Although August is typically the month of the year where we recognize August 1 as Emancipation Day, August 15 as National Acadian Day, and the third week of August as Public Service Pride week, I am hoping to divert from the norm and consider the often-overlooked household electrical safety. Many renters and homeowners are not checking their smoke detectors once per month or replacing smoke detectors at least every ten years, as per the Canadian fire safety recommendations, and although those are important, there is the even more frequently overlooked GFCI breakers/receptacles and Arc Fault breakers. First, you may not be aware of how important these are or what they do or even how they’re different, and likely, you’ve never ever tested these unless you’ve had a fault.
The ground-fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI, is a fast-acting circuit breaker designed to shut off electric power in the event of a ground-fault within as little as 1/40 of a second. It works by comparing the amount of current going to and returning from returning from equipment along the circuit conductors. When the amount going differs from the amount returning by approximately five milliamperes, the GFCI interrupts the current. Now, I realize that this may not sound very interesting, but since GFCIs have been required, there has been an 81 percent drop in home electrocutions and a 95 percent drop in electrocutions from consumer, electricity-al powered products. The number of fatalities dropped from 1,000 annually to around 100 (in what time?). You likely have noticed the GFCI receptacles on either side of your sink in the kitchen, in your washroom or outside your home/apartment. Frequently, they are daisy chained from one receptacle to the next meaning that a second bathroom in your home is likely protected by the GFCI receptacle in the first bathroom in your home. It is recommended to test your GFCI receptacles once per month, and if you have a GFCI breaker in your electrical panel, it should also be tested once per month. If it fails to reset, then it is time for a new receptacle or breaker.
An arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) or arc-fault detection device (AFDD) is a circuit breaker that breaks the circuit when it detects the electric arcs that are a signature of loose connections in home wiring. Loose connections, which can develop over time, can sometimes become hot enough to ignite house fires. Depending upon when your home or apartment was built or renovated, you may not have any arc fault breakers in your electrical panel (2003 CE Codebook required only in bedrooms, 2015 CE Codebook required for almost the whole home). Thanks to AFCIs and better construction materials and other fire prevention technologies, this recent data shows a significant decrease in the overall number of electrical residential fires that occur each year with related deaths falling by 15 percent and injuries by 20 percent during that same time. Arc Fault breakers in your electrical panel should be tested monthly. If the breaker fails to reset, it is time for a new breaker.
Click here to the Aspen Woods Community News home page for the latest Aspen Woods community updates.
Click here to the Christie Park Community News home page for the latest Christie Park community updates.
Click here to the Strathcona Community News home page for the latest Strathcona community updates.
