Can you plug a GFCI plug into an extension cord?

Answer 1

If this question is asking if, by using a GFCI, you can protect some equipment controlled by an existing switch, the answer is Yes. My first guess would be that you probably don't need to. A switch that is controlling lighting in an area with a GFCI, such as a bathroom, should - if it was installed correctly - already be controlling a proper lighting fixture. By this I mean if the fixture is above the shower it will be of a type that is safety-listed 'for use in wet locations'. That type of light fixture does not need to be protected by a GFCI since it is designed for use around water. How to feed a switch from a GFCI: Without GFCI protecting the switch: Connect a hot (usually black) wire from the "LINE" side of the GFCI (which will be marked) to one brass screw of the switch. (Assumption is single pole switch.) Connect another hot wire from the other brass screw of the switch to the light fixture or load's hot wire. Connect a neutral (white or gray) from the LINE side of the GFCI all the way to the load neutral without stopping anywhere. Connect all grounds. To GFCI protect the switch: The procedure is the same except you will use the hot and neutral from the "LOAD" side of the GFCI. This will cause the GFCI to interrupt power should a ground fault occur on the switched load. <><><>

As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

Answer 2

"Can you use a GFCI receptacle or GFCI socket outlet if the supply circuit already includes a GFCI breaker on the main panel" is probably the same question as "What if two GFCI are in series in a circuit?" and the answer is that one GFCI will most likely trip earlier than the other to break the circuit. Which one will trip first depends on the actual difference in sensitivity between the two GFCIs. Leakage currents are measured in mA (1 mA = 1 thousandth of an Ampere) and GFCIs are designed to trip at a certain leakage current with a tolerance of say + or - 3%. So if the basic trip current was 20 milliamps one GFCI might trip at 19.4 mA and the other at 20.6 mA and they would both be within the design specification. The one that trips at 19.4 mA would be expected to trip first.

Note: The latest types of Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor (GFCI) are also called Residual Current Devices (RCDs). === === === === IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

If you do this work yourself, always turn off the power

at the breaker box/fuse panel BEFORE you attempt to do any work AND

always use an electrician's test meter having metal-tipped probes

(not a simple proximity voltage indicator)

to insure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

Answer 3

It isn't a good idea. In America, the NEC requires outlets in kitchen counter tops, baths, garages, outside, and unfinished basements and crawlspaces to be GFCI protected. While they can be a pain with tripping, they are much safer than having no GFCI in a location that could present a scenario of water and electricity coming together. If that happens, and you're using an appliance when it does, then you could be injured or killed. The GFCI reacts much more quickly than a circuit breaker, should water and electricity meet. If your GFCI is tripping, then it's probably doing its job! Moisture is somehow creating a ground fault; it only takes a small amount. If you can't find the problem, then it is possible that the GFCI is faulty (no pun intended!) and needs to be replaced. However, I don't recommend replacing it with a regular receptacle.

Answer 4

Only if the other receptacles are wired off the GFCI receptacles output terminals. The power must go into the GFCI then pass through the internal protection then go out to the other protected receptacles to a maximum current rating of the GFCI. This is sometimes done as a retro fit to protect laundry room outlets, kitchen outlets and outdoor outlets.

Answer 5

Yes, you can. It is perfectly safe and will work. For example, plugging a hair dryer with a gfi plug into a bathroom gfi receptacle work just fine.

Answer 6

There should be no problem doing this.