I have a half-bath on the main floor of our house that is small and has only 3 electrical items in it:
- Light above the sink (and corresponding light switch)
- Fart fan (and corresponding light switch)
- Two non-GFCI receptacles (one box, two plug-ins) next to the sink
I understand that, by itself, this is against code and that those receptacles must be GFCI-protected. However, my house is new enough (~1995?) that I'm sure this has to be up to code but I don't know what GFCI switch actually controls this.
My questions:
- I understand a device like this will prove that it is or is not protected. But how?
- If it is protected, is there an easy way to find the device that protects it? (our circuit breaker box's labels are worse than useless b/c of how wrong the labels are)
- If I find it's not protected, then I'm definitely going to replace it to protect it. Is it correct that I should replace it with a 15A box unless both my wiring and circuit breaker are proper for 20A? (Current receptacles are 15A judging by not having the horizontal "right-angle" hole.)
Best Answer
Step One, which I do for every home I occupy, is to do a thorough map of the circuit breakers by simple trial-and-error. Check every outlet, light, and wired appliance in the home. Print a nice list of what each breaker protects and tape it over the cryptic scribbles left by sparky.
Here's my Google sheet for those who'd like it. I left my data in it as an example. Simply make a copy and replace the data with yours. I fold it down the middle, book-style, and tape it to the panel door at the fold so it fits nicely inside.
The device you link doesn't locate GFCI outlets, just the specific breaker you're on. I honestly don't know why a homeowner with just one residence to inspect would need it.
There are likely only a few GFCI outlets in your home. They're commonly located in bathrooms, kitchens, and garages, among other potentially wet areas. Try them one at a time and you'll get there.
If your outlets are not protected, but are on the same circuit, you should be able to simply replace the upstream outlet with a GFCI outlet and connect the downstream run to the LOAD side, thereby protecting the other outlet (and anything else downstream).
A 20A outlet is at most a few dollars more than a 15A outlet, so it's probably worth going that route. It may be legal to use a 15A outlet, however. Our resident code geeks can tell us for sure.