If you’ve seen outlets with Test and Reset buttons, or breakers in your panel with a test button, you’ve seen GFCI and AFCI protection. The names sound alike, but they guard against different dangers.
A GFCI protects people from shock. It watches the current going out and coming back on a circuit, and if some is leaking, possibly through a person, it shuts off in a fraction of a second. Under the 2017 National Electrical Code enforced in our area, GFCI protection is required for standard outlets in bathrooms, garages and similar outbuildings, outdoors, crawl spaces, unfinished basements, kitchen countertops, and laundry areas, and anywhere within 6 feet of a sink, bathtub, or shower.
An AFCI protects your home from fire. It detects arcing, the kind of sparking caused by damaged cords, loose connections, or a nail driven through a wire, and shuts the circuit off before it can ignite something. The 2017 code requires AFCI protection on circuits serving most living spaces: bedrooms, living and family rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, hallways, closets, laundry areas, and similar rooms.
These rules generally apply to new work, so older homes often don’t have this protection, but adding it is one of the most effective safety upgrades you can make. Test your GFCIs and AFCIs monthly: press Test, confirm the power goes off, then press Reset. If one won’t reset or trips constantly, there may be a problem on that circuit worth having checked.
