610 --> 00:05:34,370 These braided copper wires are carrying current from the line side through to the load side, 100 00:05:34,370 --> 00:05:39,310 and the top pair of switch contacts would normally energize the pins of the actual receptacle, 101 00:05:39,310 --> 00:05:42,390 which when assembled lie far above the circuit board. 102 00:05:42,390 --> 00:05:46,380 This nylon bracket can move back and forth, and it forms the actual switch that will break 103 00:05:46,380 --> 00:05:48,540 the circuit in a fault condition. 104 00:05:48,540 --> 00:05:52,780 It rests in the closed condition with the help of a latch, and a spring down below will 105 00:05:52,780 --> 00:05:57,400 keep it in the open position once enough force is exerted on it to overcome the latch. 106 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:02,210 Now, this black cylinder piece is a tightly wound coil of wire called a solenoid, and 107 00:06:02,210 --> 00:06:05,920 when current is passed through it it creates a magnetic field which will force an iron 108 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:08,690 plunger out of it in this direction. 109 00:06:08,690 --> 00:06:12,260 This plunger isn’t visible but it is what breaks the circuit. 110 00:06:12,260 --> 00:06:16,450 When the electronics detect a ground fault, they divert power into the solenoid which 111 00:06:16,450 --> 00:06:19,600 will push the plunger forward and thus kill the power. 112 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:21,840 But how does it detect current leakage? 113 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:26,070 Well, look closely at the path the electricity takes from the line connections through to 114 00:06:26,070 --> 00:06:27,669 the switch contacts. 115 00:06:27,669 --> 00:06:32,820 It goes via these busbars through a round doo-dad, and if we move this varistor out 116 00:06:32,820 --> 00:06:36,550 of the way we can see that inside is a coil of wire. 117 00:06:36,550 --> 00:06:40,470 This is the sense coil, and if you look on the bottom you find that this is what is being 118 00:06:40,470 --> 00:06:41,480 monitored. 119 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:46,230 You can see that IC1 has its pins connected to the output of the coil, with some support 120 00:06:46,230 --> 00:06:47,740 components peppered in. 121 00:06:47,740 --> 00:06:50,139 And now we go back to school for a moment. 122 00:06:50,139 --> 00:06:54,890 You were likely taught that when current passes through a wire, it generates a magnetic field. 123 00:06:54,890 --> 00:06:59,790 Likewise, when a magnetic field encounters a wire, it induces a current in the wire. 124 00:06:59,790 --> 00:07:04,330 Basic stuff, but this is exactly the principle that makes the GFCI work. 125 00:07:04,330 --> 00:07:09,050 See, in a normal condition, whatever unit of current is going up through this side is 126 00:07:09,050 --> 00:07:11,770 also going down through that side. 127 00:07:11,770 --> 00:07:16,010 The current going to the toaster as before, goes up this side, and the current coming 128 00:07:16,010 --> 00:07:18,810 back from it goes down that side. 129 00:07:18,810 --> 00:07:22,040 Of course that’s constantly switching back and forth due to the fact that we’re dealing 130 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:26,169 with A/C electricity, but they are always opposite directions. 131 00:07:26,169 --> 00:07:30,610 Both bus bars generate a pretty sizeable magnetic field around them depending of course on the 132 00:07:30,610 --> 00:07:36,230 load, but because they are going in opposite directions the fields cancel each other out. 133 00:07:36,230 --> 00:07:40,410 That means that normally, no current is actually induced in the sense coil. 134 00:07:40,410 --> 00:07:44,270 Even though there are two magnetic fields being generated, they are of equal amount 135 00:07:44,270 --> 00:07:47,920 and opposite polarity, so the net result is zero. 136 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:52,570 But if there’s any imbalance at all between the current going up one side and down the 137 00:07:52,570 --> 00:07:57,950 other, now the magnetic fields are no longer in equal opposition and they don’t entirely 138 00:07:57,950 --> 00:07:59,240 cancel out. 139 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:04,540 A tiny imbalance generates enough current in the sense coil for the electronics to detect, 140 00:08:04,540 --> 00:08:08,980 and as soon as they do so the solenoid fires and disconnects the circuit. 