Are you familiar with that little button on the outlets in your bathroom or kitchen? Has it ever popped out on you when you had a blow dryer plugged in along it a curling iron and maybe one of two more electrical items plugged in? Did you know what to do? Have you ever dropped something into water while it was plugged into an outlet in your kitchen and it again popped the little button out? If so, then the GFCI was doing what it is supposed to do. A GFCI or ground fault circuit interrupt is there for your protection. It is the first line of defense when using an electrical appliance in a potentially hazardous location in your home. It really doesn't matter if you live in a concrete house or a wood house; the potential for electrocution is still dangerous because the conductivity of the house material is not relevant when it comes to electrical outlets in precast concrete or pre-fabricated houses. GFCI's can actually be used at a precast concrete manufacturer for the very same reason they are used in a home.
The GFCI device is an electrical wiring device that disconnects the circuit when it detects a difference in the current and it is no longer balanced. It can detect a difference of as little as four to six mille-amps or mA. What is life saving about these is that often the difference in the current is because the leakage is through the body of a person who is grounded. When that happens, the circuit can be shut off in a thirtieth of a second. If a person accidentally touches the energized part of a circuit and there is not a GFCI in the line, that shock could be lethal. Depending on where you are in the world, there are different names for the same device. In some parts of the world they are referred to as residual current devices (RCD), or residual current circuit breakers (RCCB). In the United States and Canada they are GFCI's or GFI, ground fault interrupter. Sometimes they are referred to as an ALCI or appliance leakage current interrupter.
In industrial settings the GFCI's can be used in utility structures and other areas. They serve the same purpose as a GFCI in any setting and are probably responsible for saving the lives of countless people around the world. Electricity is very powerful and must be respected. Even when the utmost care is taken however, accidents can still happen and if GFCI's are in place, some of those accidents won't be lethal. That is not to say you should ever let down your guard around electricity because there are cases when even a GFCI can't help you.
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