Hi Tawra and Jill,
Just wanted to share something I learned the other day. My husband was taking a power nap on Saturday morning, and I went to the bathroom to dry my hair. My hair dryer would not turn on. I thought the breaker was thrown, so I went to the garage, but all appeared normal. I then took the hair dryer to our hall bathroom, and it wouldn’t turn on there either. I figured it broke, and tossed in the trash.
When my husband got up I told him I needed to get a new hair dryer. He said that he might be able to fix it, so I dug it out of the trash and wiped off that mornings grits.
Next I saw him going back and forth to the garage and bathrooms. Then he told me something I never knew. Our two bathrooms are GFI grounded, whatever that means. All I had to do was push the red re-set button in the hall bathroom and power was then restored to both bathrooms. There was not a thing wrong with the hair dryer.
If he had not been there to find this out, I would have probably headed to Wal-mart for a new one, spending $10-$15. So his few minutes of looking around saved us quite a bit of money. BTW, the hair dryer and curling iron were Christmas gifts from my mom. She always calls to see what I want and I like practical gifts, not things that just accumulate but things I can actually use. One year my dad got me new baking pans. Why do I need bottles of perfume, expensive jackets or purses?
Rachel
Photo By: Brent Kern1
Something like this happened to me once. My fridge stopped working in my apartment, so I called the landlord to get it fixed. He told me all I had to do was push this little red reset button in the kitchen. Easy as pie.
GFI stands for Ground Fault Interrupter. These type of outlets are required at locations near water. The bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks and any outlets on the outside of a building. The outlets are usually tied together.
These are required by the Electrical Safety Code in all newer building construction. These outlets save lives as water and electrical current are VERY DEADLY. Be very glad that your home has them. Any older home that does not have GFI should get them installed ASAP. GFI can be a life saver.
If the circit is tripped, it is very easy to reset with just the push of a button. Most important! These GFIs save lives.
Some hairdryers also have a reset button. Hairdryers can overheat and quit working if the vents get clogged with lint or hair. Just unplug and brush clean with an old, dry toothbrush.
in my family we write formal christmas lists and tape them to the kitchen door. We are specific as JCPenny Chirtmas catalogue page 97 item e size 5 in navy. Thys way we all know what each other wants and don’t waste resource. I sure don’t need any more sweaters.
This happened to me with our washing machine. I looked at the outlet and couldn’t tell it was a GFI outlet so my husband pulled the whole thing out and apart before we realized it really was a GFI. Saved us $100s! (not to mention the hassle of it all!)
Also, if hairdryer vents are clogged with dust they may not overheat but may just be less powerful and dry hair more slowly.
I didn’t even realize how much power my hairdryer had lost until one morning I turned it on and it almost blew me away. Lol! My husband had wanted to dry his hair before going out in the cold one morning and noticed it wasn’t that powerful. He popped off the little vent cap, cleaned out the dust and ‘fixed’ it. I used it every day and hadn’t even noticed the gradual decline. Now, I’m amazed at how much quicker my thick hair dries. I’ll be sure to keep the vent dust free from now on!
Angie M.
A GFI(ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet is like you said…it has 2 buttons built into it…1 red & 1 black.
The buttons control a circuit breaker that is built into the outlet. The GFI is designed so that if the worst should happen(IE: plugged in radio falls into the bathtub when you’re in it) it will cut ALL POWER in about 1/200th of a second….what this means in english is, the power is cut(turned off/circuit breaker is blown) faster than the time it takes for you to feel the electric shock…thus, your life is saved or you are saved the trip to the emergency room.
These outlets cost more than a regular outlet, but they are more than worth the cost for a life can never be replaced.
I hope this explains what a GFI is & what it does.