I was ever so close to buying a brand new refrigerator when ours stopped working. As I recall, we had a power outage during the storm and everything but the refrigerator was back to normal. We didn’t notice any obvious problems with the refrigerator or the electrical panel in the basement. The thing was just broken – perhaps damaged by the storm surge.
Before we started shopping for a new product, I called my dad to check everything in case we’d missed something, and he found the culprit: the refrigerator was plugged into a GFCI outlet – the kind with two small rectangular buttons. Pop the little red button back into place and boom, you save $800 (or whatever the fridge costs now).
What is a GFCI?
The GFCI, or ground fault circuit interrupter, is a clever little device. They’ve been needed in bathroom outlets since the 1970s, and in kitchens since 2005. According to the International Association of Electrical Inspectors, home electrocutions have dropped by 81% since the days before GFCIs.
GFCIs exist primarily to prevent you from being electrocuted. Think of those two flat pins on a plug, like the plug in a hair dryer. Current flows out of one hole in the outlet, through the hair dryer’s mechanism, and back down the other pin to the other hole. the GFCI plug constantly measures the current on both sides, and if it’s equal, everything is fine.
But if something happens – you drop the hair dryer into the tub – and now the current is flowing into you. the GFCI detects an imbalance between the two sides of the circuit and shuts off the power. As the Consumer Product Safety Commission notes, the GFCI “is designed to operate before the electricity affects your heartbeat.”
The GFCI receptacle will have two buttons. One is a “test” button, which will trigger the GFCI if you intend to do so; it will close the circuit. The other is a “reset” button, which allows everything to go back to normal.
The GFCI is very sensitive and can sometimes be tripped for other reasons. If the GFCI trips repeatedly, call an electrician; there may be a problem with the wiring in your home. If this is a one-time event, you can press the reset button and get on with your life.
That “test” button, by the way? It’s there because you should test the GFCI periodically to make sure it’s still working. Testing is recommended after installation, monthly and after any power outage.
Where to find the GFCI
Depending on how your house is wired, the circuit in your house may power a single outlet (which is often the case with large appliances such as refrigerators), or it may include outlets and lights in multiple rooms.
A single GFCI can be connected to protect the entire circuit. So, if your bathroom light won’t turn on or your hallway outlet isn’t working properly, start checking for a red reset button on any nearby outlets. When you find the right one and put it back in place, everything on the circuit will come back to life.
GFCI is not always at the outlets. Some devices, including hair dryers, may have a similar device called an ALCI built into the plug that will cut off power if the hair dryer is dropped into water. You can also purchase a separate GFCI device to plug in an extension cord. There are also breakers with built-in GFCIs, which means you may need to find your breaker box (usually in the basement or utility closet) to turn that switch on. If the power suddenly goes out in a part of your home, you’ll want to check the breaker anyway.
Some outlets that have test and reset buttons are actually AFCIs, or arc fault circuit breakers. They work slightly differently, and their primary function is to prevent electrical fires, not to protect people from electric shocks. But the buttons work the same way: if they are triggered, you need to press the “reset” button. If the GFCI or AFCI still trips, even though all devices are unplugged from the circuit, call an electrician – there may be a problem with your wiring.
So what’s my garbage disposal button?
If you have a garbage disposal and don’t know why it stopped working, you may need to press the reset button at the bottom. It is usually a round red button that is connected to what is called an overload protector.
An overload protector is basically a circuit breaker. It works similar to the circuit breaker in your home’s breaker box: if too much current flows through the circuit, the breaker will trip, thus breaking and closing the circuit. It works differently than a GFCI, but is similar in that it will cut power to the unit when it detects a problem and won’t restore power until you press that little red reset button.
With garbage disposals, electrical problems may trigger the overload protector, but so does a clog in the disposal process. If the motor is on but won’t move, a high level of current will pass through the wires and the circuit breaker will trip. Therefore, the little red button is one of the first things to check when you are solving a garbage disposal problem.
