Size: GFCI receptacles have much larger bodies than standard receptacles, so in some instances, the physical space within the wall box may affect your choice.Also, if you're a DIYer and are not familiar with working on a service panel, replacing a receptacle is a simpler and safer job than replacing a circuit breaker. If you need GFCI protection for just one or two receptacles-say, for a bathroom or laundry room-it probably makes the most sense to simply install GFCI receptacles at those locations. Installation: GFCI receptacles are easier to install and they're more efficient.If you will have receptacles that need GFCI protection in these locations, use a GFCI breaker. Therefore, GFCI receptacles are not allowed behind furniture or appliances. The National Electrical Code (NEC) requires that GFCI receptacles must be in readily accessible locations, ensuring there is easy access for resetting the receptacle if it trips. When a GFCI receptacle trips, you must be able to reset it at the receptacle location. Resetting: When a GFCI breaker trips, you must go to the service panel to reset it.The Spruce When to Choose a GFCI Receptacle Over a GFCI Circuit Breaker The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.Other than that, if you are now getting nuisance GFCI trips, it means one of the appliances downstream (or the wiring) has a ground fault (that is, after all, what you are paying this gadget to detect). Now go test the downstream receptacles with a GFCI tester. At this point all the downstream receptacles should be back up. Connect these to the LOAD terminals on the GFCI. Lastly, go back and grab the upper left cable I said we weren't going to use. A GFCI test on the other half of the MWBC should not trip this GFCI. Plugging anything into any receptacle in either this or the other half of the MWBC should not trip the GFCI at all. The LOAD terminals are unused.Īt this point the GFCI should work fully. The hot and neutral go to the LINE terminals. The lower right cable stays exactly as it is.Īt this point there will be 1 hot and 1 neutral going to the receptacle, and the receptacle should work. (yet.) You might, at this point, go see which receptacles are downstream and now dead. Most likely the breakers are adjacent, possibly with a handle tie, or are a 2-space 2-pole breaker.įirst, disconnect and fold back both hot and neutral from the upper left cable. This will involve many trips to the breaker panel. It goes without saying that you de-energize both sides of the MWBC before doing anything with wires. The receptacle is the "black" leg of the MWBC. It departs and we don't deal with it again here. The lower right cable is the "red" leg of the MWBC. However it is not necessary after the MWBC hots split for good, so the upper left cable did not need to be pigtailed, it could have chained off the receptacle same as its "hot" does. It shares neutral up to this point, then it does not.īecause it is an MWBC, the neutrals are pigtailed. This is a multi-wire branch circuit that appears to irrevocably split here. If indeed the power is coming from the upper right. Don't use the words "line" and "load" for plain receptacles.
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