gfci outlet question

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betty_joanne
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Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:20 pm

Is a mobile home kitchen supposed to have a gfci outlet that trips all the others in the kitchen?

Our double wide is only missing one gfci outlet in the kitchen and we are trying to figure out if this is the one that trips all the others or if a mobile home doesn't have one that trips everything in the kitchen. Also, what ampage are the mobile home gfci outlets supposed to have? We don't have electricity yet so we are trying to figure this out now and then have electrician look at once we get electricity.
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Dirty White Boy
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Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2007 7:16 pm
Location: New York

You are supposed to have a gfci in your bathroom and kitchen. If you put the gfci at the closest point and branch the other outlets off of that one, it will trip the other outlets...never chain more than one...
SpongeBob

Hi there,
Save yourself and the electrician a lot of headaches and bring him/her in first.

Wth electricity, fix it right the first time. Remember, with a plumbing mistake you get a leak.....with an electrical mistake it can be much worse. Safety First.

-Bob
betty_joanne
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:20 pm

Ok, but still wondering if only stick built homes have the reset button on one of the gfci outlets. I don't see a reset button on any of the gfci outlets anywhere in the mobile home.
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Yanita
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Hi,

If it does not have a reset button then it is not a GFCI outlet.

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
betty_joanne
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:20 pm

ok, i guess no one knows. All the ones in the kitchen say gfci protected outlet with a yellow sticker on them.
In my stick built home all kitchen ones say this and there is only one with a test/reset button that trips all the others.
I was just trying to figure out if the mobile home was the same way and the one missing gfci was the one that is supposed to have the test/reset button.
SpongeBob

Hi, It is a possibility that your kitchen outlet circuit is protected by a GFCI breaker back at the panel. The breaker can be identified by having its own test/reset button on the breaker itself. Make sure if it is that it is properly labeled. Hope this helped.
-Bob
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JD
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Hi betty_joanne

GFIC can be a receptacle type or a circuit breaker type. In my repair business, I have never dealt with a circuit breaker type, probably because of the age of homes I work on. But you may want to take a look at your breaker box.

JD
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All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
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Robert
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Location: Tennessee

Hi,

Mobile homes can have same set up as conventional homes.

MH's can have same set up as you described with one tripping the others.


GFCI does not have to have a reset button to be GFCI.

IF the sticker is gone, you'll not know it from a regular outlet without removing and looking at it.


It could be that the missing one is one with reset button, but you will not know without testing, so the electrician will still have to do that.


The amps will be matched to wiring for kitchen, either 15 or 20 amps.


Take care and best wishes,
Robert
Some people are Humbly Grateful, while some are Grumbly Hateful.................... Which one are you ?
garrett_reukauf

In my MH there are 4 outlets above countertop (1 w/ trip and reset buttons, the other 3 just have the stickers "GFCI Proctected" on them) These four outlets are interlinked (done at the mfg), so if it trips and you have no electric on any of the 4 then you just push the reset button on the outlet w/ the buttons and that should solve the problem and bring your power back to the outlets, if it does not bring power on, then check you breaker or fuse box, if it keeps tripping then you need to call an licensed electrician and let him figure it out, dont take the cover off your box unless you know what your are doing. If by some freak chance, there is an accident due to neglegence and causes a fire and heavily damages your home, the insurance company could deny your claim since you didnt have work done by the proper licensed persons.
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Greg
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Betty, GFI's can be wired in series. Say you have 1 in the bathroom, the Kitchen can then be run off or that one. If you have one that you KNOW is a GFI, trip that and see if the others go dead. I know for a fact that some homes left the factory with wiring that was "less than code". Our kitchen lacks GFIs something I have yet to do, thanks for reminding me. If you do need to install one, they are no different than a standard receptical, all recepticals down stream will then be GFI protected. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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Jim from Canada
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Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:39 am

That is correct, 1 GFI will protect all the others chained off of it. If there are too many though, the GFI will keep triping off. What concerns me though is that the kitchen should have split recepticles in it (the top plug on 1 circuit, the bottom on another) therefore there is no chaining of recepticles. Better have "sparky" come check it out.

Jim
DaveHere

It appears that there is a lot of confusion here. I will try to make it simple. First of all your kitchen should have 2 GFCI-protected circuits for general appliance use. You should also have a dedicated non-GFCI outlet for the refrigerator and any other dedicated appliance. Each GFCI circuit can have several receptacles on it, and the actual reset button could be on the first receptacle on the circuit, or it could be on the breaker itself. Don't "assume" anything when it comes to electricity, especially labels, or lack thereof, on something you didn't do yourself. The amperage of your GFCI device must be 15 if you are using #14 wiring and 20 if you are using #12. Also, I suggest you purchase a plug-in style receptacle tester that has GFCI tester built in. They are usually yelllow and have the 3 prongs on one end, and will fit in your pocket. It also has a row of lights on it that will tell you if the receptacle is wired correctly and if the GFCI is working properly. Have fun and be safe!
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Greg
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Dave is right to a point, This is what the National code says. Still confused??? Your bes bet is to call a qualified electrician in your area. Greg

Where do you put G.F.I.'s?...
Any bathroom or garage outlet within 6' of a sink must be GFCI protected. The code also requires all kitchen outlets for countertop use to be GFCI protected. GFCI outlets must be installed in any area where electricity and water may come into contact, including basements, pools, spas, utility rooms, attached garages and outdoors. At least one GFCI outlet is required in an unfinished basement and for most outdoor outlets.
The are two types of GFCIs in homes, the GFCI outlet and the GFCI circuit breaker. Both do the same job, but each has different applications and limitations.
The GFCI outlet is actually a replacement for a standard electrical outlet. A GFCI is not dependent of a ground to function. It does not measure shorts to the ground, it measures the current difference between the hot and neutral wires. A sudden difference of 5 ma. or more, indicating that there is another path for the electricity to flow through will trip this device. The only downside to this is there may be some nuisance tripping in highly inductive loads like large motors or even fluorescent lamps or fixtures on the same circuit. But the newer models seemed to have corrected this somewhat.
It protects any appliance plugged into it, and can also be wired to protect other outlets that are connected to it. The GFCI circuit breaker controls an entire circuit, and is installed as a replacement for a circuit breaker on your home's main circuit board. Rather than install multiple GFCI outlets, one GFCI circuit breaker can protect the entire circuit. There is a test button and a reset button on these units. If you press the test button the reset should pop out. To reset just push the reset button in.
Not a good idea to put lights on GFCI. protected circuits so you aren't left in the dark if the circuit trips. Generally, equipment such as refrigerators, freezers and sump pumps that cannot go without electrical power for an extended period of time without causing costly losses or property damage should not be placed on a GFCI. protected circuit. GFCIs are very sensitive and are subject to nuisance tripping. GFCI receptacles don't last outdoors even under the best of conditions. Be sure to test the device using the "test" button before you use one.
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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