Why You Should Have GFCI Outlets Installed in Your Home

You’ve probably already seen GFCI outlets in numerous places, although you may not have known that was what they are called. These are the outlets that have two buttons between the sets of prongs, one marked RESET and the other TEST. If your home currently isn’t equipped with these types of outlets, you should contact our electricians to arrange for them in the kitchens, and all the bedrooms and bathrooms.

What Does a GFCI Outlet Do?

A ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet is an important device for electrical safety in your home. Where circuit breakers are designed to protect the electrical system from damage when there’s a surge, a GFCI outlet is designed to protect people from high voltage shocks.

The way that a GFCI works is that it monitors the difference in voltage between the two sides of the outlet: the “hot” side and the “neutral” side. If there is a difference between the two, it means the voltage flowing from the hot side is going into something other than the appliance that’s plugged into it. In other words, the electricity is going into a person in order to reach the ground. As soon as the outlet detects this improper grounding, it trips a breaker inside the outlet that cuts off the electrical flow—usually before it can cause serious harm to somebody.

Call professional electricians for new outlet installation

This is important: you can’t go to a hardware store, purchase GFCI outlets, and then install them on your own. This is potentially dangerous work for anyone who isn’t a licensed electrician—and avoiding electrical shocks is what these outlets are all about in the first place! Contact our skilled electricians and they’ll be glad to help you with the necessary work.

If you want GFCI outlets for your home, or you have outlets in need of repairs, call on Brilliant Home Services. We service Barrington, IL and throughout Chicagoland.