Rough in for Christmas lights

Status
Not open for further replies.
Switching GFCI

Switching GFCI

If I may add my thoughts,

Be careful with switching a GFCI outlet. They trip when power is lost. Such as the Leviton. If you are going to switch outdoor outlets, besure to use a GFCI breaker or outlet ahead of the switch.
 
bigjohn67 said:
If I may add my thoughts,

Be careful with switching a GFCI outlet. They trip when power is lost. Such as the Leviton. If you are going to switch outdoor outlets, besure to use a GFCI breaker or outlet ahead of the switch.
Click to expand...


I only had that problem on IN-LINE gfi protection... don't recall going thru the house resetting GFI's after a power failure
 
bigjohn67 said:
If I may add my thoughts,

Be careful with switching a GFCI outlet. They trip when power is lost. Such as the Leviton. If you are going to switch outdoor outlets, besure to use a GFCI breaker or outlet ahead of the switch.
Click to expand...
That is profoundly untrue.
 
There was a brand that tripped when switched, but I can't remember when or which it was. It was three years ago, I think, when I saw it with my own eyes.

I know Coopers do not. They might have in the past.
 
georgestolz said:
There was a brand that tripped when switched, but I can't remember when or which it was. It was three years ago, I think, when I saw it with my own eyes.

I know Coopers do not. They might have in the past.
Click to expand...
There is a failure mode of certain GFCI's that can cause them to do this. 'Eagle' brand was somewhat infamous for this. A properly functioning GFCI will not trip when power is lost. This was such a problem with early generations of GFCI receptacles that the urban legend "you can't switch a GFCI" was developed and persists to some extent. It is only a screwed up GFCI that will trip when switched, and modern GFCI's seem to be immune to this trouble.
 
(Better late than never :) )

Someone just shared this with me --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmjPzSqZcBk

When I was a kid I used to be able to buy all the parts I'd need to make controllers for this sort of thing. These days it's all done with computers and other gadgetry I can't afford just for the heck of it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top