141 00:08:08,980 --> 00:08:13,180 Most devices like this are designed to break the circuit in 30 milliseconds or less, and 142 00:08:13,180 --> 00:08:18,169 in the US they are designed to trip with only 5 milliamps of leakage current. 143 00:08:18,169 --> 00:08:20,330 So what’s the real-world use of this? 144 00:08:20,330 --> 00:08:21,330 Let me show you. 145 00:08:21,330 --> 00:08:24,080 A word of caution for the following demonstrations. 146 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:25,800 What I’m doing is pretty dangerous. 147 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:30,870 Energizing exposed terminals at line voltage is not something you should casually do. 148 00:08:30,870 --> 00:08:33,890 Let me do the dangerous stuff, and please don’t try this at home. 149 00:08:33,890 --> 00:08:38,769 I’ve wired up this naked GFCI to a plug and I’ve put a few of things on its output. 150 00:08:38,769 --> 00:08:42,119 First, a standard light socket with a standard bulb. 151 00:08:42,119 --> 00:08:46,770 Second, the same light socket but with an adapter for an itty bitty bulb, and this one’s 152 00:08:46,770 --> 00:08:48,040 wired correctly. 153 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:53,230 And third, the same light socket and adapter, but this time it’s wired incorrectly. 154 00:08:53,230 --> 00:08:55,350 So right now, everything looks good. 155 00:08:55,350 --> 00:08:59,330 The current exiting the plug always matches the current returning, so the electronics 156 00:08:59,330 --> 00:09:02,139 don’t intervene and the light stays lit. 157 00:09:02,139 --> 00:09:06,449 Now I’m going to screw this little 5 watt bulb into the top light socket. 158 00:09:06,449 --> 00:09:08,880 Nothing happens, it just comes on. 159 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,629 But now I’ll tighten the light on the bottom. 160 00:09:11,629 --> 00:09:16,920 As soon as it makes contact, the electronics in the GFCI intervene, firing the solenoid, 161 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:18,470 and breaking the circuit. 162 00:09:18,470 --> 00:09:19,470 But why? 163 00:09:19,470 --> 00:09:23,180 Well, the second light socket was wired with a deliberate ground fault. 164 00:09:23,180 --> 00:09:28,130 I attached its hot wire to the monitored output of the GFCI just like the the first one, but 165 00:09:28,130 --> 00:09:32,640 its neutral wire was hooked into the supply neutral of the outlet, therefore bypassing 166 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:34,240 the sense coil. 167 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:38,639 This meant that the current that flowed out through this wire and into the bulb didn’t 168 00:09:38,639 --> 00:09:40,839 take the same path back to the outlet. 169 00:09:40,839 --> 00:09:45,420 It leaked out somewhere (in this case just to here), and the outlet could detect the 170 00:09:45,420 --> 00:09:48,660 resulting current imbalance through the sense coil. 171 00:09:48,660 --> 00:09:53,480 Even though this lamp is really small, passing only 41 milliamps when it’s lit, the GFCI 172 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,820 could immediately detect the fault and broke the circuit. 173 00:10:15,260 --> 00:10:19,000 The second lamp is analogous to someone getting an electric shock. 174 00:10:19,009 --> 00:10:22,600 Current flowed out of the outlet, but it didn’t make its way back in. 175 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:27,060 If this were a human body rather than a light bulb, said human could be in for a 176 00:10:27,060 --> 00:10:28,920 shocking experience. 177 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:33,279 But thanks to the GFCI, the fault condition was immediately detected and the current flow 178 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:34,620 was stopped. 179 00:10:35,980 --> 00:10:37,910 Let me show you how fast this happens. 180 00:10:37,910 --> 00:10:41,769 I’ve disconnected the return wire so I can just push it against the contacts. 181 00:10:41,769 --> 00:10:47,220 If I go to this contact nothing happens because the current is taking the correct path to ground. 182 00:10:47,220 --> 00:10:50,600 The current returning from the bulb goes through the sense coil. 183 00:10:50,610 --> 00:10:55,730 But if I just barely brush against the incoming neutral connection, causing the return current 184 00:10:55,730 --> 00:11:00,889 to flow outside the sense coil, it detects the imbalance imperceptibly quickly. 