Hi everyone,

Does anyone know how many test/reset cycles normal duty GFCI outlets are
designed for?

I have an outlet that is located on the kitchen isle and is convenient for
charging cellphones. So, I have the chargers plugged in and when we leave
the house I would like to simply push the "Test" button to kill the
chargers. When we come back, I would press "Reset" and start charging
again. I am trying to eliminate the phantom loads but if it will wear GFCI
outlet out too soon it would make no sense, so I'm trying to find out if
this would be a good idea.

Thanks!

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On 02 Feb 2008 19:09:03 GMT, (DA)
wrote:

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know how many test/reset cycles normal duty GFCI outlets are
designed for?

I have an outlet that is located on the kitchen isle and is convenient for
charging cellphones. So, I have the chargers plugged in and when we leave
the house I would like to simply push the "Test" button to kill the
chargers. When we come back, I would press "Reset" and start charging
again. I am trying to eliminate the phantom loads but if it will wear GFCI
outlet out too soon it would make no sense, so I'm trying to find out if
this would be a good idea.


They only cost about 10$ Let us know how long it lasts.

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know how many test/reset cycles normal duty GFCI outlets
are designed for?

I have an outlet that is located on the kitchen isle and is
convenient for charging cellphones. So, I have the chargers plugged
in and when we leave the house I would like to simply push the "Test"
button to kill the chargers. When we come back, I would press "Reset"
and start charging again. I am trying to eliminate the phantom loads
but if it will wear GFCI outlet out too soon it would make no sense,
so I'm trying to find out if this would be a good idea.

Thanks!

\//.
-------------------------------------




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##-----------------------------------------------##

They all tell you on the boxes to NOT use them as a switch. Logically,
it will weaken them and they'll trip more easily until finally they trip
all the time for no reason.

--

Regards,

Twayne

OO0 is a GREAT MS Office replacement
www.openoffice.org

Please respond to the newsgroup, not to
my e-mail, so that all may benefit. I do not
always respond to newsgroup e-mails.

DA had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...ny-285633-.htm
:
wrote:



I'd just plug it into the light socket in your bathroom using an
adaptor. That way the longer you **** the longer you can use the
cellphone. Just think how much sense this makes.

None at all: I will still need some light.


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DA had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...ny-285624-.htm
:
Twayne wrote:


They all tell you on the boxes to NOT use them as a switch. Logically,
it will weaken them and they'll trip more easily until finally they
trip all the time for no reason.

Tripping for no reason would be pretty bad. I have discarded the package
long time ago (and I don't believe I read anything on it in the first
place) so thank you for telling me, I guess I'll just scrap that idea.

\//.
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On 03 Feb 2008 01:42:58 GMT, (DA)
wrote:

DA had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...ny-285624-.htm
:
Twayne wrote:


They all tell you on the boxes to NOT use them as a switch. Logically,
it will weaken them and they'll trip more easily until finally they
trip all the time for no reason.

Tripping for no reason would be pretty bad. I have discarded the package
long time ago (and I don't believe I read anything on it in the first
place) so thank you for telling me, I guess I'll just scrap that idea.


You could buy a power strip. It has a built in switch.

On Feb 2, 2:09�pm, (DA) wrote:
Hi everyone,

Does anyone know how many test/reset cycles normal duty GFCI outlets are
designed for?

I have an outlet that is located on the kitchen isle and is convenient for
charging cellphones. So, I have the chargers plugged in and when we leave
the house I would like to simply push the "Test" button to kill the
chargers. When we come back, I would press "Reset" and start charging
again. I am trying to eliminate the phantom loads but if it will wear GFCI
outlet out too soon it would make no sense, so I'm trying to find out if
this would be a good idea.

Thanks!



i got curious once and checked the amp draw of a couple cell phone
chargers, with nothing charging... not plugged in to phone the load
was in the low milli amp area, basically nothing

now the cable box we had was 50 watts.

your better off chasing loads that matter

On Feb 3, 5:33Â*am, " wrote:
On Feb 2, 2:09�pm, (DA) wrote:

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know how many test/reset cycles normal duty GFCI outlets are
designed for?

I have an outlet that is located on the kitchen isle and is convenient for
charging cellphones. So, I have the chargers plugged in and when we leave
the house I would like to simply push the "Test" button to kill the
chargers. When we come back, I would press "Reset" and start charging
again. I am trying to eliminate the phantom loads but if it will wear GFCI
outlet out too soon it would make no sense, so I'm trying to find out if
this would be a good idea.

Thanks!

i got curious once and checked the amp draw of a couple cell phone
chargers, with nothing charging... not plugged in to phone the load
was in the low milli amp area, basically nothing

now the cable box we had was 50 watts.

your better off chasing loads that matter

An instant on TV set may use more than a cell phone charger. Don't
know your cost of electrcity but these small items even if they use 10
watts (most don't even come close) your cost per continuous 24 hour
day is a couple of cents. Hardly worth switching off if wear and tear
causes one to buy another $10 GFCI and then have to wire it in (ten
minute job?) and donate the old GFCI to the landfill?

BTW this bsiness of eliminating phantom loads maybe makes sense if you
are in hot climate. This where Air Conditioning use more energy to to
remove heat and pump it outside! But in our cool climate where
electricity is used for home heating any 'wasted' heat from using old
fashioned incandescent light bulbs etc. is merely offsets by less
energy used by our electric heaters! And it is in the evening when
lights are likely to be on that heating is required.

Where 'good' lighting is essential, e.g. work shop; we use fluorescent
tubes anyway. Even recycled tubes and fixtures last a long, long time.

Also energy conservation makes sense for outside lighting where wasted
energy dissipates into cold air; but we haven't yet found an
economical CFL that works reliably, is robust and gives good light in
minus 15 to 20 degrees Celsius (around zero Fahrenheit).

Ideas welcomed.

In article ,
"Mark" wrote:

I'd read that cell phone chargers are generally not 'phantom load', that is
they don't consume any power when the phone is not connected. Not sure if
that is the case for all of them but one way to tell is if the transformer
is warm to touch even when the phone is not connected.

If you are really concerned there is a device you can buy known as the
Kill-A-Watt. It will measure how much power any plug-in device is
actually drawing, and also tell you the accumulated KWh over a period of
time.

--
Larry Weil
Lake Wobegone, NH

DA had written this in response to
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/main...ny-285785-.htm
:
wrote:

Think POWER STRIP !!!!
They're $5. They have a switch.

Well, I know that! And yet the outlet is conveniently installed INSIDE the
cabinetry whereas the strip is going to hang off it and create a mess -
not what I would want there. Still, I decided against using the GFCI
outlet as a switch.

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(DA) writes:

I have an outlet that is located on the kitchen isle and is convenient for
charging cellphones. So, I have the chargers plugged in and when we leave
the house I would like to simply push the "Test" button to kill the
chargers. When we come back, I would press "Reset" and start charging
again. I am trying to eliminate the phantom loads but if it will wear GFCI
outlet out too soon it would make no sense, so I'm trying to find out if
this would be a good idea.

First, see if you have a phantom load worth worrying about.

We charge our cellphones with a Motorola "travel charger". It's clearly
a little switching power supply because of the wide input voltage range.
When it's not connected to a phone, its input current is undetectable
(meaning under 10 mA) on a power monitor. That's under 1 W, possibly
far under 1 W, and not worth doing anything about.

Dave