GFCI for Blind or Visually Impaired

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DSamson

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I am working on a bathroom remodel for a blind woman who lives alone. Bathroom was constructed pre-GFCI. She doesn't want GFCI because she can't feel the buttons to operate it. Also, the way she plugs things in in downright scary, she holds the prongs on the plug and feels for the holes in the recptacle face. She says she been doing it for 30 years with no problems.

I really want to put in GFCI protection, but it needs to be functional for her.

Does anyone know of a GFCI device for the blind?

As for a GFCI breaker, old dwelling, so other loads are on with the bathroom, including fluorescents with electronic ballasts. Does anyone know if ellectronic ballasts nuisance trip GFCI like magnetic ballasts do?

Thanks as always for all of your help.

-David
 

fc

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
With it being a new bathroom remodel installing a new circuit for the receptacle as per code would be a good idea.Then you can put it on GFCI breaker.
Most towns when you remodel make you bring it up to code.
 

charlie b

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Lockport, IL
Occupation
Retired Electrical Engineer
I would definitely not go with a GFCI breaker in the main panel. No sense making her go to another place in the house, just to reset a breaker.

Now if you don’t mind “ugly,” if for the price of “ugly” you get “safe and practical,” then install a GFCI breaker in its own small enclosure. Mount it on the bathroom wall, and feed the bathroom receptacle(s) from there. If it trips, it will be easy for her to reset.

As to “I’ve been doing it for 30 years,” here is what I always say. In her case, you may need to word this story in terms of her being a passenger, and the driver doing what I am about to describe.


  • Suppose that just before you back your car out of the driveway each morning, you put on blinders and earmuffs.

  • Suppose that you wait for a random amount of time, and then just back into the street.

  • When you get into the street, you can take off the blinders and the earmuffs, and drive to work.

  • Question: If you do this ten days in a row, and if you don’t hit anything during those ten days, would you conclude that this is a safe driving habit? Or would it take 20 consecutive days without incident, to convince you it was safe? 30? How many?
Everyone is welcome to steal this analogy shamelessly. ;) But give me authorship credit, if you wish to use the following aphorism:
"An accident waiting for a place to happen will, given time, find that place.” Charlie Beck


One final note, concerning the way she plugs things in. Make sure she is aware of the fact that 120 volts can kill a person, and that the circuit breaker will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER trip to save that person's life. Only a GFCI can save a person from electrocution, especially a person who treats electrical hazards (such as touching a strip of metal as it is being connected to power) as though it were "perfectly safe and normal."
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
charlie b said:
  • Suppose that just before you back your car out of the driveway each morning, you put on blinders and earmuffs.
  • Suppose that you wait for a random amount of time, and then just back into the street.
  • When you get into the street, you can take off the blinders and the earmuffs, and drive to work.
  • Question: If you do this ten days in a row, and if you don?t hit anything during those ten days, would you conclude that this is a safe driving habit? Or would it take 20 consecutive days without incident, to convince you it was safe? 30? How man"
If there is a blind woman out there driving a car to work I doubt if she is all that worried about safety.

Probably doesn't even have a license.:grin:
 

charlie b

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Lockport, IL
Occupation
Retired Electrical Engineer
Haven't you seen the car that has the white canes, each with a red tip, on all of the fenders? :D

(Credit - or blame if you prefer - George Carlin for that joke.)
 

fc

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Hey you never know maybe they have a Lexus and I know the new ones can parallel park maybe it can pull out of the driveway to! :)
 

winnie

Senior Member
Location
Springfield, MA, USA
Occupation
Electric motor research
Consider using a 'switch rated' blank face GFCI. Since the receptacle holes are not in the way, the test and reset buttons should be 'more obvious'. Also, since it is switch rated, she could turn it off each time she plugs something in.

-Jon
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
charlie b said:
Haven't you seen the car that has the white canes, each with a red tip, on all of the fenders? :D

(Credit - or blame if you prefer - George Carlin for that joke.)

I often wonder if people in the distant future will study the wisdom of "Carlin" the way we do "Conficius".

Charlie I must apologize, I didn't notice that you had made the lady a passenger in this example ( having read it before I only scanned ). Thinking of a blind lady driving was just to funny.
 

electricmanscott

Senior Member
Location
Boston, MA
DSamson said:
She doesn't want GFCI because she can't feel the buttons to operate it.


Not sure what she has to "operate". If it were to trip, probably never will, she'll be able to clearly feel the button that is popped out and very easy to push in to reset. I would think this is far easier and safer than going to search for a breaker.

There is no exception for not providing gfci protection if the homeowner is blind. :smile:
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
I am confused.

She can see well enough (or get around well enough) to plug something in and use it but she will have trouble finding the button to push?:-?
 

allenwayne

Senior Member
Getting off subject of GFCI, but it does involve sight disabled people.Several months ago I went to the local grocery store and saw a car pull into the handicapped spot.Had handicapped plates.Out gets this man and opens the back door and out comes a dog.Then he opens a collapsible red tipped stick grabs the dogs harness and taps his way into the store.

Now if this guy can drive to the store(true story) why can`t this woman push a reset button.:)
 
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