Remodeling your abode? Know the Code!

Bill Campbell

As the weather warms this spring, many of you will begin planning home remodeling projects. There are very few projects that do not include some changes to the electrical wiring in or around your home. If you plan to make these wiring changes yourself, take my advice: KNOW THE CODE! That's not the ZIP code or the area code. It's the National Electrical Code (NEC). The NEC outlines required wiring practices that will help free your home and other buildings from electrical problems.

One practice outlined is the use of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI). These are safety devices that detect tiny differences in the electric current flowing on the black (hot) and white (neutral) wires in a given circuit. If a difference as little as 5/1000 of an amp is detected, the GFCI will interrupt the flow of electricity in about 25/1000 of a second. Compare this to the fact that most people would be killed by 60/1000 of an amp for as little as one second flowing through their body. By responding this fast and at this low level of current difference, a GFCI will prevent people from being shocked or electrocuted.

Current NEC requirements call for GFCI protection on any 120 volt, single-phase circuit containing 15 and 20 amp duplex outlets in the following locations: Outdoors, Basements Bathrooms, Garages, Non-permanent construction, and Near kitchen sinks.

Other locations and circuits may be optionally protected.

There are four different types of GFCI. Two of them would be considered permanent installation and the other two are for temporary circuit protection. The two permanent types are wired into your home's electric circuitry. The first can be substituted for a standard circuit breaker in your service entrance box. This type provides both GFCI electrocution protection for people and over current circuit protection in the form of a circuit breaker. GFCI circuit breakers require that both the hot and neutral wires be connected to the GFCI so it can detect differences in current flow between the two wires. Regular circuit breakers are only connected to the hot conductor.

The other type of permanent GFCI is a duplex receptacle that fits into a standard outlet box. This type will both protect appliances that are plugged into the GFCI and will protect anything plugged into a standard receptacle down-stream in the circuit from the GFCI if you follow proper installation instructions.

One temporary type of GFCI will plug directly into a standard duplex receptacle and protect only items plugged into the GFCI. The other type is simply a portable cord that plugs into any receptacle and protects anything plugged into the cord. These are typically used as protection on construction sites.

When you are doing those remodeling jobs this year, remember to follow the requirements for new wiring when you update wiring or add new circuits. Use GFCI's where they are required and consider installing them on all circuits. They offer good protection against electrocution on all types of 120-volt single-phase circuits.

Bill Campbell is an Extension Educator, Farm Systems, at the Springfield Extension Center, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Illinois. You can write to Campbell in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield. IL 62708. Telephone: 217-782-6515. E-Mail: campbellw@idea. ag. uiuc. edu

6 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING • MARCH 1996