- Location
- Tennessee NEC:2017
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrician
Double pole vs single pole
- Thread starter Rahim84
- Start date
- Status
Rahim84
Member
- Location
- Charlotte, NC, USA
Hmmm, post #12 must have been invisible.
I see now, sorry about that, you were correct Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
WileyW
New member
- Location
- New Carlisle, Ohio, USA
I don't know for sure but like a single pole switch will only turn off the hot but a double pole will turn off the hot and neutral, maybe the single pole GFCI only disconnects the hot, but the two pole GFCI disconnects both the hot and neutral. BTW, first post.
mbrooke
Batteries Included
- Location
- United States
- Occupation
- Technician
From what I've seen all GFCI receptacles do that.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
I agree they typically use the word pole to describe the number of wires connected excluding the EGC. Here's the listing for a L14-30R:
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
P&S wiring devices guide? Single pole GFCI receptacle?
Don't know what product you are referring to, but the way GFCI's work, there must be at least two circuit conductors monitored.
FionaZuppa
Senior Member
- Location
- AZ
- Occupation
- Part Time Electrician (semi retired, old) - EE retired.
specifically post #2.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
A single pole switch interrupts one conductor whether it be a "hot conductor" or a grounded conductor. Code doesn't allow you interrupt the grounded conductor only in most instances though.
Makes sense to me for GFCI to interrupt all conductors of the circuit it protects. If it is intended to trip on a neutral to ground fault, it only makes sense that it interrupt the neutral, or else it never opened the fault current path it responded to.
FionaZuppa
Senior Member
- Location
- AZ
- Occupation
- Part Time Electrician (semi retired, old) - EE retired.
but it was mentioned, dont all gfci recepts have a switch contact on N & L wires ??
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
On the contrary, interrupting the hot of a hot to ground fault will clear the fault just fine, and interrupting only the hot will stop any objectionable current on a neutral to ground fault.
I suspect that a more important reason is that if the unit is miswired, with hot and neutral reversed, the two-pole GFCI will still do its job of preventing injury.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
What is the point of detecting neutral to ground faults, even in no load situations then?
Isolation of the neutral when tripping will reduce "stray voltage" shock incidents to some degree. Especially when around swimming pools, marinas and similar situations. Don't know if that is why they open the neutral with typical GFCI's, but often assumed it was at least partly why. Also can't recall ever seeing one that didn't open the neutral.
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
The normal operation of the differential current transformer forces you to detect neutral to ground faults under load whether you want to or not.
The additional specific neutral/ground fault detection in the GFCI receptacle just adds detection of such faults upstream even before a load is applied.
You are correct that some small offset from ground in exposed metal surfaces can result, especially under heavy load. `
The additional specific neutral/ground fault detection in the GFCI receptacle just adds detection of such faults upstream even before a load is applied.
You are correct that some small offset from ground in exposed metal surfaces can result, especially under heavy load. `
- Status