185 00:11:00,889 --> 00:11:02,589 And that’s why these are life savers. 186 00:11:02,589 --> 00:11:06,660 Imagine you’ve plugged your hair dryer into the outlet in your bathroom, and the cord 187 00:11:06,660 --> 00:11:07,889 is frayed. 188 00:11:07,889 --> 00:11:11,959 You might have never noticed it, but if you touched that wire with a wet hand you’d 189 00:11:11,959 --> 00:11:14,010 be in for a nasty shock. 190 00:11:14,010 --> 00:11:18,189 But if plugged into a ground fault interrupter, almost immediately the current flow would 191 00:11:18,189 --> 00:11:21,290 be stopped and your life may very well have been saved. 192 00:11:21,290 --> 00:11:24,820 And that’s why most modern devices that are going to be used in the bathroom, 193 00:11:24,820 --> 00:11:26,000 like a hair dryer, 194 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:30,429 are required to have a GFCI built into their power plugs here in the US. 195 00:11:30,429 --> 00:11:34,680 There are plenty of older homes without GFCI equipped receptacles, 196 00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:37,059 and for these your-hands-will-definitely-be-wet 197 00:11:37,059 --> 00:11:39,619 scenarios, it’s better safe than sorry. 198 00:11:39,619 --> 00:11:41,200 And now, some other things! 199 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:45,000 First, in the US, these generally are NOT circuit breakers. 200 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:49,380 OK, yes they are, but I mean they don’t protect against short circuits 201 00:11:49,380 --> 00:11:50,960 or excessive current. 202 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:55,300 They are not a replacement for a traditional circuit breaker but are instead a supplement 203 00:11:55,309 --> 00:11:56,319 to them. 204 00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:00,900 They do not duplicate the overcurrent protection of your standard circuit breaker or fuse. 205 00:12:00,900 --> 00:12:04,760 Many GFCI receptacles here in the US have an LED to indicate... 206 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:06,000 something. 207 00:12:06,010 --> 00:12:08,879 The state that is being indicated is entirely nonstandard. 208 00:12:08,879 --> 00:12:12,809 Many, such as these, have a light indicating that it’s working. 209 00:12:12,809 --> 00:12:16,119 Presumably that light would go out if the protection has failed. 210 00:12:16,119 --> 00:12:20,059 But I’ve also seen plugs where the light is normally out, but comes on when the outlet 211 00:12:20,059 --> 00:12:21,529 has tripped! 212 00:12:21,529 --> 00:12:25,779 And these ones in my kitchen are normally green and are off when tripped, but when you 213 00:12:25,779 --> 00:12:28,319 reset them, they briefly illuminate red. 214 00:12:28,319 --> 00:12:32,790 So probably, they would light up red if the protection circuit had failed. 215 00:12:32,790 --> 00:12:33,790 Which does happen. 216 00:12:33,790 --> 00:12:36,720 That’s why they are all labeled “TEST MONTHLY”. 217 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:40,759 And the neat thing about the test is that this actually creates a ground fault! 218 00:12:40,759 --> 00:12:45,309 You might have noticed this resistor apparently randomly sticking up from the circuit board. 219 00:12:45,309 --> 00:12:49,959 This resistor creates a path to the incoming neutral, and pressing the TEST button shunts 220 00:12:49,959 --> 00:12:52,480 this resistor to the monitored hot. 221 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:56,319 So by pressing the TEST button, you are for real testing its ability to detect a ground 222 00:12:56,319 --> 00:13:00,630 fault because you actually are creating a ground-fault internally. 223 00:13:00,630 --> 00:13:04,839 Even better, the resistor is sized to roughly match the minimum leakage it’s designed 224 00:13:04,839 --> 00:13:05,940 to detect. 225 00:13:05,940 --> 00:13:10,329 So definitely test these periodically, especially since leaving them in the non-tripped position 226 00:13:10,329 --> 00:13:15,509 for a couple of dozen years might make them mechanically seized up and prevent them from 227 00:13:15,509 --> 00:13:17,890 doing their job should the need arise. 228 00:13:17,890 --> 00:13:21,809 You might be wondering why we in the US put these in outlet boxes when others put them 229 00:13:21,809 --> 00:13:23,529 in service panels. 