On 12/24/2010 10:25 AM Edge spake thus:

Was looking for a new GFI outlet for the bathroom. Went to the local
big box hardware store. Saw a GFI brand selling for about $7. Saw
another brand, costing about $12 that said it was a "premium" GFI.
Obviously nobody is going to risk their life for a difference of $5.
So what does "premium" mean: Do they give you less false trippings? Do
they trip faster? Are the internal components in so way more
heavyduty? Bottomline - do "premium" GFIs keep you safer?

That''s a good question, and unfortunately all I can say in reply is
that I have no ****ing idea.

Just found a perplexing and irritating situation at a neighbor's house.
They have 2 GFCI outlets in kitchen, which I checked when I replaced a
bad outlet (for garbage disposal, not on GFCI). Turns out the one GFCI,
which no longer worked, had the other GFCI needlessly wired to its
"load" side (they coulda used a regular outlet there, since it's
downstream of another GFCI).

But it makes me wonder about those devices, and how good their
protection really is. Because here was an outlet in daily use, looking
(to the homeowner) like it was "working" (hey, you can plug something
into it and it works!), and yet offering *zero* protection.

There seem to be several failiure modes for these things, and I think
some of them may be purely mechanical. Keep in mind that these are
electromechanical devices; they rely on a spring, tensioned when you
push that red "RESET" button, to force the contacts open when there's a
ground fault. Of course, since they contain fairly sensitive electronics
(a circuit board with an op-amp comparator and other components),
there's always the possibility of an electronic failure as well.

So far as the speculation offered here that maybe the "premium" outlets
had higher-grade electronics inside, I doubt it. I'll bet if you open up
a "premium" and a "regular" GFCI, you'll see exactly the same circuit
board inside. As someone else pointed out, the premium jobbies seem to
have better cases and connections, which are probably worth the small
extra cost.

I believe in GFCIs as a safety concept, but I have little faith in the
devices themselves.


--
Comment on quaint Usenet customs, from Usenet:

To me, the *plonk...* reminds me of the old man at the public hearing
who stands to make his point, then removes his hearing aid as a sign
that he is not going to hear any rebuttals.