Plug In GFCI Device Avail. ?

house.

Mr. Woodgate is correct. I'd never seen one either, so I thought they wouldn't exist.

Go to an electrical supply shop and ask for a Leviton 15A-125V GFCI Extension Cord Set (Model # 26591-37C). or equivalent.

The instruction manual that comes with this must be several hundred pages long, and written by a plague of lawyers!

Good luck Chris

Hello:

Was wondering if anyone makes a GFCI device that would just plug into a wall outlet, and effectively be in series with, and provide protection to, an extension cord (with perhaps a drill at the end) ?

Have never seen any. None at HD either.

Beginning to believe they don't exist.

If not, why not ?

Thanks, Bob

I read in sci.electronics.design that Chris wrote (in ) about 'Plug In GFCI Device Avail. ?', on Wed, 27 Apr 2005:

OTOH, they are not only freely available in UK (for 230 V, 13 A of course), but there are continual publicity campaigns to get people to use them for any and every appliance that is not used inside the house.

Hello Chris,

If there was one, it would probably cost about $100. $2 for production, $3 for profit and distribution and $95 for the liability insurance reserve.

I have seen extension cords with built-in GFCI though.

Regards, Joerg

They are also available in Australia but they must be attached to the user end of an extension cord as in the Clipsal E12, E13.

I read in sci.electronics.design that Ken Taylor wrote (in ) about 'Plug In GFCI Device Avail. ?', on Thu, 28 Apr 2005:

In UK, ours are just an overgrown 13 A plug with a socket (and 'test' button) built-in. One, maybe the only, advantage of the large size of the plug. We can get the extensions (4 or 6 outputs, mostly) as well.

Some idiot will plug it into a 3-to 2-prong adapter that they haven't bothered to ground (AKA "cheater"), ergo no ground fault current, ergo no protection, ergo one more dead idiot with relatives with lawyers.

Cheers! Rich

Well, imagine my surprise:

Cheers! Rich

In

haven't

ergo

lawyers.

Wont stop it functioning If a court thinks thats the fault of the GFCI mfr they need a new jury.

and

applications).

Dont know what ukus is, but gfci and rcd are the same thing. Ours (UK RCDs) are usually 30mA, yours might be a different trip current.

the

doesn't.

same here. There are also a minority of ones that need an earth connection as well. Not sure why, but maybe they just check theres some kind of low impedance earth connection there. The old v-ELCBs needed 2 earth connections IIUC.

NT

A ground is not necessary for the circuit to work.

What the device does is to detect any small (~5mA) difference between the neutral and hot currents, using a type of CT. That difference is assumed to be due to a undesirable circuit to ground.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Aren't "RCD" and "GFCI" simply UKUS?

Why? The test button on the GFCIs, on this side of the pond, connect the load side hot to the line side neutral through a 15M(?) resistor. This unbalances the current transformer and the device trips. No ground is needed for GFCIs to operate.

Don't know if they are still available but I bought one 10-15 years ago for use with hedge trimmer and weed whacker.

How do the voltage operated devices work?

Ah, I see. New installations are supposed to be grounded here too. Old (early '60s and before) may not be. A working GFCI is better than nothing.

UKUS == word differences between the UK and the US. You know; colour/color, Aluminium/Aluminum, and all that rot, eh?

Sir, I stand corrected. :-)

Thanks! Rich

reserve.

You guys have a problem. Those little beasts (the GFCI, not the lawyers) are about $20 (Kiwi dollars, not even a real dollar!) and are basically a very short extension cord with a GFCI in the middle. Big deal, where are the issues??

Ken

I read in sci.electronics.design that Rich Grise wrote (in ) about 'Plug In GFCI Device Avail. ?', on Thu, 28 Apr 2005:

We don't have those in UK, and our units are not GFCIs but RCDs (Residual Current Detectors)- they operate on a difference in the L and N currents exceeding 30 mA (or 10 mA for some critical applications). So they WOULD work even if plugged into a non-grounded wall socket. However, they (or some of them) can also detect that condition - the test button doesn't work and you can't reset the breaker if it doesn't.

Yes they have been available like that in Australia too I have 2 of them. They may have been withdrawn I don't know, as my new house has a built in one because it is newer.

What is seen as the problem with this setup?

I read in sci.electronics.design that Keith Williams wrote (in ) about 'Plug In GFCI Device Avail. ?', on Thu, 28 Apr 2005:

The original GFCIs were like our original ELCBs - voltage-operated instead of current-operated - and DID need a ground.

The 'lock out' feature is there is because ALL our outlets are supposed to be earthed, so one that isn't is definitely dangerous, and because the earth conductor is looped through from one socket to the next, if one is faulty others MAY be (but not necessarily, because we mostly use ring-main wiring and not spurs).