How To Hook Up A Gfci Outlet

When you connect only to the line terminals the outlet provides gfci protection only for itself.

How to hook up a gfci outlet. If the existing electrical box is too small to accommodate a gfci outlet or if the house wiring is aluminum instead of copper you may need to hire a qualified electrician to do this job. Unscrew the terminal screws of the new gfci outlet until they are difficult to turn. Make sure the amp rating of your new gfci outlet matches the amp rating of the wiring and breaker or fuse. Cap off each removed wire separately with a wire nut.

Gfci as an outlet receptacle combo or circuit breaker automatically cuts off the main power supply within millisecond against electric shock. You can also learn about wiring gfci outlets in the following 7 steps. If you re just replacing one outlet in the bathroom use the single location method which provides protection at a single gfci outlet the other method is called multiple location and it provides protection at the gfci outlet and any additional outlets including standard outlets downstream on the same. Our expert puts a slight bend on the end of the cable so it hugs the back of the drywall.

Closeup photos show how to install a gfci without getting line and load connections confused. Tighten the terminal screw. The line terminals and the load terminals. It s important to.

Turn off the power at the main circuit panel and remove the old outlet. When it comes to ground fault circuit interrupter or gfci outlets there is always a question as to how to connect the wires this is because gfcis have two different sets of terminals. More diy home improvement projects. Turn off the power at the circuit breaker box.

1 turn off power. Installing a gfci outlet doesn t have to be confusing. This will help keep it from getting hung up on insulation. Gfci wiring configurations.

2 remove outlet from box while keeping the wires attached to the outlet. It doesn t matter if you start at the new or the existing outlet side. Wiring a gfci receptacle is a little more complicated than hooking up a regular outlet but easily learned once explained. Gfci outlets can be wired in a couple of different ways.

3 detach one cable s white wire and black wire from the outlet. Procedure to install a gfci in a existing box with 2 cables 4 6 wires. If the circuit breakers aren t labeled you can locate the proper switch by plugging a radio into the outlet you plan to change. This cable should be connected to the gfci s line terminals only.

Connect the black line hot wire to the brass screw marked line by inserting the wire into the back wire hole. If you are replacing an existing gfci outlet with a new one we suggest that you read our page about replacing a gfci outlet.