electrical code question
Nate Nagel
circuit protected by a GFCI, or ONLY on a grounded circuit?
I think SWMBO has changed her mind on decoration for the living room,
and I happen to have a stack of the good 40 thou beveled edge brass
plates (leftovers from "my" room) but am unsure if it's copacetic to use
them...
nate
--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel
thirty-six
> can you use metal switch plates and receptacle covers on an ungrounded
> circuit protected by a GFCI, or ONLY on a grounded circuit?
>
> I think SWMBO has changed her mind on decoration for the living room,
> and I happen to have a stack of the good 40 thou beveled edge brass
> plates (leftovers from "my" room) but am unsure if it's copacetic to use
> them...
As long as you insure you wear a rubber suit.
Nate Nagel
bah, thought I'd cancelled the msg. before anyone read it.
In case you're wondering, yes, I did intend to send it to another group.
datakoll
Brian Huntley
It would be even stranger if the "rubber suit" comment was meant for
yet another group.
Michael Press
Nate Nagel <njn...@roosters.net> wrote:
> can you use metal switch plates and receptacle covers on an ungrounded
> circuit protected by a GFCI, or ONLY on a grounded circuit?
What is GFCI?
>
> I think SWMBO has changed her mind on decoration for the living room,
> and I happen to have a stack of the good 40 thou beveled edge brass
> plates (leftovers from "my" room) but am unsure if it's copacetic to use
> them...
--
Michael Press
thirty-six
> In article <hd02gl01...@news3.newsguy.com>,
> Nate Nagel <njna...@roosters.net> wrote:
>
> > can you use metal switch plates and receptacle covers on an ungrounded
> > circuit protected by a GFCI, or ONLY on a grounded circuit?
>
> What is GFCI?
>
>
>
> > I think SWMBO has changed her mind on decoration for the living room,
> > and I happen to have a stack of the good 40 thou beveled edge brass
> > plates (leftovers from "my" room) but am unsure if it's copacetic to use
> > them...
>
> --
> Michael Press
That'll be a ground force colossal interceptor.
Nate Nagel
> In article <hd02g...@news3.newsguy.com>,
> Nate Nagel <njn...@roosters.net> wrote:
>
>> can you use metal switch plates and receptacle covers on an ungrounded
>> circuit protected by a GFCI, or ONLY on a grounded circuit?
>
> What is GFCI?
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter
cuts power to the circuit if it detects an imbalance in current between
"hot" and "neutral," used in wet or potentially wet locations and also
to allow you to use grounded type receptacles where no ground wiring
exists (e.g. in a very old house)
thirty-six
> > What is GFCI?
>
> Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter
or
ground force colossal interceptor
Which makes the more interesting google search?
BTW I wasn't intending any accuracy there to the abbreviations true
meaning, it just came out similar, I'd never heard of a gfci, we call
em RCDs residual current device and the older kit is ELCB or earth
leakage circuit breaker.
Michael Press
Nate Nagel <njn...@roosters.net> wrote:
> Michael Press wrote:
> > In article <hd02g...@news3.newsguy.com>,
> > Nate Nagel <njn...@roosters.net> wrote:
> >
> >> can you use metal switch plates and receptacle covers on an ungrounded
> >> circuit protected by a GFCI, or ONLY on a grounded circuit?
> >
> > What is GFCI?
>
> Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter
>
> cuts power to the circuit if it detects an imbalance in current between
> "hot" and "neutral," used in wet or potentially wet locations and also
> to allow you to use grounded type receptacles where no ground wiring
> exists (e.g. in a very old house)
The problem with a metal face plate where the box is
not grounded is if a mechanical fault should form a
conducting bridge between the box and the high side or
load neutral. Then a person touching the face plate can
form a short circuit to ground. If the receptacle is a
GFCI receptacle then people are protected from this
eventuation. Hence the metal face plate is a greater
risk on a non-GFCI protected receptacle than on a GFCI
receptacle.
--
Michael Press
Nate Nagel
theoretically, but in the case of a non-GFCI receptacle that is properly
grounded, the mounting screws of the plate should ground th eplate as
they thread into the yoke of the receptacle, so that would still trip
the breaker
thirty-six
> >>> Nate Nagel <njna...@roosters.net> wrote:
>
> >>>> can you use metal switch plates and receptacle covers on an ungrounded
> >>>> circuit protected by a GFCI, or ONLY on a grounded circuit?
> >>> What is GFCI?
> >> Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter
>
> >> cuts power to the circuit if it detects an imbalance in current between
> >> "hot" and "neutral," used in wet or potentially wet locations and also
> >> to allow you to use grounded type receptacles where no ground wiring
> >> exists (e.g. in a very old house)
>
> > The problem with a metal face plate where the box is
> > not grounded is if a mechanical fault should form a
> > conducting bridge between the box and the high side or
> > load neutral. Then a person touching the face plate can
> > form a short circuit to ground. If the receptacle is a
> > GFCI receptacle then people are protected from this
> > eventuation. Hence the metal face plate is a greater
> > risk on a non-GFCI protected receptacle than on a GFCI
> > receptacle.
>
> theoretically, but in the case of a non-GFCI receptacle that is properly
> grounded, the mounting screws of the plate should ground th eplate as
> they thread into the yoke of the receptacle, so that would still trip
> the breaker
The safest setup is to run your earthline to the faceplate and a tail
from the faceplate to the wall box. We dont rely on mounting screws
to maintain earthing. When decorating, we lift the faceplate with the
power still on, and general domestic lighting circuits still dont use
rcds unless you have a dedicated emergency lighting circuit.
Michael Press
Nate Nagel <njn...@roosters.net> wrote:
Did you miss the part where I said the configuration
that I discussed was _not_ grounded.
> the mounting screws of the plate should ground th eplate as
> they thread into the yoke of the receptacle, so that would still trip
> the breaker
--
Michael Press
Nate Nagel
No, I didn't miss it, I was just explaining why grounding as is now
standard practice would be just as safe if not safer than not grounded
but GFCI-protected.
Eventually I would like to ground all boxes in this house, but that will
have to wait for repainting I fear as I don't see how to accomplish it
without some amount of damage to the walls.
nate
(you guys will respond to anything, no matter how off topic, won't you <G>)