230 00:13:23,529 --> 00:13:26,000 Well there’s pros and cons to each method. 231 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:30,739 Doing it in the US fashion makes it obvious if any installation is up to code, as a lack 232 00:13:30,739 --> 00:13:35,600 of GFCI outlets in a bathroom or kitchen means an obvious fail. 233 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:40,369 It also probably encourages testing if the device is easy to access rather than being 234 00:13:40,369 --> 00:13:42,050 part of a circuit breaker panel. 235 00:13:42,050 --> 00:13:46,139 However, there is a benefit to having this protection in all areas of the home. 236 00:13:46,139 --> 00:13:50,560 Sure, an electric shock is more likely in wet places, but it’s not like no one has 237 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:52,829 ever received a shock in their bedroom or whatever. 238 00:13:52,829 --> 00:13:57,819 Plus, in many countries, residual current devices are combined with circuit breakers, 239 00:13:57,819 --> 00:14:03,959 forming one device called an RCBO, for Residual Current circuit-Breaker with Overcurrent protection. 240 00:14:03,959 --> 00:14:08,410 But putting the protection in the service panel makes troubleshooting a whole lot harder. 241 00:14:08,410 --> 00:14:12,809 If something malfunctions and causes a ground fault anywhere in the circuit, you might be 242 00:14:12,809 --> 00:14:17,680 spending a long time determining what device is actually causing the fault. 243 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:21,089 Putting the protection at the outlet makes it rather obvious. 244 00:14:21,089 --> 00:14:24,720 One thing that I discovered when tearing this apart is that the internal contacts are able 245 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:28,149 to accomodate a NEMA 5-20 plug. 246 00:14:28,149 --> 00:14:33,369 Normally US devices that require 20 amps will have this plug where one pin is sideways, 247 00:14:33,369 --> 00:14:36,550 thus preventing you from plugging it into a 15 amp circuit. 248 00:14:36,550 --> 00:14:41,399 The fact that this device has internal pins capable of accepting this plug, plus the fact 249 00:14:41,399 --> 00:14:46,480 that it can break 20 amps as most GFCI outlets can, means the only thing preventing this 250 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:53,730 receptacle from actually being a 20 amp receptacle is the shape of the holes on the plastic faceplate. 251 00:14:53,730 --> 00:14:58,420 Which means that, in the case of this particular model anyway, they charge you $3 more for 252 00:14:58,420 --> 00:15:02,170 the same product with a slightly different piece of plastic on the front. 253 00:15:02,170 --> 00:15:03,170 Yay. 254 00:15:03,170 --> 00:15:06,720 And finally, though these are super helpful at reducing the chance of injury or death 255 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:11,319 due to an electric shock, they shouldn’t be seen as an excuse to be reckless around 256 00:15:11,319 --> 00:15:12,350 electricity. 257 00:15:12,350 --> 00:15:17,129 They are a very effective safety net, but why risk falling in the first place? 258 00:15:17,129 --> 00:15:20,690 That said, if you’re a tinkerer who likes to work on electronics, installing one of 259 00:15:20,690 --> 00:15:23,920 these in your workshop might be a very good investment. 260 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:27,060 At the very least, it might spare you the pain of a zap. 261 00:15:27,060 --> 00:15:28,880 Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoyed the video! 262 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:32,459 If this is your first time coming across the channel and you liked what you saw, please 263 00:15:32,459 --> 00:15:34,119 consider subscribing! 264 00:15:34,119 --> 00:15:38,250 As always, thank you to everyone who supports this channel on Patreon, especially the fine 265 00:15:38,250 --> 00:15:41,009 folks that are scrolling up your screen. 266 00:15:41,009 --> 00:15:43,959 Patrons of the channel are what keep these videos coming, and if you’re interested 267 00:15:43,959 --> 00:15:46,640 in pledging some support for the channel and helping it to grow, 268 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:48,680 please check out my Patreon page. 269 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:51,340 Thank you for your consideration, and I’ll see you next time!