S9 autoset and extension cord

[OMyMyOHellYes]

There are two easy ways to check to see if your house is in compliance. Either there will be red & black buttons on the receptacle to press to test the operation of it or there will be a red & black button on the circuit breaker in your branch panel box that does the same thing.

A lot of the GFCI outlet are plain white or ivory. No black red buttons. But buttons on the face of the plug are pretty good indicators.

I have had one or two of the GFCI outlets go bad - where they would trip whenever you turned on anything plugged into the outlet.

OMMOHY

[Mark Douglas]

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Them guys in that pool is what you call geniuseseses. You can only hope that their reproductive bits get shocked just enough so that they cannot reproduce.

OMMOHY

[justMongo]

And, FYI, bedrooms are now required to have AFCI's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc-fault_c...nterrupter

[surferdude2]

And, FYI, bedrooms are now required to have AFCI's.

The following has little to do with camping with the kids in the back yard and running power to a CPAP unit but I though to mention it anyway just for academic reasons.

That's true that the new code requires AFCI's in Bedrooms. However, they are causing a measure of grief for independent electricians due to call-backs for false triggering. Some of them have resorted to removing the devices to put an end to the problem. I will refrain from commenting on their risk management. I will advise against removing any protective device if it causes problems since that was the same history that GFI receptacles had when first introduced. It may well be tripping for a valid reason! A ground to neutral contact is a common cause of mysterious tripping.

I have worked many years in the trade and have the greatest respect for the City of Los Angeles Lab's opinion on such matters. They are of the highest regard in the industry and often advise NFPA (source of the N.E.C.) as to how to proceed. They have a way of cutting through the flak and presenting the requirements in plain talk that a job-site electrician can understand.

Here's how they present it:



The above will fly with any authority having jurisdiction unless he has risen beyond his level of incompetence.

[BadGoodDeb]

Since we're talking about voltages ..... and since the current topic seems mostly finished ? .....
when my ResMed AirSense 10 says it runs on "110 - 240V" and it has no switch to change between the two, does that mean when I travel to the UK (from the USA) I only need to bring adapters to that the plug prongs fit? And that the machine will make the power voltages all "just work"?

[wp6529]

Exactly. When a voltage range is specified the power supply will operate at any voltage within that range. The same for power line frequency i.e. 50-60Hz. The only travel adapters required for such devices is a plug adapter.

With switch-mode power supplies being the norm for most things these days most devices you might travel with only require plug adapters.

Do of course check the actual label on each device since if you happen to have a device that does not have a wide input range power supply bad things will happen if plugged into the wrong voltage.

[Homerec130]

Thing I have always been amazed at is that the outlets under the sink for the dish washer and garbage disposal do not have to be GFCI (at least that is the answer we were given when we asked). Also, it is not a good idea to put computer equipment and such on a GFCI circuit. I have a couple of devices here that the manual said specifically not to do it.

Homer

[surferdude2]

That will change as soon as your AHJ adopts the new code. The 2014 N.E.C. requires dishwashers have GFCI protection. "210.8(D) Kitchen Dishwasher Branch Circuit. GFCI protection shall be provided for outlets that supply dishwashers installed in dwelling unit locations."

The definition of an outlet from Article 100 is, "A point on the wiring system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment." Which means receptacle outlet, lighting outlet, or hardwired.

Can you give me the make & model of the computer components you have that specifically requested they not be on a GFCI protected circuit? I suspect it may be asking that you not connect it to an "ungrounded" GFCI. Ungrounded GFCI's are allowed in older homes where no equipment grounding conductor is present (2-wire systems). They must be clearly marked as ungrounded. AFAIK, all computers and other IT equipment require grounding to function reliably and have adequate shielding to conform to R.F. radiation standards that are imposed by the FCC.

[surferdude2]

I notice that my HP laptop doesn't have a grounding type plug and I suspect that may be true for other laptops as well. Evidently they have adequate shielding to prevent radiation without the need for grounding. Since they operate on an isolation type power supply or batteries and they don't have exposed metal parts that would require or be able to use an equipment grounding conductor, they get a pass. Landing it on plastic wouldn't do much for protection.