Electrian dad says GCFI is pointless? - Page 15

kezgin · 02-12-2010, 10:37 PM

pretty much any work boots worth anything will prevent you from being grounded in dry conditions. wouldn't be able to work on even 110 circuits hot if they didn't

**Yooper** · 02-12-2010, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lschiavo

I think you are correct. With a 1-pole device a difference in current between hot and neutral will trip the device and I like your explanation. But, theoretically if one were completely ungrounded you would have no fear of touching one leg, and if you touched 2 legs of a gfi device you would become the circuit and there should be no way for the device to sense a fault.

And this:

If you are not grounded and you get between the hot and neutral or the 2 hots in a GFCI protected system you have become the load and all the GFCI device knows is that there is a load connected to it and that there is no leakage to ground there for it will not trip. It Dose not know if it is a toaster or a person on the end of those wires and will not trip until it senses leakage to ground.

I don't understand most of this. But I guess this explains why I needed the GFCI, or at least why you strongly suggested I have it.

I will say this. I am almost always barefoot, unless it's cold. And my first two brewdays on my new HERMS rig involved water EVERYWHERE. The whole "close the ball valve before disconnecting the disconnects" seems to be too difficult for me to remember.

Safety is paramount. You probably don't need a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, either. But no one who has one is sorry.

Fingers · 02-12-2010, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bernie Brewer

Yeah, but is a regular Joe Homebrewer on this site going to own a pair of those? I doubt it. That was kinda my point. and even when you wear those, you need to be suited up on the rest of your body and still be sooooo careful not to touch anything with any other part of your body while you are working....

Point taken, but what is the electrical resistance of an ordinary tennis shoe? I've never hit a shoe with a megger, but if a work boot can get to 18kV I'd expect an ordinary shoe could get to 120V. Your second point of contact comment is well taken, but you did state that a person is always grounded unless they're levitating or something. Not so.