error.
What About Outlets Near Water?
This is an even more important safety issue than whether the ground pin is facing up or down.
Areas where electricity and water may come into contact generally require ground-fault protection, such as GFCI protection, under applicable electrical codes.
GFCIs are designed to interrupt power when they detect an
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imbalance in electrical current, helping reduce the risk of serious shock.
So if you’re evaluating an outlet in a kitchen, bathroom, garage, laundry area, or outdoors, don’t focus only on its orientation.
Ask the more important question:
Does the electrical installation have the appropriate protection for its location?
What Is a GFCI Outlet?
You may have seen an outlet with two buttons labeled:
TEST
and
RESET
That’s typically a GFCI receptacle.
Its job is to monitor electrical current and shut off power when it detects a ground fault.
These devices
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are especially important in locations where electricity could come into contact with water.
The ESFI recommends testing GFCI protection regularly to make sure it is
