I forget where I read it but I'm sure I read somewhere that sockets below ground had to be GFCI unless they were dedicated sockets for non-mobile appliances. When the electrician put in my new breaker panel he put a socket right next to it (apparently inspectors like to see that) and it had to be a GFCI due to being below ground. That was late last year. In the UK we have what we call an RCD (Residual Current Detector) which I think is basically the same thing as a GFCI. Apparently if you have your fridge connected to an RCD it can have unwanted effects because certainly in days gone by it was possible for an RCD to trip if lightning struck the ground anywhere near the house. I imagine it's fun to get home from a couple of weeks summer holiday only to find your fridge and freezer are full of ruined stinky food because a thunderstorm went through the day after you left and tripped the breaker.
The underground, or rather below grade requirement may be a state or local requirement. It's not national. And yes, the GFCI outlets are quite sensitive. High humidity being the man one and sudden spikes in voltage (close. Lightning strikes) is probably second on the list. And you're correct. RCD and GFCI (used to just be known as GFI) are the same thing. (Us old guys will tell you, "if you don't know it's a circuit already, keep your fingers away from it and call a REAL electrician. Adding circuit to the name isn't making you smarter."
Brought to you by Smell-O-Vision so you get to appreciate the aroma of a truly sweaty me after getting covered in brick dust and working in a crawl space in the heat. I'm not sure it would be much of a hit....
Well, once you add the dramatic music, and a funny narrator, it could work. Plus, once they hear your accent, they'll be hooked.
Yeah, like the first time you go to Home Depot and ask for an open end 11mm spanned, and they say "You ain't from around here, are ya boy?"
Had that sort of thing happen a lot. I've had a few particularly interesting encounters, like the time someone asked me "you're on vacation and you came here?" followed by wondering what kind of vacation sees me needing cutting fluid. It's also interesting trying to figure out the different names for stuff. Every once in a while I end up going to a hardware store carrying something and basically saying "What do you call this thing, I need more of them" or similar.
Sadly referring to very specific items as a "doodad", "doofer", "thingumybob" etc doesn't get very far. What I need to find is a hardware store that knows what I mean when I say I need a doodad, regardless of whether it's an electrical doodad, a plumbing doodad, or a roll of insulating tape.
Don't ask an electrician for a hammer, he'll hand you this... it's all color coded here in the colonies.
True story. Many years ago, I had a helper that swore smoking dope had no effect on his job performance. One day I gave him the task of installing light switches. After gathering his tools he said, "Okay, tell me one more time. When the switch is in, what goes on top? The word OFF, or NO."
Replaced kitchen outlets yesterday. Two sets: One with a GFCI and one additional outlet in series. Another set with GFCI and 2 additional outlets in series. As soon as I started on second set, I already knew that they had load and line reversed. Probably been like that for 30 years.
Okay, I've stewed over it enough, so I'll just ask. You do know that there are options with the GFCI outlet, right? Either have the GFCI independent ofrom the other outlets in the series or, have all outlets AFTER (the load side) of the GFCI also protected.