New homeowners and sellers have asked me this question all time because it frequently comes up on the home inspection report. Changes in the Building and Electrical Code require them in your kitchen, bathrooms, laundry rooms, garages, and outdoor areas (all areas prone to water). If your home is older than 20 years than it may not be equipped with the proper outlets.
GFCI stands for Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter. You can tell what a GFCI outlet looks like because it has the two buttons on the front, TEST and RESET.
GFCI oultlets protect people from electrocution by monitoring electrical leakage to the ground, detecting when the current is too high, and interrupting the flow of electric current by tripping quickly enough to prevent electrocution from leakage.
1. SENSES THE CURRENT LEAKAGE
2. TRIP THE CIRCUIT
3. CUT OFF THE ELECTRICITY
It is usually a relatively simple task to update the outlets to GFCI outlets but should be done by an electrician. Contact the professionals at Ritz Renovation if you need assistance with this or other issues found on your home inspection report.